Gaywheels.com’s Marty Padgett and Joe LaMuraglia both had seat time in the newest hot-rod from Mercedes-Benz; the 2008 C63 AMG. They logged on, fired up their chat programs and discussed:
Marty: So you’re sitting on S&M Boulevard in West Hollywood.
Joe: Yes darling….the joys of entrepreneurship…I can work anywhere….and by work I mean…..
Marty: Look at boys while you sip a soy latte…..I’d rather sip a boy latte
Joe: or eat a Topz burger…and let me guess, you’d rather eat a top
Marty: It is my skill set
Joe: Gorgeous….so, you drove the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG in Europe and I had the pleasure of driving it last week in AZ. Discuss.
Marty: I drove the C63 in Europe, yes. It was Frankfurt auto show time, the leaves were just turning colors like my hair, and well, the
car was a delight.
Joe: Honey, we are both follicularly challenged..referencing hair is just cruel
Marty: I think you get a different perspective driving an AMG in Europe, versus driving it here in the U.S. It seems like a huge
indulgence on our roads…while on the Autobahn it’s like a survival kit. Since Europeans already think we’re savages, I think they’re just waiting to see what happens when they let Americans have the keys to this thing
Joe: Agreed…it and its competitors seem a bit like overkill in our speed-limited environment.
Marty: I mean, when was the last time you straddled 451 hp?
Joe: We’ll there was that one time at band camp…
Marty: The competition’s brutal. I drove the M3 and the RS4 just a few weeks ago and I was pleasantly surprised.
Joe: and of the three, which did you prefer?
Marty: It’s like the Rockland brothers, I don’t know if I’d turn down any one of them but I do put my checkmark in the Mercedes column. It might actually have the best handling of the three and definitely the
best seats.
Joe: I’ve been in the M3 and the C63 AMG and I have to say, I like the buttoned up look and feel of the Benz
Marty: What did you think of the interior?
Joe: The steering wheel was sublime-I found myself caressing it- and the COMAND system was surprisingly intuitive
Marty: You just like taking COMANDs I think.
Joe: Well, there IS that….
Marty: I’ll tell you my favorite thing about the car: those paddle shifters. It’s one thing to have big cubic inches, but you have to use it effectively.
Joe: Agreed…..and it was like a muscular daddy in an Armani telling me what to do with a German accent……I think I just got moist
Marty: Oh, ask me later, I think I have the username/password to that site.
Joe: Oy vey!
Marty: Which reminds me: that price tag. I believe it’s $55,000 which is the least expensive of the three German bahn-beasts. That’s a relative bargain for this class of car. The BMW sedan is just a little
pricier. The Audi, meanwhile, is up near $66,000.
Joe: But all three will have their buyers….the people that buy these vehicles aren’t necessarily price sensitive
Marty: I think you get a lot of brand loyalty in these cars as well- like Mustang versus Camaro, but with fewer mullets.
Joe: it is a mullet-free club for sure
Joe: The Benz says “I have money, I appreciate performance but I still go to the ballet”
Marty: Or perform in it.
Joe: And the M3 says “look at me, I’ve gone to the gym – a LOT- and you must love and appreciate my muscles.
Joe: your thoughts on the exhaust note?
Marty: The exhaust note? Why can’t I remember standing behind it, as usual?
Joe: it was gorgeously brazen under full throttle…not artificial like the Lexus IS F
Marty: Just like the body add-ons…subtle but effective. But do you think it’s not ballsy looking enough?
Joe: Like i said, if you want to be the gym bunny in the tank top, buy the M3
Marty: I never was the gym bunny in the tank top, so my frame of reference is hanging crooked.
Joe: the AMG is more of a sophisticated buyer but doesn’t give up anything on performance…he/she just doesn’t need to let the world know about it….until the car blows them away on the road
Marty: And blowing away is the root of it all.
Joe: you said blow and root in the same sentence
Marty: Without a thesaurus too.
Joe: nice….so was there anything you didn’t like about the C63? The only thing I could find wrong was the position of the lumbar and side bolster controls. They were in a very odd place and seemed like an
afterthought.
Marty: Other than the fact I can’t afford one, I didn’t miss a thing in the car. It’s so much more capable than the old AMG C-Class, what’s not to love?
Joe: I found it perfectly balanced, just raw enough to appeal to my inner redneck and so comfortable around town you forget it is a performance car…
Marty: Until someone presses their face on the glass and begs for a ride.
Joe: and I have this fantasy about the AMG engineer that put my engine together….
Marty: Oh, you and your thing for machines.
Joe: German machines, SIR
Marty: Again, let me get you that password. You’ll be entertained.
Joe: I’ll take the password but I’d prefer my own keys to a C63 AMG!