Photo: CarPix
A few days ago, Mercedes officially unveiled its brand new S205 generation of C-Class Estate, in our honest opinion, the sexiest compact estate to ever wear the premium badge. It's likely to receive the full AMG treatment some time in its life, just like the S204, but for the first time ever, there will also be a halfway point in the range, called the C 450 AMG Sport.
Not quite as powerful and radical as the full AMG, but not as boring as a base-model diesel either, the 450 AMG will still have enough grunt to blow away the competition. Despite similarities between their names, there's nothing in common with a CLA 45 AMG. Power comes not from a 2-liter turbo, but from a brand new 3-liter twin-turbo.
Daimler started developing this mill for its "400" models, which received 333 hp, but decided to offer a sports version as well. Output has thus been increased to 367 hp and around 550 Nm (406 lb-ft) of torque.
Those numbers should mean Audi's S4 Avant is in huge trouble, its aging 3-liter supercharged engine delivering 333 hp. Not even the quattro traction advantage can save it, since the 4Matic badge stuck to the boot of this prototype indicates all-wheel drive is on offer.
As for BMW, well they're in even bigger trouble. The 335i with M Performance parts can only muster 320 hp. Ultimate driving machine? Not when AMG is directly involved in the development of the C 450 Sport. Their all-wheel drive systems of late have proven extremely competent despite barely adding any weight to the cars.
Talking about styling is, of course, very subjective. But you can't love modern Mercedes design and not be moved by the C 450 AMG Sport. It's a serious bit of kit, body kit that is. Tinted windows, a star grille, big air intakes at front and even a quad-pipe exhaust system – all these things combined will almost fool you into thinking this is powered by a 6.3-liter V8 engine.
Oh sure, it's not as discrete as as older C-Class Estates. But fans of the old times will also find the price of the car a hard pill to swallow. In Germany, this half-AMG will probably start at about €65,000, certainly not within the average family man's budget. But then the average family man can't say he drives a twin-turbo V6 developed with input from AMG, now can he?
Daimler started developing this mill for its "400" models, which received 333 hp, but decided to offer a sports version as well. Output has thus been increased to 367 hp and around 550 Nm (406 lb-ft) of torque.
Those numbers should mean Audi's S4 Avant is in huge trouble, its aging 3-liter supercharged engine delivering 333 hp. Not even the quattro traction advantage can save it, since the 4Matic badge stuck to the boot of this prototype indicates all-wheel drive is on offer.
As for BMW, well they're in even bigger trouble. The 335i with M Performance parts can only muster 320 hp. Ultimate driving machine? Not when AMG is directly involved in the development of the C 450 Sport. Their all-wheel drive systems of late have proven extremely competent despite barely adding any weight to the cars.
Talking about styling is, of course, very subjective. But you can't love modern Mercedes design and not be moved by the C 450 AMG Sport. It's a serious bit of kit, body kit that is. Tinted windows, a star grille, big air intakes at front and even a quad-pipe exhaust system – all these things combined will almost fool you into thinking this is powered by a 6.3-liter V8 engine.
Oh sure, it's not as discrete as as older C-Class Estates. But fans of the old times will also find the price of the car a hard pill to swallow. In Germany, this half-AMG will probably start at about €65,000, certainly not within the average family man's budget. But then the average family man can't say he drives a twin-turbo V6 developed with input from AMG, now can he?
Google News