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Thursday, August 18, 2011

2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe Black Series: More Power, Raging Looks

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2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe Black Series - Official Photos and InfoWith more power and raging looks, the C-class coupe is the next to go to the Black side.BY JARED GALL, PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDREAS LINDLAHR AND THE MANUFACTURER
July 2011

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2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe Black Series

Photos (56)VideosVisit Our Buyer's Guide »Mercedes-Benz C-class› Overview› Specifications› Price with Options› Photos & 360° View› Get a Free QuoteNews & Reviews2012 Mercedes-Benz C-class / C250 / C350 Coupe - First Drive Review2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe - First Drive Review2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe Debuts @ 2011 New York Auto Show - Video2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe Official Photos and Info - Auto Shows2012 Mercedes-Benz C-class / C250 / C350 - First Drive Review2012 Mercedes-Benz C-class Coupe Official Photos and Info - Auto Shows2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Official Photos and Info - Auto Shows2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550 - Short Take Road Test2012 Mercedes-Benz C-class Official Photos and Info - Auto ShowsTop CompetitorsAudi S5 coupeBMW M3 coupeCadillac CTS-V coupeJaguar XK coupePorsche 911 Carrera

The latest in a very short but highly distinguished—and completely nuts—line of Black Series Benzes is here. The C63 AMG Black Series is based on the C63 coupe, which we just drove for the first time a few months ago. Following the lead of the not-for-U.S.-sale SLK55 Black Series, the CLK63 Black Series, and the SL65 Black Series, this C63 AMG is amped up visually and dynamically, with a steroidal bump in output to back up the flared nostrils.

In case the 451 hp and 443 lb-ft in the standard-issue C63 AMG or the 481 and 443 offered by that car’s AMG Development Package aren’t quite cutting it, the C63 AMG BS makes 510 hp at 6800 rpm and 457 lb-ft at 5200. Like cars with the Development Pack, the Black Series borrows its pistons, connecting rods, and crankshaft from the be-gullwinged SLS AMG supercar. (And like previous Black Series cars, the C63 will sound downright nasty. Click on the video at the bottom of this page to hear it rev.) Behind the motor lives the same seven-speed automatic found in the regular C63, packing four shift modes and a launch-control function for when you really don’t want to linger at this stupid party one more split second. We ran a Development Pack sedan to 60 mph in just 3.9 seconds; with wider rear rubber, figure on the Black Series shaving a couple tenths from that and clearing the quarter-mile in around 12 seconds flat.

I’m Going to Eat You

Like the Black Series cars that came before it, the C63 oozes menace and purpose. Air can’t flow through stuff, so there’s remarkably little material remaining in the front fascia, the bumper that once resided there largely displaced by intakes covered by black mesh. A gaping central intake is flanked by two smaller holes through which cooling air enters, and two nostrils atop the hood give hot air a convenient exit from underhood. As if to emphasize its name and purpose, the front splitter comes to a sharp point in the middle of the nose.

Flared fenders widen the car by 2.2 inches up front and 3.3 out back, covering tracks stretched by 1.6 and 3.1 inches, respectively. Vents behind the front wheels and ahead of the rears are both nonfunctional, which somewhat diminishes their awesomeness. The lightweight wheels at each corner have their movements controlled by adjustable coil-overs, while speed-sensitive steering issues directional orders and Black Series–specific anti-roll bars maintain the contact patches during aggressive driving. The brake rotors measure 15.4 inches in diameter up front and 14.2 inches out back. Red paint is standard on the calipers, which have six pistons up front and four in the rear. The rubber measures 255/35-19 up front and 285/30-19 out back—that’s up from 235/40-18s and 255/35-18s on the basic C63 AMG coupe—and a limited-slip diff is standard, as is a stability-control system that will get entirely out of the way if you want it to.

Flat Bottom Girls

You’ll notice hard-shell sport buckets in the accompanying photos, but those aren’t likely to make it to the U.S. We are likely, however, to at least get red stitching on whatever seats we do end up with. Calm down. The rear seat has been dismissed in the interest of weight savings, but can be reactivated if you’d like to frighten more than just one person at a time. And AMG has flattened both the bottom and top of the steering wheel, which makes it way more serious than all those wheels with just flat bottoms. Lest the screaming V-8 deafen your passenger to the point they can no longer hear the V-8 screaming, a Black Series logo on the dash will remind them why they can’t hear.

Those who feel the flared and vented look of the C63 AMG Black Series isn’t quite enough will be able to crank up the appearance even more with an AMG Aerodynamics package that includes carbon-fiber winglets on the front valance and a fixed carbon-fiber spoiler with an adjustable aerofoil. AMG says these bits are functional and increase downforce, but isn’t saying by how much. It also won’t provide photos of a car so equipped, so we don’t know by how much they make it look more menacing and/or ridiculous. The C63 Black’s other major option package is a Track pack that includes even higher-performance rubber of unspecified Dunlop pedigree, as well as a differential cooler.

All Black Series cars to this point have been low-production affairs, the SLK55 AMG, for example, being limited to just 120 units. The CLK63 and SL65 sold in slightly higher numbers, at 700 and 350, respectively. While Mercedes isn’t saying yet how many C63 AMG Black Series it will build, representatives do tell us the number will be capped. Figure on a sticker edging close to $100,000. While that’s awfully steep for a car that shares its basic shape and structure with a coupe starting in the mid-$30,000 range, it is about $40,000 cheaper than the CLK63 Black Series and a whopping $200K less than the SL65 Black Series. So if you’ve got a spot reserved in your garage for what will certainly be the cheapest U.S.-market Black Series car yet, get on the horn to your dealer now. U.S. distribution will begin early in 2012.

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Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Latest 2013 Ford Escape Spy Photos Confirm EcoBoost Power, Vertrek-Inspired Design

May 31, 2011 at 4:43pm by Alexander Stoklosa

We’ve previously spied the upcoming 2013 Ford Escape, but these latest photos both show more of the crossover’s shape and confirm our previous suspicions about what might power it. When last we saw a 2013 Escape test mule, it was wearing current-generation Ford Kuga bodywork, so these new images are the first to show off the new shape. The overall look follows that of Ford’s Vertrek concept, including the swoopy greenhouse, bulging hood, swept-back headlights (whose Focus-style inset turn indicators are taped over here), and strong character line running from the front wheelarch to the tip of the taillights. Those taillights and a new fender vent seem the lone elements that seriously deviate from the Vertrek. That concept sported simple, single-form taillights, while this prototype’s taillights feature a thin extension that wraps onto the rear quarter panels just like those on Ford’s 2012 Focus hatch (see the close-up shot of the taillight in the gallery below).

More compelling, though, are the shots of the vehicle sans front and rear fascias. The exposed front-mounted intercooler confirms our previous hunches about Ford’s adoption of EcoBoost power for its baby sport utility. The base engine for the 2013 Escape is likely to be Ford’s naturally aspirated 168-hp, 2.5-liter four-cylinder, joined in the powertrain lineup by either a 1.6-liter, turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder, a 2.0-liter EcoBoost, or both. The 1.6-liter EcoBoost is the same engine found in the Vertrek concept, and we’d expect it to produce somewhere near 180 hp and 170 lb-ft of torque. The 2.0-liter EcoBoost should be good for 237-ish hp and 250 lb-ft of torque, and would make for an interesting Kia Sportage SX competitor. A hybrid powertrain is almost guaranteed, whether an evolution of the system in the current Escape hybrid or possibly a plug-in affair. We’ll bring you more details as they become available; in the meantime, check out the gallery below for more spy photos of the 2013 Escape.

Tags: Ford, Ford Escape, spy photos |

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Monday, June 20, 2011

The Continental: Speaking with Chrysler/Lancia’s Olivier Francois, Klaus Bischoff on VW Styling, and Germany’s (Sort of) Power Trip

The Continental

Each week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental.

At the Lancia Ypsilon international launch in Torino this week, I sat down with Chrysler and Lancia CEO Olivier Francois to discuss the merging brands’ strategy.

The product portfolios of Lancia and Chrysler will be virtually identical, and there will be a clear market separation, he says. No market will offer both brands. The U.K. and Ireland, e.g., are going to be Chrysler markets, and therefore the Ypsilon, as well as the Delta, will be sold as Chryslers there. Neither of these models will be offered in the U.S., says Francois. The styling language will merge, with the grille of the Ypsilon serving as an indicator for future products.

Francois wants to take Chrysler and Lancia upmarket: “We want to compete better with the imported European brands,” he says, explaining: “There is a share of Chrysler’s market that has gone to the imports. We want to own it again.” So will the next 200 be a 3-series competitor and the 300 a 5-series fighter? Yes, he says—not exclusively, but also. In fact, Lancia will somewhat pull up Chrysler: The interior of the 300C Executive Series is molded after the 300's Lancia counterpart, the Thema.

Europe won’t get a Thema V-8 with either of the 300's V-8 engines: “The Thema is all about silence,” says Francois. On the other hand, Chrysler won’t offer the 300 in the U.S. with the V-6 turbo-diesel. But these variations are an option at a later stage: “We could consider it, but it is not in the plan right now.” An Imperial? “Possible, but not a priority.” What’s not happening is a station wagon; the segment, Francois feels, is dead.

What about downsizing engines? Not happening immediately. “The U.S. market is about V-6 and V-8 engines,” Francois is convinced. Downsized, turbocharged fours will come with the next generation of compact and mid-size sedans as Chrysler integrates Fiat Group platforms.

Meanwhile, the 200, which was shown as the Lancia Flavia concept at the Geneva auto show, will only be offered in Europe as a fabric-top, V-6–powered convertible; the lack of a diesel would render the sedan unsaleable.

There is no interest in using Michael Stoschek’s Stratos concept to increase the Lancia brand’s visibility. It is too far removed from Lancia’s current lineup, and it would raise expectations the brand can’t fulfill. But the unbelievable fact that the Stratos nameplate was lost years ago haunts Lancia executives today. “It would not happen today,” I am told.

Behind the Wheel of the Lancia Ypsilon

So what does the Ypsilon drive like? A lot better than I expected. It has moved from the Punto platform to the smaller Panda architecture, and, compared to its predecessor, it grows only very slightly in size. At around 2100 pounds, the Ypsilon also is rather light—and it therefore feels quick and alive both with the torquey 1.3-liter turbo-diesel (148 lb-ft of torque, 94 hp) and the 0.9-liter, turbocharged two-cylinder gasoline engine (107 lb-ft, 84 hp). I did not sample the entry-level, naturally aspirated 1.2-liter four (75 lb-ft, 68 hp). The diesel is surprisingly smooth, and the noise level of the engine and the entire car is low even at autobahn velocities. The two-cylinder gasoline engine, by contrast, is acoustically always present. It emits a low, raspy note, and you are always aware of what is going on under the hood—although you tend to underestimate the rpm. This rev-happy engine constantly hits the limiter if you don’t watch the tach. The throb at idle reminds me of the Citroën 2CV—a questionable historic reference, but fun nevertheless. The chassis is clearly on the comfy side. Moreover, the stability-control system kicks in early, and the Ypsilon never encourages spirited driving.

In typical Lancia fashion, the seating surfaces and trim parts use stylish and expensive materials, but there is evidence of cost-cutting as well. For a competitor of the Mini, the Audi A1, and the Citroën DS3, the overall execution is not quite there. On the other hand, this is the cheapest of the quartet, undercutting the competition by some €3000.

A Faster Audi Q3?

Audi will launch the Q3 compact shortly, with a 211-hp TFSI four-cylinder as its top-of the line engine. But I’d be surprised if Audi doesn’t have something very interesting—and far more powerful—to add above it. I’ll keep you posted.

VW Styling

Under the leadership of Klaus Bischoff, the VW brand is reinventing its styling. You might feel that most recent VWs look too similar, but when asked which new models are most important from a design perspective, Bischoff pointedly tells me: “The Beetle, the Bulli concept, and the Golf, and you will notice they have very distinct faces, but share a common approach. All of them, in their own way, conform to our styling language entirely.” What is this styling language? “Precision and solidity with an iconic and purist quality. We strive to achieve extreme tension, but without any superficial effects.”

It is obvious that some of VW’s last models, particularly those styled under former chief designer Murat Günak, follow a rather different styling philosophy. This includes some Chinese-market models like the Lavida—”pure Günak,” according to a VW designer. When presented with the new, cleaner styling language, VW’s Chinese joint venture partners swallowed hard. But local product clinics have shown that customers actually prefer the new look.

Later this year, the CC will be relaunched. Alas, like the European Passat, it will remain a compromise, with the center section of the cabin and the daylight opening untouched.

Power? Ja, Bitte

At 132 hp for the first four months of 2011, cars sold in Germany are more powerful on average than ever. The reason for the record, ironically, is the high diesel penetration, which has grown to 46.6 percent. Most SUVs are equipped with powerful diesels, while entry-level compact and minicars are typically powered by naturally aspirated gasoline engines. On average, Porsches sold here are most powerful, at 349 hp on average, followed by Jaguar (301 hp) and Land Rover (231 hp). The wimpiest fleets are provided by Smart (70 hp), Fiat (84 hp), and Renault’s budget brand Dacia (89 hp). And the few electric vehicles sold here make a low 50 hp on average.

This week, I saw Porsche 911 and BMW 1-series protoypes testing around Stuttgart and Munich. The 911 still sounds great, and its proportions look very similar to the current model’s. The same goes for the BMW 1-series: For many people, the only way to tell new from old will be the new, distinct headlights (which I didn’t catch).

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Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Brabus Takes Downsized Mercedes-Benz V-8s and Upsizes Their Power

Brabus, the Mercedes-Benz tuning company that has long specialized in granting Benzes more power than anyone thought imaginable, is in serious trouble. It’s under fire from a new competitor: not Lorinser, not Renntech, and not Kleeman. No, the threat to Brabus in the insane-horsepower-for-Benzes battle comes from Mercedes-Benz itself. The new twin-turbocharged 4.7-liter V-8, being deployed throughout the Mercedes-Benz range in models like the CL550, and eventually the S550 and E550, makes 429 hp. A new twin-turbo V-8 from AMG displaces 5.5 liters, and in cars like the S63 and CLS63, will product a whopping 536 hp. What’s Brabus to do but offer still more power for these cars?

How Does 610 hp Sound?

Brabus’s ECU boost and supplementary intercooler result in a whopping 610 hp from the S63 and CL63's 5.5-liter V-8, a 74 hp bump over stock. Torque swells accordingly, ballooning from 590 lb-ft to 737 lb-ft. Mercedes does have its own method for boosting the power of this engine: A $7300 AMG Performance package for its 5.5-liter AMG models increases power by 27 hp and 74 lb-ft of torque, but these numbers still fall short of what’s offered by the Brabus enhancements. For what it’s worth, Brabus warrantees its mods for 3 years or 62,000 miles.

For drivers of humble 550-badged Mercs—like the CLS550, CL550, and upcoming refreshed S550—with the company’s new 4.7-liter, 429-hp engine, Brabus has a pair of options to up the ante a bit. The first kit consists of an ECU upgrade that nets drivers an additional 53 hp and 59 lb-ft, bringing the totals to 482 hp and 575 lb-ft. Add Brabus’s supplementary intercooler and the totals jump to 512 hp and 604 lb-ft. Of course, shoppers eager to bring the look of their Benz up to spec with their speed can also dip into Brabus’s catalog to outfit their rides with everything from wheels to body kits to carbon-fiber accessories.

You’ll Have to Shell out for the Power

The upgrades to the 4.7-liter cars will set you back 4900 euros for the 482 hp kit, and 5900 euros for the 512 hp kit. At current exchange rates, that’s $7185 and $8652, respectively—though when these are available in the U.S., they could cost something different altogether. No pricing was announced for the 5.5-liter AMG engine upgrades. The old mantra is that there’s no replacement for displacement. Mercedes-Benz’s new twin-turbo 4.7- and 5.5.-liter engines go far to disprove this—but the power mongers at Brabus push it further still.

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Friday, May 6, 2011

Brabus Takes Downsized Mercedes-Benz V-8s and Upsizes Their Power

How Does 610 hp Sound?

You’ll Have to Shell out for the Power

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