Compact Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG offers big horsepower with smaller carbon footprint

GLENDALE, Calif. (KABC) -- It was a phrase popularized by President Teddy Roosevelt: "Speak softly and carry a big stick." One variation of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class lets you do just that, automotive style.

The "speaking softly" part is a rather innocuous four-door body shared with the other C-Class models. At first glance, it looks like it could be any other C300. But drop in a snarling V8 from the company's AMG performance division, and there's your very "big stick."

It's the C63 AMG. It puts out 469 horsepower, or just over 500 horsepower in "S" configuration. That's a lot of go-power in a fairly small sedan.

But this is nothing new for Mercedes-Benz. They've been offering AMG versions of the C-Class for many years. It's the muscle car formula, first pioneered by Pontiac with the GTO back in the 1960s - stuff an engine typically meant for a larger car into a smaller one.

The C63 AMG doesn't always speak softly in the literal sense, especially when you activate the AMG Dynamic Exhaust via a button on the console. The engine speaks up with authority, producing a true muscle car snarl.

This is not the first time Mercedes-Benz has offered a C63 AMG model, but it's the first one with a new, smaller 4.0 liter twin-turbo V8. Previous editions of this car used a 6.2 liter V8, then a 5.5 liter V8 with turbos. Even though the new engine is much smaller, and greatly reduces carbon output and fuel consumption, it's still able to produce that magic 500 horsepower number (in the C63S).

It's a way to keep a rumbling V8 in the modern era. In fact, the AMG C-Class is no longer hit with a federal "Gas Guzzler Tax" like it used to be. The EPA ratings are now 18 city and 25 highway. Earlier versions of the C63 never got out of the teens in fuel economy numbers.

This baby AMG's longtime rival is the BMW M3, the latest version of which dropped its former V8 for a turbocharged inline six. That's BMW's way of dealing with the carbon issue. Overall performance is comparable to that of the Benz, though not the actual horsepower and torque figures.

Like any car in the category, this wolf in sheep's clothing C63 AMG will cost you a lot of bucks -- $63,000 for starters or $71,000 for the S model. Options on the latter can send the price well past $80,000.

But knowing you have a true high-performance sedan that doesn't necessarily look like one? As the saying goes, "priceless."