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Mercedes C63 AMG estate

Test date 01 July 2008  Price as tested  £52,675

What is it?

The new Mercedes C63 AMG estate, which brings the thunderous 6.2-litre V8 to Mercedes’ executive load-lugger. That means 451bhp and 443lb ft of torque propelling a car weighing just 65kg more than its saloon counterpart, resulting in a penalty of just 0.1sec in the sprint to 60mph and half an mpg in extra fuel consumption.

What’s it like?

On the road, it’s near-identical to the C63 saloon. So although you’ll have to put up with a lumpy low-speed ride, the pay-off is magnificent body control, incisive steering, relentless acceleration and a soundtrack that will give you goose bumps.

Best of all, though, is the 7-speed automatic transmission. This has a full manual paddle-shift mode that feels almost as slick as a twin-clutch set up. It even allows you to bounce off the rev limiter without changing up for you.

So should I buy one?

An extra £1250 over the saloon sounds expensive, but with the recent demise of the RS4 Avant, and no M3 estate, if you want a small V8 estate the Mercedes C63 is your only option. Good thing it’s a cracking car, then.

Matt Rigby

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