2010 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG

Love the flat-bottom steering wheel and its Alcantara trim. Love the fabulous cream-colored sport seats over a black interior. Love the engine and the sounds it makes. Love the downshift blips from the seven-speed automatic. Had the opportunity to drive our C63 at GingerMan Raceway in South Haven, Michigan. Tremendous power and grip make it highly, highly entertaining there. Brakes are strong initially but did eventually fade a bit. Still, it was a very impressive performer. The thing to remember about the C63 AMG is that, for the first time in a couple of decades, Mercedes-Benz has produced a car that well and truly competes with the legendary BMW M3. Sure, the two cars differ, and each has its particular strengths and weaknesses, and the BMW is still a bit more pure of purpose, but this Benz can hold its own very nicely, and any C63 owner need make no apologies.
- Joe DeMatio, Deputy Editor