This week, Mercedes-Benz South Africa is launching the C63 S E Performance on local shores. Yup, it’s officially here … and here’s how much you can expect to pay for the Affalterbach-based brand’s 500 kW midsize-performance sedan. Without further ado, here it is: the C63 S E Performance is priced from R2 476 800. The pricing includes a maintenance plan spanning 100 000 km or five years, and a two-year/unlimited km warranty.
So, how does the C63 S E Performance’s asking price compare to that of its German Big Three rivals from Ingolstadt and Munich? Compared to Audi’s midsize-performance wagon, the RS4 Avant quattro (R 1 547 100), the C63 S E Performance will set you back nearly R930 000 more.
At the same time, compared to the current (pre-facelifted) M3 Competition xDrive (R2 148 002), the AMG sedan is nearly R330 000 more expensive. However, it is worth noting that the latter will, in the fourth quarter of 2024, be replaced by the revised M3 Competition xDrive, and pricing for the upcoming model has yet to be released.
But how does these models match up with the new C63 S? Firstly, a reminder: the C63 S E Performance’s plug-in hybrid arrangement (which comprises a 350 kW/545 N.m 2.0-litre, turbocharged four-cylinder petrol and 150 kW/320 N.m electric motor, the latter of which is coupled with a 6.1 kWh battery pack) produces a combined power and peak torque output of 500 kW and 1 020 N.m, sent to all four corners via the German marque’s nine-speed MCT transmission.
Compared to the RS4 Avant and upcoming (refreshed) M3 Competition xDrive, the latter of which has been handed a power upgrade of 15 kW, that’s 169 kW/420 N.m and 110 kW/370 N.m more than the Audi and BMW, respectively.
In the 0-100 km/h stakes, the C63 S E Performance dispatches the obligatory sprint in a claimed 3.4 seconds, seven-tenths and one-tenth of a second quicker than the RS4 Avant and updated M3 Competition xDrive.
