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The Mercedes that's as fast as a Lambo

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Comfy, refined and effortlessly fast, the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S could well be all the car a person would ever need…

PORTIMAO, PORTUGAL— So, Singapore is once againthe world’s most expensive city to live in. That’s always been the case to lovers of cars,but perhaps there’s a solution to the problem of how make the most of thehideous sums we pay for our wheels.

It’s called theMercedes-AMG C 63 S, and it could jolly well be all the car a person would everneed.

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Granted, it’s not cheap (prices haven’t been finalised but a rough guess of $450,000 with COE wouldn’t be far off) but it combines a small luxury sedan with supercar performance, thus obviating the need for you to own both.

There’s even an Estate version, which adds the practicality of a serious load-lugger to the mix.

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This exciting new machine comes in two flavours, with the basic C 63 packing 469bhp and the ability to hit 100km/h in just 4.1 seconds. The harder-core C 63 S has 503bhp, and sneaks past the same benchmark in 4 seconds flat.

That’s as fast as the Lamborghini Gallardo was, which means the C 63 models allow you to have five seats while blitzing the streets as ferociously as the most common Lambos on Singapore roads.

Its top speed is limited to 250km/h, but you can pay to have that raised electronically to 290km/h, which is beyond the reach of all but the most exotic of cars.

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Of course, if you call on the C 63 to meet all your motoring needs, then it has to be comfy enough to drive every day. That’s one test it aces.

MORE: Not interested in speed? Read about the regular C 200 here. Or the C 250.

The electronic suspension has three levels of firmness that you can select depending on whether you’re in the notoriously lumpy KPE tunnel or, say, doing a hot lap of Sepang, but the set-up is so well-judged that even on the harshest Sport+ setting it’s hard to see the Mercedes being a threat to your dental fillings on even the country’s worst tarmac.

It’s quiet on the move, too, at least when your right foot isn’t trying to bend the accelerator pedal.

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That’s one key way in which the car differs from its predecessor. The previous C 63 AMG had the performance to sneak up behind Lambos with a bit of lead piping too, but it made a hell of a racket everywhere.

That’s because its 6.2-litre engine sounded like it ran on gunpowder instead of petrol.

The new C 63 has a smaller, 4.0-litre engine that breathes through two turbochargers. Those tend to hush up an exhaust note somewhat, so some of the trademark AMG histrionics are gone.

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But the “S” model comes with a sports exhaust as standard, and it has a button connected to active flaps that put some of the thunder back into the car’s soundtrack.

Indeed, the C 63 S is the one to get if you can afford it. It comes with handling aids like active engine mounts that can sharpen up steering response by locking the V8 solid to the car’s frame (or slacken up when all you want is a comfy drive).

There’s also an electronic rear differential that locks up actively to boost traction when it’s needed, too, so you can accelerate surprisingly hard out of corners. The last car had a habit of eating its rear tyres and waggling its tail with enough suddenness to make the heart seize up.

The C 63 S even has “Race Start”, a launch control system that produces perfect getaways with ease. (Check out a video of that in action here.)

It also has the best steering feel of any Mercedes I’ve driven, and on a challenging road it’s far more fluid and graceful than its predecessor was.

What’s clear after spending time with the C 63 S is that it may not look like a sports car (notwithstanding AMG design touches like twin bulges on the bonnet, large air scoops and a small rear spoiler among other things), but it drives like one.

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At least the cockpit is suitably gussied up with some high-octane stuff, like seats that look as if they were stolen from a racing car.

Ultimately, if you can smash enough piggy banks to come up with the money for a C 63, you might as well count out enough coins to buy the C 63 S. It comes closer to the hell-raising personality of the last C 63 AMG, and it’s basically a generous serving of Mercedes’ at its most exuberant, plus chili sauce on top.

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It costs as much as an HDB flat, but not long ago you would have had to spend shoebox condo money to buy a car with this level of performance. And the fact that it has five seats is bound to insulate it somewhat from spousal disapproval.

The tax man will still chortle with glee at how much buying a car like this would pour into his cupped hands. But owning a C 63 S means that you’re the one to giggle every time you drive it.

MORE: Want more details? Click here for a comprehensive review, along with hundreds of pictures of the C 63 and C 63 S.