The battle between an M3 and a C63 isn’t what it used to be. BMW still sells its sports sedan with rear-wheel drive and a manual gearbox but the C63 is an all-wheel-drive- and automatic-only affair. The differences between the two extend to the engine. The M sedan retains its inline-six whereas its AMG rival has lost the V8 in exchange for a plug-in hybrid four-cylinder.
US pricing for the 2024 C63 is finally out, revealing another discrepancy. Mercedes is charging $85,050, including the $1,150 for destination and handling fees. That makes it $8,055 costlier than the base M3. Comparing it to the M3 Competition, the AMG is still $3,855 more expensive. As for the xDrive-equipped M3C, at $85,295, it almost matches the C63’s sticker price.
For many of us, choosing the M3 over the C63 seems like a no-brainer. Not just because it’s cheaper, but you can still row your own gears. It also has a larger displacement engine (3.0 liter vs 2.0 liter) with more power than the four-cylinder unit found in the AMG. We’d reckon the lack of a complex hybrid setup is also considered a plus by purists. Yes, the C63 is more powerful overall (671 hp and 752 lb-ft) but you don’t have the full power all the time.
With a sprint to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds, the new AMG C63 is 0.8s quicker than the base M3. It gets there half a second sooner than the rear-wheel-drive M3 Competition. It completes the task a tenth of a second before the M3 xDrive. Well, at least on paper.
Much like BMW is refusing to bring the M3 Touring to North America, Mercedes-AMG won’t sell the new C63 Estate here either. We can add Audi to this list since the RS4 Avant is also a forbidden fruit. Thankfully, the bigger M5 Touring has received a US visa. It’s coming before the end of the year to fight the AMG E63 Estate and RS6 Avant.
In the meantime, the 2024 C63 sedan arrives at US dealers this spring.
Source: Mercedes-AMG
