C63 + MCT advice

[adequate]

Hi Everyone,

I've been lusting after a C63 coupe ever since it was announced and as i happened to find myself sat in one at the brooklands track the other day - that experience did nothing to change my mind. I've had a look at some deals around and am really considering it as it seems to be a lot more affordable than i would have thought. The only thing holding me back is fuel costs.

My question is if the new MCT transmission fitted to the coupe (and as i understand it "2012" models of the saloon and estate) is offering any improvement on MPG. Most of the stories and long-term reports i've read refer to the older 7G-tronic gearbox.

The bulk of my mileage is made up of a trip down the A1, M25 and M3 and back usually timed to avoid most of the traffic - andto make this work i'd be looking to achieve at least high 20s on a good clear run. I'm used to getting 28-30ish in my diesel 4x4 so assuming i have to run a C63 on super? i'm thinking the fuel costs could actually be similar.

so that was a load of waffle - but in reality my question is - can anyone confirm if a C63 coupe could achieve 27mpg+ on a good clear 100 mile run? I know MPG isn't the kind of thing i should be considering with such a purchase - but i'd prefer it didn't cost ME money to drive to meetings

 

[Simon_M]

No chance!!

 

[Deleted member 37751]

You'd struggle to get that kind of mpg even if you were being towed.

 

[WOODYTHEWISE]

Hi, and welcome to the forum. I drive what is termed a 'gas guzzler', When I purchased it MPG did not figure in my decision to buy it, it is what it is. I may be wrong, but I think people who buy a C63 do so without looking at the MPG, I rather think the 0 to 60mph, the torque, and handling are more what the prospective buyer is looking at.

 

[Spin_bowler]

As woody says above if you're remotely bothered about MPG and it being 'more affordable than you would have thought' then it's probably not the right car for you.

You don't say how often you do the A1/M25/M3 run, if that's a daily or even a couple of times a week then that is a fair old mileage. Couldn't you get a diesel for the commute and the C63 for weekend fun?

 

[Adam230K]

Hi Everyone,
it seems to be a lot more affordable than i would have thought. The only thing holding me back is fuel costs.

You need to grab that calculator again

Affordable means you can live with the car + its fuel costs and anything else it throws at you during ownership, but hey, that's just my opinion

 

[renault12ts]

OP, I think your budget is barely...adequate...

 

[adequate]

Well, thanks for the replies everyone - but is anyone able to answer the question? Are any of you currently running a C63 with the new transmission and if so, what kind of MPG do you get "on a run"?

I appreciate your comments and thank-you for your input, however one of the reasons I'm in a position to potentially buy one now is that I've always been fairly sensible with my decisions when it comes to spending money (i'm a yorkshireman you see).

Being a sensible chap - and therefore ensuring that heart doesn't rule head one would be foolish if MPG didn't have factor in to it somewhere, to me the difference between sub-20 MPG and more, means that most fuel costs could all be covered by my business mileage, meaning that in reality i DON'T have to care about MPG.

Also reference the comments about people who buy C63s not caring about MPG - google the words "C63 MPG" and you will find the second result leads to a number of threads on this very forum which is what lead me here (sadly none covering the new transmission as far as i can see).

 

[Howard]

I'm not really in a postition to give you much advice on the MCT transmission i'm afraid.

I can give you my impressions of driving a V8 merc though , i struggle to get 30 mpg on a run ( not going silly , sitting on or around the speed limit ish ) . usually top out at about 28/29 mpg.

Mine is only 4.3 L , you have another 2 litres on top of that , i really don't think the transmission is going to have a lot of effect on MPG. If you drove the car like a vicar , coasted along , put it in neutral etc etc , you may see high 20's , but then that defeats the point of the C63 , you may as well have a 2.2 diesel.

I suspect you will be extremely lucky to see more than 23mpg in motorway use.

 

[Palmball]

I will answer your question.....no, you won't be able to get 27mpg on any kind of run that involves normal driving (which I think is what others were getting at)

When I had my C63, it averaged 18mpg across a variety of real-worl town and motorway driving...admittedly, this was an older 7G-tronic version but even if MCT raises this by 10% (and thats being optimistic....a gearbox won't change the economy more than that), then you're at 20mpg average.

OK, this average could be made up of a higher figure in the ideal situations of a clear motorway run carried out at 70-80mph....in this case I'd see the dizzy heights of 22-23mpg. I did see 27mpg once but that was 10-miles on an entirely downhill motorway stretch at 60mph in Germany (yes, Germany....I was waiting for someone to catch up) - I reset the trip at the start and was so so disappointed I didn't top 30mpg.

The C63 is not the car to buy if fuel economy is even a small consideration....even those that ask or appear to care about economy have to have no problems whacking in £80's worth of fuel every couple of hundred miles without even thinking about it. If that bothers you, whether it be for financial reason or just because your a Yorkshireman , then you'll be faced with unhappy situations on a regular basis!

It's not the worst car I've had but has only been beaten by a BMW M6 and Maserati Granturismo...both are some o the least efficient cars on sale today and the C63 is in that company. Even my current XFR with a supercharger manages to get a good 26mpg on the motorway in exactly the same conditions that the C63 would get 4mpg less. It;s not often I'm down on the C63 but economy is not something it does well, even against it's natural and similarly powerful competitors.

 

[Spin_bowler]

I think that here is omeone on the forum with a new C63 Coupe complete with new transmission perhaps they'll be along with some empirical evidence for you.

But given the official combined cycle is 23 and they tend to be overstated I don't think you'd see high twenties very easily.

I looked into running a C63 last year based on a generous car allowance and associated decent business mileage rate but the bottom line was the combination of low MPG and new boots every couple of months meant it wasn't viable for the mileage I did.

 

[adequate]

The C63 is not the car to buy if fuel economy is even a small consideration....even those that ask or appear to care about economy have to have no problems whacking in £80's worth of fuel every couple of hundred miles without even thinking about it. If that bothers you, whether it be for financial reason or just because your a Yorkshireman , then you'll be faced with unhappy situations on a regular basis!

Thanks - its a shame really I guess it was too good to be true, I was hoping a slippery coupe might be able to get into the high 20s on a cruise. Even my old VW touareg which had all the aerodynamic efficiency of a house brick could still get near to its "official" MPG figures on the long boring run covered at "motorway" speeds, and that was £100+ in fuel every few hundred miles. I never tried it but I suspected it would do a lot better if the wing mirrors were folded in, as I recall reading in a review at the time they were so big if you looked in the right corner you could see last week

Problem is - that C350 I started looking at just doesn't look the same now..

 

[Palmball]

Get the new 5.5 Bi-turbo E63/CLS63.....OK, they'll cost you over £20k more but with that tiny engine you're more likely to get your 27mpg out of it

 

[adequate]

Get the new 5.5 Bi-turbo E63/CLS63.....OK, they'll cost you over £20k more but with that tiny engine you're more likely to get your 27mpg out of it

Genius idea!, I do love the shape of the new CLS, now where is that calculator.... those bi-turbos do make a naughty little noise on the up-change

sadly, if it was a CLS it would more likely be the 350, but by the time i've spec'ed that up its pretty much the same price as a C63 but no where near as fun, which is basically a similar route to the one that lead me here in the first place.

 

[mika]

Hi Everyone,

I've been lusting after a C63 coupe ever since it was announced and as i happened to find myself sat in one at the brooklands track the other day - that experience did nothing to change my mind. I've had a look at some deals around and am really considering it as it seems to be a lot more affordable than i would have thought. The only thing holding me back is fuel costs.

My question is if the new MCT transmission fitted to the coupe (and as i understand it "2012" models of the saloon and estate) is offering any improvement on MPG. Most of the stories and long-term reports i've read refer to the older 7G-tronic gearbox.

The bulk of my mileage is made up of a trip down the A1, M25 and M3 and back usually timed to avoid most of the traffic - andto make this work i'd be looking to achieve at least high 20s on a good clear run. I'm used to getting 28-30ish in my diesel 4x4 so assuming i have to run a C63 on super? i'm thinking the fuel costs could actually be similar.

so that was a load of waffle - but in reality my question is - can anyone confirm if a C63 coupe could achieve 27mpg+ on a good clear 100 mile run? I know MPG isn't the kind of thing i should be considering with such a purchase - but i'd prefer it didn't cost ME money to drive to meetings

fuel and rear tyres there is no escape from these two

i get 19 mpg on average
best ever on a run was 24 ( engine turned off and down hill )

 

[aquanaut]

In my C55, 17 to 19 around town...25 to 27 on motorway. 215 miles town driving to a full tank! V power only so about 75 quid a pop. Thankfully i am offshore alot. Not driven my car for 4 weeks and unlikely to for another 3! Next year will step up to C63!

 

[Aeroman]

I have now done slightly over 5,000 miles in my C63 saloon with MCT gearbox, since taking delivery in September and the computer advises that I have averaged exactly 20.0 mpg. This includes a track day and some fairly fast motoring on mainly Autoroutes in France.

I did try and see what I could get on a short Autoroute run at 70 mph and it gave 25.2 mpg, but at even slightly faster speeds the figure drops rapidly. To be honest, it has proved more economical than I expected and if it continues at 20.0 mpg than I am more than happy. HTH.

 

[eyeofthetiger]

Unless you drive at 56mph and slipstream behind lorries, you will NOT get high 20s mpg. Expect around 24 absolate maximum if you are lucky. I would not buy the car to munch motorway miles like you describe, far better to use as weekend car.

 

[C240Sport97]

sounds like the V8K engines are more economical .. plus my CLS is heavier

I got 23.7mpg on a brisk (50mph average speed) 135 mile run on Sunday, and on Sat I got 25.5mpg in 79 miles with 53mph average speed.

 

[renault12ts]

sounds like the V8K engines are more economical .. plus my CLS is heavier

I got 23.7mpg on a brisk (50mph average speed) 135 mile run on Sunday, and on Sat I got 25.5mpg in 79 miles with 53mph average speed.

In the early 90s I found it difficult to achieve figures like that in a Volvo 760 turbo. It was only putting out 175bhp...things have moved on.