One of my employees recently bought a new M140. I had an A45 at the time he took me out for a spin in it, and what struck me, even sat in the passenger seat, was the ultra quick gearchange from the autobox. It had lower end grunt but less higher up in rev range. All in all a very quick and capable car but... all a bit meh.
My old A45 with its tuning box was bonkers fast, although it wouldn't have eaten it for breakfast (which is what it did to virtually everything it came up against), more devoured it slowly.
Now a month into new C63 ownership, there are a few observations I am starting to make in relation to the differences between the two very different AMGs. None of which are particularly surprising, but still.
There's little doubt if an A45 pulled alongside at the lights I wouldn't even attempt to take it on. They have blistering off the mark speed, as do many other similar 4wd hot hatches nowadays. I know which one would sound the best pulling away though
My old A45 was a flipping animal. Not quite the pure drivers car my previous Megane RS was but, lack of steering feel aside, when being gunned around B roads it was intoxicatingly good fun. On the accelerator ridiculously early out of bends, I never came across anything that could hold a candle to it. But... a combination of increasing age and wishing to retain my license, those moments are few and far between. Most time is of course spent stuck in traffic and toddling along at more sane speeds. That's were the C63 knocks spots off the '45. The satisfaction I get from the burble of the V8 is there whether I'm on full chat or cruising along at 30.
That's not to say my current car isn't quicker, it is, just not under all circumstances. We've all had the horrible moments when, having followed a car for miles towards the upcoming dual carriageway, knowing he was also on for a bit of fun, only to balls up the gearchange or be forced to slightly decelerate just before the road opened up. I remember once in my old Evo1 being followed by a Noble. As we came off the roundabout onto a dual carriageway I floored it up 1km to the next roundabout and with much noise and fuss behind me, he had evidently messed something up as he hadn't managed to get past. Take2, next roundabout, I did the same, this time he got it right and he absolutely tonked past me! My point being, I don't read too much into one off encounters, who knows how much work a car has had done to it. I remember one day coming up against 2 identical looking Scoobys in my (tuned) Integrale, I left one standing still, the other left me standing still.
