| Preview | Frankfurt Motor Show | Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG |

Somebody within Mercedes-Benz marketing should be congratulated for the perfect timing of this week's announcement that it will debut the new C 63 AMG saloon at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. You see, as I type, the international launch of the new BMW M3 is taking place, a car Mercedes-Benz must clearly have in its sights.

The battle won't be won or lost on specifications alone, as these cars are likely to have very different characteristics, but Mercedes draws first blood with the raw output from its engine. AMG's 6.2-litre V8 already does service across the Mercedes-Benz range (we tested the CL 63 AMG) and is to be used in the hot C-Class in a tune that releases 451bhp at 6,800rpm and an even more impressive 443lb.ft of torque at 5,000rpm. Not only that, between 2,000rpm and 6,250rpm the driver always has at least 369lb.ft at their disposal, ensuring that the C 63 will feel rapid no matter what gear the car is in.

Speaking of which, it looks like Mercedes will continue to offer an automatic transmission as the only gearbox option on this car. Not that it's any old auto'. The AMG Speedshift Plus 7G-Tronic is an incredible piece of engineering. As the longwinded name suggests, there are seven forward gears. Three modes of operation allow the driver to customise the shift strategy to their mood, with a full manual mode allowing gearchanges using tactile paddles behind the steering wheel. For the first time in an AMG, downshifts are accompanied by a throttle blip. We like throttle blips and this gearbox is superb, but we'd love the option of a manual alternative and suspect that many buyers would too.

Despite the lack of a manual 'box, Mercedes promises big things of the new C 63's driver involvement. Needless to say, the chassis has been worked on extensively, with the biggest change being a new front-end, including a 35mm wider track. All aspects of the car's dynamics are claimed to have been enhanced, while retaining a modicum of comfort. A new development of ESP is incorporated into the car, allowing for a wide variety of skill levels. The system has three settings: On (default), Sport and Off. The Sport setting offers most enthusiasts the freedom to move the car around with the knowledge that it can't go too far, while Mercedes urges only skilled drivers to turn it off fully, and then, only on a track. No matter what mode has been selected, full ESP is restored while the brake pedal is pressed, with the chosen mode reinstated once the driver's foot comes off the pedal. Complementing the arsenal of electronics are massive AMG brakes, an area Mercedes has traditionally been very strong in.

Although the top speed is inevitably limited to 155mph, the C63 is likely to reach high speeds ludicrously easily. We don't have access to in-gear acceleration times as yet, but the 0-62mph sprint takes just 4.5 seconds and that will be traction limited, so expect eye-watering acceleration throughout the rev range. The 1,730kg kerb weight is over 100kg heavier than the new M3, but it must be remembered that the Merc is a full four-door saloon.

There's nothing ordinary about its shape though. The regular C-Class is a welcome step up - in design terms - from its predecessor and the AMG model goes one better. Styling revisions are numerous and familiar to owners of other recent AMG models. At the front, the C 63 features a new bonnet with two distinctive ridges Mercedes calls "power domes". Below that is the usual AMG grille and the front bumper is also new, housing the fog lights at the far edges to pronounce the car's width. Tasty 18-inch five-spoke AMG alloys are standard (19-inch versions are an option) and they are accentuated by bulging wheelarches and side sills, plus the aggressive fins ahead of the front wheels, which are used to extract hot air from the oil coolers. At the rear, four huge, oval pipes are housed in a black aerodynamic diffuser and a modest boot lip spoiler finishes off the profile.

Changes are just as extensive inside, with lovely leather-trimmed sports seats and a flat-bottomed steering wheel taking pride of place. New instruments include a speedometer with markings up to a tantalising 200mph. No doubt the C 63 AMG would get close to that untethered by electronics. We'll check out the car in a rather more relaxed static manner at the Frankfurt Show and hopefully will get behind the wheel before the end of the year to see how it compares to the BMW. The price will be crucial in that respect, of which we'll learn more later.

Shane O' Donoghue - 5 Jul 2007