Test Drove a C32 AMG

I found an '02 C32 AMG with 48,000 miles, and decided to go take a look at it this morning. Here's my Chad style review :thumbsup:

Exterior - 8/10
-The AMG package is what really makes this car stand out. The split 5 spoke wheels, the front fascia with a small lip, the dual tip exhaust with AMG engravings, and especially the brakes. Huge, cross drilled, and with silver AMG calipers. Quite a pleasing car to look at. Subtle uses of chrome on the bumpers look really nice. The white paint looks great, it accentuates the body lines, and the AMG blue tint windows really look sharp.





Interior - 8/10
-It definitely has a sporty feeling inside. The shifter setup is nice, just park, reverse, neutral, and drive. It also has a tiptronic like mode, which on this car is different that most others. I'll get into that later. The ergonomics are great, and well thought out. Instead of having the seat controls on the side of the seat, they are on the side of the door, which I found to be very convenient. The tilt/telescope controls were there too. The gauges soewhat remind me of an early 90s Chevy Blazer, but I like them. Look better in person than in a picture. The center console splits into 2 compartments, there is another compartment in front of the shifter, and a space in between the HCAV and radio controls. Even the cupholder is kinda neat, you press a button and it flips out all James Bond like. No wood trim on the inside, but it does have a sport looking metallic like material which actually looks great.





Seats - 8.5/10
-The seats are VERY supportive and have great side bolstering. It makes you feel like you're a part of the seat, rather than sitting on a seat. The AMG inserts add a nice touch. Pretty comfortable too, though not as relaxing and soft as the seats in our Escalade. Then again, this car isn't meant to be too relaxing and soft.

Engine - 10/10
This
car
is
fast.
A supercharged 3.2L V6 cranking out 349hp and 332 lb/ft tq. 0-60 in 4.9 seconds, and that's exactly what it felt like when I put my foot down. I was absolutley dumbfounded by the speed of this car. When I WOT in my car I get a slight motion blur. In the C32, everything to the left and right is nothing but a complete blur. I've watched videos of the C32 online, but nothing compares to actually getting behind the wheel. It sounds great too. Has a very distinct prominent sound at idle, a very aggressive tone accelerating, and no supercharger whine on the inside. The engine is civil when you want it to be, and an absolute monster when you want it to be. Kudos to Mercedes on this.

Transmission - 8/10
-Would get a 9 if the tiptronic was a little better. Instead of shifting up and down like most cars, this shifts side to side. It's somewhat hard to tell what gear you're in when shifting, because the gear indicator is pretty small and on the far right side of the dash display. Other than that, it's great. Very smooth, and VERY quick shifts at WOT. I liked driving with it in D better than shifting. It always knows what gear you want, and under WOT it shifts so fast you barely even notice.

Steering - 7.5/10
-It felt a little heavy at slow speeds, but driving around normally it was really great. I never thought a C class could go so fast, and look good doing it too.

Suspension - 8.5/10
-It's a German sports sedan, so it isn't going to ride like a Cadillac. And it didn't. The suspension on this car and my Seville are a world apart. The car was completely flat through turns, and I didn't feel any wobble at all at slow speeds like I get with my car. I wish there was a twisty road near the dealer so I could really get a feel for the suspension in action.

Radio - 7.5/10
-10 speaker Bose system. Sounded very clear and crisp, but like most Bose systems, it seemed like it was lacking a little bass. I didn't turn it up much, so who knows. Maybe it does pack some balls.

Overall, I was absolutley amazed by this car. I never would have thought a C class could be capable of going so fast. They're asking $21k, but I think I can talk it down a little. They said I could only get about a $10k trade for my car, so I'm going to try and sell it privately for more.