Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG: Unreal estate

Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG estate - hard, rowdy and impressively fast. Photo / Supplied

Quite stunning, isn't it? The Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG estate. I'm tempted to say a work of art, a sculpture crafted from one solid piece of granite. Yet it's a piece that you'd be a bit frightened of knocking over and chipping.

That's how I felt about the C 63 estate when the guy in the battered Toyota Tercel ploughed into the back of me. I felt like I'd let something extremely precious be broken. I probably didn't feel as bad as the guy who'd just walloped a $169,900 car who'd completely ignored the idea of insurance. But still.

The C 63 isn't quite a work of art. It's a car and it can be fixed. Up front, it's easy-going: New Zealand has a big uptake of high-performance AMG models, which made up 10 per cent of C-Class sales last year.

For the estate bits at the back that took the blow, they may have to rummage a little harder around the workshop: less than 1 per cent of C-Class sales are estates.

The C 63 is an epic machine by any standards and more than a little old-school: 6.2-litre V8, naturally aspirated, with 336kW/600Nm. But the facelifted C 63 does get a new seven-speed MCT automatic gearbox. It'll do 0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds, which tells you all you need to know.

The C 63 is a car of simple pleasures - and I mean that in a good way. There's a thunderous big-capacity V8 (in quite a small car), bulging muscles everywhere and grip-and-go handling. There are four throttle/gearshift modes. It's hard, loud and very fast.

And I do love it as a wagon. So why doesn't anybody else? BMW and Lexus both offer direct rivals to the Mercedes-AMG, but the M3 or ISF are available in estate form. Like Mercedes-Benz, BMW doesn't seem to have much luck selling 3-Series-size wagons.

Among these prestige marques, only Audi seems to have the touch when it comes to shifting load-carriers to Kiwi buyers - and yes, there's a new RS4 Avant on the way. Until then, the C 63 is in a class of one. And, hopefully, back together again.

The bottom line:

Hard-edged muscle sedan - sorry, estate - that shouts about its talents at every opportunity. No rivals until Audi's new RS4 Avant arrives early next year.

Alternatives:

Audi RS3 Sportback $99,900
BMW M3 SE sedan $165,800
Lexus ISF sedan $151,900
HSV Clubsport R8 Tourer $91,290
Ferrari FF $635,000