The C32 is luxuriously equipped with plenty of rich leather and aluminum rather than wood trim. Only those horrid badges, twin oval exhaust pipes, and discreet nose spoiler and side skirts give the game away, and even these can be deleted if desired. The mildly disguised C32-no flared wheel arches here-sits 1.2 inches lower over new twin-spoke AMG wheels and 17-inch rubber. This V-6 also sounds smoother and more relaxed than Mercedes' gruff four-cylinder supercharged engines, and since the C32 inherits the new C-class's ability to slip through the air quietly, it's a great long-distance cruiser with a range of about 350 miles, provided you can cope with the constant whir from the tires. The mechanical hum of the compressor struggles to match the booming exhaust when the right foot is planted. The cast alloy induction covers, with the supercharger sitting neatly between the banks of cylinders, demonstrate that AMG understands the visual appeal of an exciting engine. Lift the C32's hood, and no longer is the engine hidden beneath a stylized black plastic cover, now the Mercedes norm. Mercedes builds the C32 in its Bremen plant, but each AMG engine is still a hand-assembled source of pride. Ceramic thin-wall catalytic converters reduce back pressure and emissions and help boost output to an impressive 349 horsepower at 6100 rpm, 47 more than the C43 made, and 134 up on the C320. A new crankshaft, new con rods and pistons, an oil pump with a 70-percent increased capacity, lightweight camshafts, and harder valve springs mean the V-6 now spins to 6200 rpm, an increase of 200 rpm. And it has not been achieved simply by mounting the supercharger on Mercedes' 3.2-liter V-6. Contrary to its on-paper spec-peak torque of 332 pound-feet at a high 4400 rpm-which suggests the V-6 is a screamer, the supercharger delivers at least 295 pound-feet of torque all the way from 2200 rpm to 6100 rpm. Its seamless operation means you're never aware of its cutting in, only of instant power from just a few hundred rpm above idle. The supercharger (a Japanese IHI helical unit rather than the Roots type employed on Mercedes' four-cylinder Kompressor engines) only operates when the driver demands acceleration, and then at a pressure of up to 14.5 psi. AMG cites the advantages of a more compact engine that allows better weight distribution and, because it's shorter, improved behavior in a crash. Whereas the C43 relied on cubic inches for its grunt, the C32 relies on the heavy breathing induced by a belt-driven supercharger. Change the final drive, as some clients demand, and the engineers whisper that it's closer to 190 mph. Toss out the computer chip that restricts its top speed (something AMG does quietly for customers who insist on running with 911s on the autobahns), and the C32 tops out at 175 mph. Yet the C32 is a truly comfortable four-door sedan (or wagon, although only the sedan will be exported to the U.S.), with an automatic transmission and room for four adults. This is, by all but supercar standards, blistering performance. Powering its way to the electronically limited top speed of 155 mph, the C32 slips swiftly from fourth to fifth at 149 mph and charges forward without any tangible let up in the way the driver is pushed back into the seat. This on midgrade fuel, not the more expensive premium gas BMW recommends. You'll also want to know that its time to 62 mph exactly matches BMW's claim for the new M3. Times to 125 mph are important marketing tools in Germany, and AMG says its C32 will do it in 18.6 seconds, 1.5 seconds ahead of the C43, despite weighing about 140 pounds heavier at 3450 pounds. Superior aerodynamics and top-end power mean the difference just increases as speeds rise. On grippy tarmac, AMG claims the C32 can accelerate to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 5.2 seconds, 1.3 seconds quicker than the C43 and 0.5 second faster than the mighty E55 AMG sedan. In acceleration, driver appeal, and refinement, the decathlete C32 blows away the C43-and not just by 10ths of a second, but in a quantum leap in performance. Much about AMG's new C-class muscle car is outstanding, nothing more so than its effortless ability to close in on the horizon. Both the C32 and the SLK32 should arrive in the U.S. The SLK gets the same supercharged 349-hp engine, which amounts to 99 more horsepower than is found in the Porsche. This is AMG's rival to Porsche's Boxster S and BMW's M roadster. The SLK32 AMG, meanwhile, suffers no such integrity problems, despite wearing identical model tags.
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