Mercedes C63 AMG Estate

Imagine it with the 6.3-litre V8, we said when we saw the new C-Class Estate on Monday. Well, imagine no more, because the C63 AMG Estate is on its way to Frankfurt.

If you fancy something a bit smaller than the just-announced RS6 Avant but still want enough performance to cause lasting neck damage to your passengers, it could be right up your street.

The V8 remains exactly as in the saloon AMG - which our man Bill Thomas last month described as 'the best-high performance Merc in nearly 20 years' - developing 457bhp and 443lb ft of torque.

That'll see the estate to 62mph in just 4.6 seconds, with top speed limited to 155mph.

If anything, the estate has a more coherent appearance than its saloon brother, with the power-domed bonnet, flared front wings, deep rear apron and quad exhausts pointing to its AMG heritage.

The interior remains the same as the bootless C63, with sports seats, a flat-bottomed steering wheel and a deep-set instrument cluster.

Steering column paddles point to the AMG's seven-speed G-tronic auto transmission, which Bill Thomas reported as being a touch hesitant - but there's time to sort that out before the estate goes on sale early next year.

Expect prices in the £60,000 region - and that's before you've specced those nice 19-inch rims in the photos.

© Source: topgear
We need your comments below >>