Driven: 1995 Mercedes C36 AMG - Something fabulous from AMG's past.

My C180cgi meets its older, yet more aristocratic sibling

A couple of weeks ago a friend asked whether I was free to accompany him and take a look at an old Mercedes Benz that happened to come on sale. I agreed as it wasn't an ordinary old Mercedes Benz. It was an original C36 AMG from 1995.

The Mercedes Benz C36 AMG was the first official production AMG who by the early 1990s had decided that their product line needed something to go head to head with BMW's M3. It was the first official collaboration between the manufacturer and the tuner company after Mercedes had begun its buyout of AMG. At that moment Mercedes were more like partners with an intention to purchase the company wholly and the 1995 -1997 C36 was the first of many.

But unlike more modern AMGs, the C36 was somewhat a half and half thingy. It was Mercedes testing the water carefully before plunging in head on. Whilst sold through Mercedes Benz dealerships, it was still a tuner car at heart. The engine, a 3,606cc 6cylinder twin cam engine was taken from a C280's 2.8liter engine, bored and stroked with an AMG specific cylinder head which made 276hp (some made more – up to 287hp as it was hand built like AMGs of today) and 385Nm torque. All did not come with a manual transmission but the ubiquitous Mercedes 4 speed automatic (later a 5 speed for a short, short period before the C36 was replaced by the V8 powered C43 AMG). It had no traction control and had a tuned suspension kit which lowered the car by 25mm. Aside from this mods, the C36 was given the subtlest of all bodykits and twin squared off tailpipes. It actually looked like a C280 Sport if one wasn't concentrating but if you happened to be beside one at the traffic lights, you'd then find out that it could do 0-100kmh in about 6.7secs and on to a speed limited to 250kmh.

We were greeted by owner Colin who was a very nice chap who showed us the car and its paperwork. I have noticed about three other C36s before this one here in Malaysia and this one is slightly different as it is in the greenish black and the others were silver in colour. It sits more squat than other W202 C-classes and has that stealth car look to it. Most wouldn't notice that this car is a thoroughbred stallion even if it passed by.

We managed to have a go at the car after Colin too us for a spin in it showing us what the car is capable of doing. You will notice that the car drives like any other W202 C-class from the 1990s. It has that same driving position and steering wheel (albeit with grey leather on the base of the steering wheel) as any other W202 out there. It also has the same dashboard with the exception of the higher end automatic climate control located above the radio player. Now even though people say that the W202 does not have the same bank vault feeling of the previous 190e or that of a W124 E-Class I'd say that it still is rather more solid than any car from the 1990s ought to have been.

And then when you're on the move you find out that the supposedly harder sports suspension is actually extremely comfortable by modern standards. It is a revelation how something with supposedly 276hp rides. Yes it is harder than some W124 or W210 E-classes out there but compare this to even a newer W204 C-Class it actually is bloody comfortable. Owner Colin says that the shocks may be slightly worn but even a change to new ones wouldn't make the ride that much harder. I think even Mercedes Benz AMG have forgotten how to make cars ride this good these days. If we were to compare this to any modern car, you'd be surprise with how much damping and compliance the ride has even though the C36 has to handle 276hp and 385nm torque. These days try sitting in a A250 and think why does 204bhp and 350Nm feel like a brick? I know everyone wants that feeling of firm 'sportiness' but after trying out this old girl I can't think of any reason of why would you want to? 

They C36 AMG still uses that totally lifeless recirculating ball steering wheel that all W202 C-class uses. Yes, you can place the car where you want to but don't expect any actually feedback coming through its helm. Even some modern day electric motor based steering racks have more feel and this is one of those typical Mercedes idiosyncrasies from the days gone by. Of course, it makes stress free driving as no vibrations will get to you through the steering rack. You also note that everything comes from the standard W202 C-class and the steering wheel somehow sits more on your lap instead of being able to be brought up further for a proper sporty driving position. It goes against the convention of how a sports saloon should be due to its 'proper' Mercedes Benz upbringing.

Now with that 3.6liter engine the C36 is extremely fun to drive. Even with the numb steering you can actually place the car where you want to by pointing it where you want to and then let the engine put you where you want to. The accelerator pedal is springy and a little weightly like most Mercedes Benz cars of this era but this time it is consistent. You don't have to go through the hassle of learning some two step throttle action whilst driving it. It is very possible to modulate or do throttle based adjustments with ease in here.

When it comes to full bore 0-100kmh times, the C36 feels average. It does not do starts from a standstill very well as it only has four gears spread out but mid-range pull is quite immense. What you don't get from this is a gradual buildup of speed until all goes ballistic between 60-120kmh and more. It feels quite explosive between this speeds. Much like a small snowball slowly gathering up snow and speed until it suddenly is massively big and fast. This car is all about mid-range pull and high speed cruising rather than anything else. What's also fun is the engine itself, it sounds slighty tappety and rough on startup, much like something from a tuned car instead of a Mercedes Benz. The sound goes all hard edged and gruff when you stroke it a little and you can tell that this is something slightly different. And not the ordinary Mercedes Benz or any normal car for that matter.

And oh, it has no driver's aids whatsoever. Your right foot is the traction control and what would stop the tail from coming around. That being said, it is not that easy to do so in the dry. Of course these days you could get the same feeling or even a more accelerative feeling from a turbocharged 2.0liter 4 pot.

However one must note that the C36 is not a super saloon in the mould of the C63 or E63 AMGs of today. It can be considered as a sports saloon or a tuned saloon as it has that type of vibe. Why so? 276hp is the norm for most 2.0liter turbocharged sports saloons these days and even super saloons have at least 500hp and ooodles of torque too. It feels fast, but not mega fast. If you want just all out speed you may have to look elsewhere. And you have to take into account all the idiosyncrasies that all Mercedes Benz of that era have and all the performance hardware you'd think that this was a totally schizophrenic type of car.

Imagine, numb and low set steering, springy throttle pedal, conservative gearbox and styling but with a tuned 3.6liter straight six, explosive mid range, top speed and good handling. But if you think of it as a gentleman's bruiser then it's something special. It is akin to someone like a suave secret agent, in his tuxedo but capable of throwing a few deadly punches.

What the C36 AMG is these days is a reference point to where AMG came from to what it is today. It showcases what it did when it was a tuner company with great engineering prowess, able to create a better engine from a base engine and tune up the suspension of a regular car by making it better. These days you get everything thrown into an AMG. Take the C63 AMG from example, you get over 500hp which is more than triple what a regular C180 makes and instead of just changing the shocks and springs, AMG now does complete front or rear suspension systems (the C63 has a wider front end compared to the normal C-class). In that sense you see that having a C36 gives to an insight to what AMG was before.

And God, that compliant ride. Why can't Mercedes Benz do this sort of performance car again?

The car is still listed for sale on Mudah.my. You can see it here  (while it lasts) if you're interested. I would, if I hadn't had a house to renovate earlier this year.