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"         My mom always told me that it&amp;#039;s what&amp;#039;s underneath the skin that matters: &amp;quot;Stop worrying about how a person looks,&amp;quot; she would tell me. If that&amp;#039;s the case (and who am I to go against my mom?), then the new Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG has a lot going for it. And we&amp;#039;re not just talking about a great personality.   Shoehorned under the hood for 2007 is AMG&amp;#039;s much-touted, all-new, totally-developed-in-house 6.2-liter V-8, replacing the previous car&amp;#039;s 5.4-liter. Mercedes exaggeratively labels the new engine a &amp;quot;6.3&amp;quot; (its spec sheet lists it as 6208 cc), hoping to tug at the heartstrings of those who remember its mighty 300SEL 6.3 of 40 years ago.   Mercedes can number the CLK however they want; we just call it fast. It puts out 475 bhp at 6800 rpm (down from the ML63 and R63&amp;#039;s 503 bhp, due to different exhaust routing) and 465 lb.-ft. of torque at 5000 rpm, versus the old car&amp;#039;s 362 bhp and 376 lb.-ft. This propels the convertible to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 4.7 seconds (0.7 sec. quicker than the CLK55), according to Mercedes.   And power emanates from everywhere on the tach, whether pulling from 1500 rpm or hammering up to its 7200-rpm redline. What&amp;#039;s amazing is how quiet it is at partial throttle, then transforming into a road burner when given full &amp;quot;wood.&amp;quot; Truth be told, a bit more engine and exhaust noise would take the experience to an even higher level.   This engine isn&amp;#039;t just a case of &amp;quot;no replacement for displacement&amp;quot; \u2014 it&amp;#039;s a fully modern, all-aluminum piece. Of course, it has four valves per cylinder but also variable camshaft timing, a variable intake manifold with two integral throttle flaps as well as bucket tappets in the cylinder heads. This last item allows for a stiff valvetrain and the corresponding high engine speeds. The result is a unique combination of large displacement and high revs.   AMG&amp;#039;s SpeedShift 7G-Tronic 7-speed automatic is the sole transmission. Its three settings \u2014 Comfort, Sport and Manual \u2014 give the option to drive the car as an automatic (with perfectly smooth shifts) or a manual, with shifting via two large, steering-wheel-mounted aluminum paddles. Besides having full control in Manual mode \u2014 meaning the car will never shift for itself, even if you floor it at low revs or bounce off the limiter (we love this aspect of it) \u2014 the shifts are also accomplished 50-percent more quickly than in Comfort. Unfortunately, AMG says the transmission&amp;#039;s torque converter will not allow throttle blips, which would make high-rpm downshifts smoother.   AMG retuned the sports suspension to compensate for harder driving, and it strikes just the right compromise of a decent-enough ride with commendably capable handling. While the steering could be quicker and more communicative, the AMG version of the CLK is happy to be tossed about \u2014 though if you don&amp;#039;t turn off ESP, it will cut in early and often during hard charging.   The extra grip afforded by its 225/40ZR-18 front and 255/35ZR-18 rear Pirelli P Zero tires (on restyled lightweight alloy wheels) gives a high level of confidence that the CLK will stick, yet provide plenty of feedback for when it starts not to. The new front brakes \u2014 with riers, which improve unsprung weight by 20 percent \u2014 provide excellent stopping power, though the car we drove had a longer pedal travel than expected.   The interior is typical AMG fare, meaning slightly redone in a tasteful fashion, including an AMG instrument cluster, trim pieces, new leather-wrapped steering wheel and extremely supportive sport seats. On the outside, the AMG aero kit gets a new front apron, while &amp;quot;6.3&amp;quot; logos sit proudly aft of the front fenders.   Sadly, the CLK63 AMG will be available in the U.S. only as a convertible when it goes on sale in July (we&amp;#039;re estimating its price to be in the $85,000\u2013$90,000 range). While it&amp;#039;s fairly stout for a ragtop, there&amp;#039;s no denying the solidity, tautness and better driver feedback of the coupe. It almost seems a shame to waste such a wonderful engine on a car whose owners may rarely use it to its full potential. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/first-drives/reviews/a12040/mercedes-benz-clk63-amg-cabriolet/>