2004 Mercedes-Benz C32 AMG
I bought my Xbox 360 in January of 2007, aside from Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advance Recon that came bundled with the console, one of the first games I bought was Forza Motorsport 2, and in that game was the W203 Mercedes-Benz C32 AMG, back then at least it was considered a new car. I needed to grab some footage for our video on this car and was disappointed to find that Forza Horizon was the last version to sport this car.
We continue our features on Mercedes' C-Class AMG variants with out Spotlight on the 2004 Mercedes-Benz C32 AMG. This is the only car AMG ever built a V6 for and the only car to bear the 32 designation. 3.2L with a big supercharger on top is a great equation for fun, this car had a lot more power than we were expecting and really put the power to the pavement as soon as you wanted it.
We love the styling of these cars, it's like a smaller version of the W220 S-Class with a similar front end and rear end designs. Considering these cars are 16 year old and as young as 10, but in our opinion they still look modern by today's standards and there are plenty of them on the road. While many of the early models have serious rust issues, well maintained ones like this, and most AMGs in general look fantastic.
The interior on the W203 is ok. It isn't anything special and when compared with the E46 M3 feels less luxurious, but is still a nice place to be in. All the buttons and controls are located where you expect them to be, the steering wheel is a good size but isn't much different than other vehicles such as the W211 and W220s of the same years. Mercedes' COMAND® Navigation was available as an option for the radio, however few if any cars ended up being selected with it.
When thinking back to all those years driving around Laguna Seca and Road America on Forza Motorsport, the C32 AMG is way better than what we expected from playing the game. The throttle response is unbelievable and the car feels faster than the E55 AMG we drove back in May. The car is small enough and light enough that the V6 really gets the car moving faster than you'd expect.
Overall we were really impressed with the C32 AMG. It was like a teenage dream come true being able to drive one of the cars that made up our early Xbox gaming years on the real roads of the world. These cars are affordable and attainable for enthusiasts, and with the limited production of the C32 in general, it will be a car that will turn heads at the local parking lot or enthusiast meet ups.
Watch our full episode of TestDrive Spotlight on the 2004 Mercedes-Benz C32 AMG here: