And what an engine! While accelerating, the 6.3 roars with a level of ferocity rarely heard in a European car. Unlike the CLK550's 5.5-liter V8, which is an example of smoothness and silent power delivery, the loudmouth AMG V8's soundtrack is ever-present: even at idle, it fills the cockpit with a deep throaty burble, warning you that it's constantly ready to scare passers-by. And when we lift off the throttle, you can hear the exhaust backfiring and popping. Hooray for adrenaline rushes!

My colleague Marc Bouchard took the CLK63 AMG to perform a few performance tests: it blasts from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds, but passing power with the 7-speed gearbox is quite electrifying, rocketing from 80 to 120 km/h in just 3.9 seconds. 100 to 0 km/h stops take 39 meters, which isn't great for such a performance machine. Fuel consumption, at 17.5 L/100 km, is hardly surprising.

Anyone would look good at the wheel of this splendid automobile.

Handling is superb; the car seems willing to take any curve, at any speed, and behaves itself very well. You'll squeal before the tires will. What really pleased me is that, despite the very low-profile tires (225/40ZR18 front, 255/35ZR18 rear), the car's ride doesn't mash your inner organs into apple sauce. It's a supercar that you can drive every day without needing a chiropractor.

Less-impressive cockpit
Well, the inside of the CLK is as well-finished as any other Mercedes, and will still impress your neighbours. However, its design is starting to look dated, especially when you spend a little time in the new S- and CL-Classes. And with so few options, why are there so many empty buttons right in the middle of the dash? The navigation system doesn't have a touch-screen, and you operate it with buttons located on the sides of the display like a vulgar bank ATM.

At least we're sitting comfortably while getting goosebumps during acceleration. The driver's seat offers multiple adjustments with switches located to the right of the seat cushion. Like in many sport coupes, we have the impression of sitting on the floor when we climb in. As for the rear seats, they're acceptable once we squeeze in, although the front occupants must move their seats forward for some legroom.

The sound system impressed me by its sound quality, but had the hardest time in the world with my burned CDs; half the CD-Rs I shoved in couldn't be read. Also, the 6-CD changer is an ancient setup, with a cartridge that's loaded in the unit located in the glovebox.

The interior might benefit from a makeover.