Mashable Choice is a badge of honor, reserved for the absolute best stuff you can see, use, or do. If it’s Choice, it’s worth your time.

2016 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Sedan review

Tesla isn't the only carmaker with a high-performance luxury sedan that can (almost) drive itself. Mercedes has one, too.

It's called the Mercedes-AMG C63 S Sedan — the most extreme version of Mercedes-Benz all-new C-Class compact sedan that has been tuned by AMG, the German automaker's performance arm.

With its twin-turbocharged V8, clean but well-appointed interior, and semi-autonomous tech, the C63 S Sedan is more than a well-rounded sports sedan; it's a powerful glimpse into the future of high-performance luxury cars.

Steering Assist

While other driving enthusiasts will sing the praises of the C63 S for its driving prowess (don't worry; I will, too), what really struck me about Mercedes' latest compact performance sedan was its well-roundedness. It easily played the role of high-tech commuter, luxury family hauler, and four-door supercar — as exemplified by its expert handling on Angeles Crest Highway outside of Los Angeles.

Out on Angeles Crest highway, the C63 S sedan came alive. Image: Nick Jaynes/Mashable

Before I could take the C63 S Sedan out to Angeles Crest, I had to traverse through 40 minutes of LA traffic, traveling many freeways, including the 10 and the 405. Even on a Sunday, the traffic was stop-and-go — sometimes getting up to 80 miles per hour before slamming back to a near-halt. This, combined with the gradual curves of the LA freeway system, made it a perfect place to test Mercedes' DISTRONC PLUS with Steering Assist. So that's exactly what I did.

Rather than spend 500+ words explaining the semi-autonomous driving system, let's instead leave that job to the Mercedes video below.

With DISTRONIC PLUS set to 80 mph, my feet off the pedals, and only one hand lightly resting on the steering wheel, I was ready to put the system to the veritable acid test. And it met the challenge...kind of.

Unlike the Tesla Autopilot system, which confidently held the middle of the lane, or the Honda Lane Keep Assist System (LKAS) that ping-pongs between lane markers, the Mercedes system held the lane...up until the point it couldn't. I found the Mercedes was mostly capable of keeping a solid place in the lane until something threw it off — like run of deteriorated lane markings, scars left in the pavement from roadwork or sharp turns in the road. Once it encountered one or more of those, the system would simply cut out with little warning, which was more than a little unnerving.

Keep your hands on the wheel or the car will give you a stern warning. Image: Nick Jaynes/Mashable

Also distinguishing it from Tesla's Autopilot was the system's insistence that I keep my hands on the wheel at all times. Without making small steering inputs, the system would display warnings on the instrument cluster prompting me to return my hands to the wheel. This was probably for the best, though, since at any moment I could be required to take over steering at a bend in the road or if the lane markings became ambiguous.

As expected, however, the DISTRONIC PLUS portion of the system worked without flaw. It safely kept pace with traffic, slowing as needed and accelerating back to my preset cruise speed when it had chance to.

Angeles Crest

Out on Angeles Crest Highway, which runs over the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County, the C63 S showed its sporting side. And rightfully so: It's powered by one of the finest performance V8s on the market.

Built by hand, the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 makes 503 horsepower. Image: Nick Jaynes/Mashable

Underneath the muscular hood lies a hand-built 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 that produces 503 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. Churning through the AMG 7-speed automatic sport transmission and out to the rear wheels, that power will push the C63 S to do 0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds on the way to an electronically limited top speed of 180 mph.

Straight-line speed really tells only a small portion of the C63 S story. While it's very, very quick, and sounds like B52 Bomber flying into an erupting volcano, its handling capabilities are what set it apart in the sport sedan world.

Historically, German sport sedans have usually felt very heavy during high-speed cornering. That's because luxury appointments add extra weight — leather, wood, and sound deadening aren't light. With the soft and sophisticated suspension that has long defined the luxury segment, drivers felt like they were wrestling an Asian elephant on a river raft during spirited outings rather than piloting a cutting-edge European power wagon.

Alternately, carmakers would sometimes affix very stiff, unforgiving suspension systems borrowed from their racing devision to the most extreme versions of their sport models in order to counteract the weight of the vehicle. These made drivers feel like they weren't recklessly wielding a wood-encrusted sports sedan but rather taking part of a cruel experiment that converted bone into sand.

Note the youthful yet decidedly Mercedes interior. Image: Nick Jaynes/Mashable

Thankfully Mercedes-AMG has fallen victim to neither performance luxury pitfall. Instead, for the C63 S, it has carefully crafted a suspension that is both sporty but sophisticated and mated it to a crisp but forgiving suspension. The result is a four-door family car that handles like a quarter-million-dollar supercar but cruises like a Cadillac (OK, it's better than a Caddy; I just liked the alliteration).

This allowed me to comfortably and competently carry extremely high speeds through the turns on Angeles Crest while the car made sounds that nearby hikers likely mistook for the mating cries of a mountain loin. Suffice it to say, the C63 S is a next-generation road-taming dynamo that makes more than its fair share of auditory splendor. Oh and the brakes are good, too.

Just a glimpse

To be fair, these are only a few of the standout features of the 2016 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Sedan — and it wasn't without a few failings. The sport seats, for example, are a bit uncomfortable and its fancy-looking Burmester speaker system lacked both clarity and oomph. However, none was enough of a drawback to sway my feelings toward the car.

As I alluded to earlier, when not trying to drive itself or being driven on the razors-edge on rural highways by a lunatic like me, it's also a top-notch commuter.

More than a sports sedan, the C63 S can (kinda) drive itself. Image: Nick Jaynes/Mashable

The C63 S Sedan has been fitted with auto start-stop that shuts down the engine at stoplights, saving precious premium fuel. On the open road, the cabin is quiet and youthful while remaining decidedly Mercedes. And when not feeling exceptionally shout-y, thanks to electronically controlled valves in the exhaust, drivers can even quiet down the exhaust with the push of a button.

It's also quite tech-savvy. The Mercedes COMAND infotainment system, which now looks like a floating tablet glued the dashboard, is easy to use and can be operated with either a knob or a touchpad that recognizes letters and symbols drawn by fingertip. And, should I have cared about such things, I could have monitored the vehicle speed on Angeles Crest by way of the bright and high-res head-up display (HUD) projected onto the windshield.

All of this wondrousness comes at a price, though. While the 2016 C63 S Sedan starts at $71,900, my press demonstrator carried a sticker of $87,155. Honestly, though, for such a pleasant, well-rounded car, that price is a virtual pittance.