Cars like the BMW E92 M3 and Mercedes-Benz W204 C63 AMG bring the raw excitement of a V8 but with the added benefit of German engineering. It's a driving experience that's both thrilling and refined.

The first-generation C63 Coupé, the W204 of 2011, set the bar high ... too but had dropped down to six cylinders from the E92 M3’s eight. Under the C63’s muscular bodywork lay a wider ...