The British magazine Car magazine confirms what we anticipated several months ago: the new Mercedes-AMG C 63 W206 gives up the V8 twin-turbo engine in favor of a 4-cylinder PHEV.
Absolutely all generations of Mercedes C-Class AMG had V8 engine and in the last two generations V8 was the only option. That’s why a Mercedes C-Class AMG without a V8 engine is like a food without salt.
The reason why Mercedes gave up the V8 for the AMG C-Class is related to too high CO2 emissions that led to penalties for each unit sold.
But Mercedes wants to convince us that cutting four cylinders does not mean less performance and promises that the new electrified 4-cylinder AMG C-Class will have more power and torque but will consume much less.
The new generation Mercedes-AMG C63 W206 will be a Plug-In Hybrid totally different from the other PHEV models in the Mercedes range.
The electric motor is not located between the heat engine and the gearbox but will directly drive the rear axle and will have 200 HP.
However, this is not a classic all-wheel drive because the rear axle will be driven by both the heat engine through the 4Matic system and the electric motor.
The electric motor operates independently of the 9-speed automatic transmission that otherwise could not support the combined torque of the heat engine and the electric one.
The heat engine is the M139 2-liter turbo from the new AMG A45 which provides 421 HP coupled with an integrated starter generator and a voltage of 400V (not 48V as in other PHEV Mercedes models).
The British magazine announces that the new Mercedes-AMG C 63 W206 will have a combined power of 550 HP and a maximum torque of 800 Nm. That means 40 HP and 100 Nm more than the top C 63 S version of the former W205 generation.
It is not yet known if there will be a basic C63 version as was the case with the previous generation. The former C63 had 476 HP and the C 63 S 510 HP.
No data have been announced on battery capacity, but the British magazine estimates an electric range of about 64 km.
The bad news is that the PHEV system makes the car heavier by 250 kg, which means it will weigh close to 2000 kg (the C 63S weighed 1730 kg). Instead, the weightdistribution is much better because the four-cylinder engine is 60 kg lighter than the former V8 and the battery located under the rear bench contributes to obtaining a perfect weight distribution on axles of 50-50%.
Despite the increase in weight by 250 kg and power by only 40 HP, the British magazine estimates an acceleration of 0-100 km/h in just 3.5 seconds, compared to 4 seconds on the former C 63 AMG.
But more important is the fuel economy. The new Mercedes-AMG C 63 W206 promises a consumption of only 2.5 l/100 km compared to 8.4 l/100 km in the previous generation. Of course, as with any PHEV model, this consumption is valid in the first hundred kilometers if you start with a full charged battery.
Another novelty is the Drift mode that will be offered as standard. There will also be adaptive suspension and mixed tires, which are wider at the rear.
The new Mercedes-AMG C 63 is the most complex AMG model and the first to receive a Plug-In Hybrid technology. It is not yet known what price it will have, but considering that the former generation reached 90,000 euros in the top version 63 S, we estimate that the price of the new generation will reach 100,000 euros.
A Mercedes-AMG C 43 (pictured) with hybrid propulsion will follow.
With the new PHEV system, the C 63 seems to have a major advantage over the new generation BMW M3 / M4.
The Bavarians will also offer a Drift mode, but under the hood there is a classic 6-cylinder in-line turbo engine with 480 HP or 510 HP in the Competition version. All-wheel drive will be offered as an option.
Source: Car magazine