Words went back and forth, and the fanboys weren’t very happy. The new one Mercedes-AMG C63 there will be no V8 under the bonnet.
It got worse. The successor to AMG’s autobahn hurricane, BMW M3The bashing sedan is in fact a plug-in hybrid with a four-cylinder engine. The sound you hear is C63 fans sobbing in their beer mugs.
But AMG technical director Jochen Hermann is unrepentant.
“We could have just made another V8 C63,” he said. “But we’ve been stuck in the past.”
And you just have to look closely under the skin to see that the Mercedes-AMG C63 SE Performance is very much a muscle car of the future.
Yes, it’s a plug-in hybrid built on top of a four-cylinder internal combustion engine, but that’s the similarity to the last Mitsubishi Outlander.
Many of the new C63’s key technologies and operating principles derive from the 1.6-liter hybrid engine, the most advanced and most efficient powertrain ever bearing the three-pointed star – the EQ10 Power+ powertrain. used in the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 racers.
This hybrid is about performance, not fuel economy.
The headline numbers are impressive: 500kW and 1020Nm, 0-100km/h in 3.4 secondsand the top speed is 280km/h with the optional AMG Driver Pack fitted (250 km/h otherwise). It’s the most powerful C63 ever, faster than both the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 it replaces and the 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 that preceded it.
What’s more impressive than the numbers, though, is how they’re manufactured.
The C63’s hybrid powertrain includes a 350kW version of AMG’s inline-four M139l and a rear-axle mounted 150kW e-motor, both powered by a powerful 400V electric architecture.
The four-banger M139l under the bonnet drives all four wheels through AMG’s proven multi-clutch Speedshift nine-speed automatic transmission.
As in the C43 and SL43, the engine has a 48V electric turbocharger that delivers faster response, but in the C63 the turbocharger is larger and is powered by a 400V system. Also integrated into the 400V system is a belt-start generator.
The electronic motor drives the rear wheels through its own automatic two-speed transmission, which shifts gears up high at 140km/h and an integrated electronically controlled limited-slip differential.
It also sends drive forward via a separate thrust shaft to a clutch at the rear of the nine-speed transmission, from where it can be distributed to the front wheels as needed.
AMG development engineer Peter Szalay says this setup avoids having to put the engine’s torque electronically through the AMG Speedshift transmission, which is limited to around 1000Nm and allows it to freely distribute the torque- torque to the front and rear axles as needed.
More importantly, says Szalay, if the ICE and the e-motor share the same output shaft, the system cannot deliver maximum power because the power peaks of both occur at different revolutions.
“We don’t put the electronic engine above the internal combustion engine,” he explains. “Instead, we have a ‘virtual’ engine that provides the output required by the driver in the fastest, most responsive way, using the best of both worlds.”
Key to the C63’s powertrain working is the 400V electric architecture developed by AMG and the high-performance 6.1kWh battery, mounted at the rear of the vehicle.
Although the compact 89kg battery can be recharged via a plug and will provide an EV . driving range 13km with speeds up to 125km/hthat’s not what it’s primarily designed to do.
Instead, it is designed to deliver explosive power quickly when the e-motor requires it – a starter function ensures the full 150kW of e-motor is available on request in any mode. which of the eight drive modes of the C63.
It also ensures it can be replenished quickly – either by the engine or through a recovery rate of more than 120kW under heavy braking / at the highest of the four available regen settings.
To survive that punishment, the battery has a cooling system that circulates high-tech coolant directly around each of its 580 cells to ensure the battery is always at the optimum temperature to deliver maximum performance.
This C63 is the first with all-wheel drive, and not just to help the chassis cope with the massive influx of power from the hybrid powertrain.
“Our client asked for it,” says Peter Szagay. “It’s the next logical step.”
The installation of the electronic motor, battery pack and related hardware on the rear axle has resulted in a 50/50 front-to-rear weight distribution. Standard suspension is steel springs with AMG adaptive shock absorbers. There are three different damping maps – Comfort, Sport and Sport+.
Standard is also rear-wheel drive – although this is an AMG, the operating parameters are different from those on the regular C-Class. At speeds of up to 100km/h, the rear wheel will steer 2.5 degrees in the opposite direction from the front to improve response when turning.
Above that speed, the wheels will steer 0.7 degrees in the same direction as the front to help the vehicle stay stable at high speeds.
Standard wheels are 19-inch with 20s available as an option. The tire setup is staggered – on the 20-inch wheel-equipped cars we’ve seen, it’s 265/35 front and 275/35 rear.
Visually, the new C63 carries familiar AMG styling cues, from the horribly grimace of the grille to the massive quad exhaust that juts out from under the rear bumper. But there is functionality behind the form.
The front bumper is 76mm wider than the standard C-Class and the wheelbase has increased by 10mm. That, and the need to pack extra heavy-duty cooling at the front of the car, means the new C63 is also 50 mm longer from the base of the A-pillar to the leading edge of the front bumper and 83 mm longer.
As a result, the entire front clamp is unique to the C63, with the vented bonnet facing the rear, an indication of the massive air vents found on AMG GT3 race cars. Unlike the GT3 vents, which are used to help generate downforce on the front axle, the C63’s much smaller opening is purely used to release hot air from the engine compartment.
AMG fans will find the interior very familiar, with Alcantara and contrasting stitching, carbon fiber trim and contrasting color patches used throughout. The new performance front seats are 2kg lighter than the old model and the rotary button below the left spoke of the AMG performance steering wheel can be used to change the regen mode.
Both sedan and wagon versions of the new C63 will be available in Europe when it goes on sale early next year.
Although the floor of load space is noticeably higher in the rear of the wagon than in the sedan’s trunk, AMG engineers have done a great job in packing the electronics and the battery in the rear of the car. . Both are still vehicles for everyday use.
What you want to know, of course, is: What will this four-cylinder plug-in hybrid C63 look like? And what kind of noise does it make? Does it bring back the sound and fervor we so loved about previous C63s?
We passed the challenging lap at the Mercedes-Benz proof ground in Immendingen in southern Germany in a light pre-production car, with AMG’s Jochen Hermann at the wheel, so we have a number of answers.
But we’re not allowed to tell you until next month. Keep stable.
