When Mercedes-AMG told the world that they were ditching their turbocharged V8 engine for a more polar bear-friendly 2.0-litre inline-four hybrid engine, the automotive industry really questioned the sanity of the boffins at AMG. Considering they’re already ditched the 6.2-litre naturally-aspirated V8 engine, yes, the one from the W204 era, just years prior. But now with the W206, Mercedes-AMG has definitely used witchcraft as they’ve managed to churn out 671hp and 1,020Nm from a 2.0-litre engine.
But before we move on, let me say it in my own words, holy ****, Mercedes, like what manner of things have you lot been smoking because that is insanely impressive! However, speaking professionally, the figures are what Mercedes-AMG is bringing to the future of performance cars in an era where electrification can bump up the numbers to new heights. Mind you, the new engine, without any electrical assistance, is capable of doing 470hp.
This makes it the most powerful 2.0-litre production engine ever made, knocking off the other Mercedes-AMG product from its throne, the A45 S. The engine, dubbed M139L, is the same inline four-cylinder found in the SL43 as well as the C43, in which both include a Formula One technology-derived electrically-driven turbocharger. The new engine too peaks at 545Nm of torque. Did I mention it was a 2.0-litre inline-four? Fantastic.
671hp and 1,020Nm gives the C63 S a 0-100km/h time of 3.4 seconds, a mere 0.6 second faster than it’s predecessor, and a top speed that is electronically limited to 250km/h but can be requested to be removed for a 280km/h limit.
The C63 S E Performance, a mouthful, even has something called ‘electric boost’. A surge of 201hp sent to the rear wheels through an electronically-controlled limited slip differential and two-speed drive unit. While a hybrid AMG isn’t something that EV buyers out there are hunting for, it’s nice to know that the car is capable of doing 13km on full rear wheel-drive EV mode. And before you moan about how it only does 13km, it is an AMG at the end of the day where performance matters most.
In the regular drive mode, the car operates in all-wheel drive through Mercedes’ 4Matic+ four-paw transmission via a wet-clutch nine-speed automatic gearbox. Apart from that, the new C63 does include rear-wheel steering, carbon ceramic brakes, adaptive dampers and AMG Dynamics drive “Master” mode for those who feel like they wanna be Chris Harris wherever they go.
On the outside, the C63 doesn’t seem too dramatic. The flared front fenders now say “Turbo E Performance” and the C63 sports a subtle hood vent. What isn’t subtle however is the weight, it is close to 400kg heavier than its predecessor at 2,036kg. You may question how the weight may affect the handling dynamics of the car but either way, it is proven to be faster and greener than any other C63 AMG.
While the non-S variant has yet to be announced, we believe that the model will cut a lot of weight but also cut a lot of power with possibly ‘only’ 470hp on tap to compete with BMW’s non-competition M3. While the W206 C-Class’ design may not be to everyone’s liking, mine personally, seeing Mercedes churn out that amount of power from an engine that small is insane. However, if I do have a choice, I’d opt for the Europe-only C63 Estate.
Written by | Danial Malek
Images by | Mercedes-AMG
