2024 performance Mercedes-AMG C 63 SE makes 671 hp, 752 lb-ft

The bad news first: The Mercedes-AMG V8 era is officially over. The massive M177 4.0-liter V8 Twin Turbo engine this Running every AMG 63 Series muscle machine since 2015 he is Not long for this land. Here’s what it will replace: a Formula 1-inspired hybrid engine mating The strongest in the world production car four cylinders (with electrically boosted turbocharger, no less) An electric motor drives the rear axle through a two-speed gearbox. In the 2024 Mercedes-AMG C63 SE Performance, the first AMG to use the all-new drivetrain, this means a maximum of 671 horsepower and a whopping 752 lb-ft of torque. Yes, it will help us overcome the loss of the V8 engine.

The all-new C63 represents a whole new era for AMG, a company that has spent nearly half a century turning Mercedes V8s into tire shredders. The highly advanced transmission in the ’24 C63′ It starts from an impressive foundation: the M139L 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, first developed by AMG for Mercedes-AMG A45, CLA45 and GLA45. In those models, the small turbo was the most powerful four-cylinder engine ever installed in a production vehicle, making 416 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. Now, thanks to a neat electrician Turbocharged setup, this engine pumps out more power: 469 horsepower at 6,750 rpm and 402 pound-feet from 5,000 to 5,500 rpm. That means the 1,991-cc M139L engine breaks its record as the most powerful production four-cylinder in history, pumping out a hairy less than 235 hp per liter of displacement—or, in other words, a touch more than 117 hp per liter of displacement. cylinder.

That output comes courtesy of a newly enlarged turbo with electric assist, which means the turbo can wrap the electric power before it takes over the exhaust pressure, helping to eliminate lag and create a sharper response. This is the first production application of electric turbocharger technology, which comes directly from existing hybrid Formula 1 engines and takes advantage of the new 400-volt C63 electrical engineering.

Of course, the new huge turbocharger isn’t the only instance of electric power boost. The new C63 has a 201-hp, 236 lb-ft electric motor driving the rear axle through a two-speed gearbox, assisting the gasoline engine during hard acceleration. With AMG Performance 4Matic+ all-wheel drive with Drift Mode, the C63 puts a maximum of 671 hp and 752 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels, with the gasoline engine driving through AMG’s nine-speed automatic transmission with a wet clutch in place of a torque converter for snappier acceleration and gear shifts.

Mercedes says the new muscle sedan can sprint from zero to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds, and power from both the longitudinally-mounted gas engine and the rear-axle electric motor can be shifted to the front axle when the rear wheels slip. The two-speed gearbox that transmits the rear-axle motor’s torque shifts automatically based on speed and load; the lower of the two ratios is good for up to 87 mph. The motor delivers 94 hp continuously, with the full 201 hp available in 10-second bursts.

The 400-volt, 6.1-kWh, 196-lb, liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery driving the axle motor rests above the rear axle for optimum weight distribution. While the new C63 is technically a plug-in hybrid, and can reach speeds of up to 81 mph on electric power alone, Mercedes-AMG was quick to point out in a press release that “the battery is designed for fast power delivery and draw rather than longest possible range.”

The new C63 bears a passing resemblance to lesser C-class sedans, but benefits from a ton of AMG-specific changes. The wheelbase has been stretched by 0.4 inches, with the front-end bodywork lengthened by 2.2 inches. Overall, the new C63 is a full three inches wider at the front fenders and 3.3 inches longer nose-to-tail. The new hybrid muscle sedan rides on standard 19-inch staggered wheels and tires, with 20s optional.

The compact performance sedan has standard rear-wheel steering, which makes the car more nimble in tight turns and more stable during high-speed highway maneuvers, and rides on Mercedes’ AMG Ride Control adaptive suspension with steel springs. The new C63 offers a whopping eight drive modes: Electric, Comfort, Battery Hold, Sport, Sport+, Race, Slippery and Individual, each of which tweaks the drivetrain output, steering, suspension and sound.

Because, yes, this is a four-cylinder hybrid, and that means AMG had to resort to augmented drivetrain noises to replace the hammering rumble of that old twin-turbo V8. A single loudspeaker in the front bumper and a two-speaker soundbar at the rear emanate warning noises when the C63 is driving in pure EV mode; when traveling under internal-combustion power, the system picks up sound from a pressure sensor in the exhaust system and “enrich[es] before being emitted inside via the infotainment audio system, making it possible to experience AMG’s signature sound.” The C63 has cast-iron brakes with six-piston calipers at the front and single-piston calipers at the rear, as well as four levels of regenerative braking ranging from nearly zero To full one-pedal driving.

Inside, it has screens, screens, ambient lighting, glossy edges, screens and screens.

Mercedes-AMG It has yet to reveal when the new Performance C63 SE will go on sale, and the automaker hasn’t revealed a price. We will certainly learn all that information before Mercedes invites journalists to drive this car themselves.

We’ve known for a while that Mercedes-AMG is going in that direction. Big V8s go out of vogue (Even if it’s not an AMG 4.0L V8 who – which big in the grand scheme of things). Some gear heads will cry and scream at this. But if the alternative is things like that — the C-Class has more horsepower and torque than ever before, with pure electric drivetrain built in and turbo tech and Formula 1-inspired hybrid technology — it feels a little weeping over what its past has gone through.