Last week we got to know the new C-Class W206 and the rumors were confirmed: it will only have four-cylinder engines and not even the future and more powerful Mercedes-AMG C 43 and Mercedes-AMG C 63 will escape that fate.
It's goodbye to the charismatic V8 by Affalterbach, a mechanical configuration that has accompanied the C-Class since its first generation (1993), covering all variants on the subject: naturally aspirated, compressor (or Kompressor) and turbocharged.
Even using the M 139, the very special 2.0l in-line four-cylinder turbo that we first saw on the A 45 and A 45 S (the most powerful four-cylinder in production), the numbers remain something “ short” when compared with those of the 4.0 V8 biturbo: 421 hp and 500 Nm against the 510 hp and 700 Nm.
So, to match its predecessor in power and torque, the new Mercedes-AMG C 63 will be additionally electrified, becoming a plug-in hybrid. Despite the unprecedented nature of the proposal, it should not be the first hybrid AMG to hit the market: the future Mercedes-AMG GT 73 — V8 plus electric motor, promising at least 800 hp — is expected to have that honor.
The help of electrons will not only serve to justify “fat” numbers in C 63; it should also allow the new sports saloon to integrate a series of new technologies that, due to the mechanical and technical options taken, promise to be the most complex C 63 ever. This is what we can infer from the information provided by the British Car Magazine, which published what to expect from Affalterbach's radical creation.
What do we already know?
Let's start with its complex mechanics. The M 139, in addition to the ISG (motor-generator) that we see in the other Class C, will have the help of an electric motor with (it is speculated) about 200 hp, mounted directly on the rear axle.
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Intriguingly, the functioning of this electrical module will be independent of the combustion engine and transmission (nine-speed automatic gearbox), although both will continue to send power to the rear axle. According to information provided by Car Magazine, the high instantaneous torque of the electric motor would make it difficult for the automatic transmission to deal with it.
All this complexity translates into higher numbers of power and torque, with power expected to reach the 550 hp and torque at 800 Nm . To ensure that the delivery of these numbers is as fluid and efficient as possible, the future Mercedes-AMG C 63 will feature an electric assistance turbocharger (to eliminate turbo-lag) and, for the first time in its history, with four-wheel drive wheels — a solution also adopted for the first time in the arch-rival BMW M3.
almost 2000 kg
The addition of power and torque is not innocent. Not only will it give it an edge “on paper” against its closest rivals — the M3 announces 510 hp for its most powerful version — but it will also help to attenuate the additional ballast of its electrical part (estimated to be fixed approximately in the 250 kg).
This will be the heaviest Mercedes-AMG C 63 ever, expected to be very close to two tonnes (2000 kg).
That's not good news — weight is the eternal enemy to take down — but because of its peculiar mechanical setup, it promises a much better weight distribution than the C 63 we know. The front axle will have to handle less load as the M 139 is around 60 kg lighter than the M 177 (V8) and placing the electric machine on the rear axle should ensure a perfect weight distribution of 50/ 50.
The increased power and four-wheel drive promise to give the new C 63 stronger starts — it's speculated that 100 km/h will be reached in 3.5s, 0.5s less than the current one — and even in the case of a plug-in hybrid, its top speed should not differ from its predecessor, ie 290 km/h on the current C 63 S.
As it is a plug-in hybrid, not only are official numbers of consumption and CO2 emissions substantially lower, but also you will be able to travel several tens of kilometers only and only with the use of your electric motor — in total, 60 km or a little more.
It will, without a doubt, be a Mercedes-AMG C 63 such as we have never known. Beyond the numbers, will it have the character and dynamic aptitudes that make us forget about the simpler and wilder C 63 rear-wheel drive V8 engine?