The C-Class as we know it arrived in 1993 for the 1994 model year. A few years later, the W202 was treated to a naturally-aspirated V8 to create the C 55 AMG. The mad professors in Affalterbach used this recipe for the go-faster version right up to the W204. Although the W205 still features a V8, it’s a twin-turbocharged affair that cranks out up to 503 horsepower and 700 Nm (520 pound-foot) from 1,750 revs.
Redesigned on the MRA 2 platform last year for model-year 2022, the C-Class won’t receive a V8 ever again. Every single powerplant right now is a four-pot turbo, and the W206 C 63 will feature four cylinders too.
Before grabbing your pitchforks and torches, bear in mind that Merc is going electric from 2030 where market conditions allow the widespread adoption of electric vehicles. AMG didn’t really have a choice but to come to terms with this development, forced by draconic emission regulations.
Given these circumstances, Mercedes-AMG has decided that a four-cylinder PHEV is the right call for its most performance-oriented W206. Also, the most performance-oriented C of them all, the “C 63 S E Performance,” will premiere tomorrow at 4:00 pm Central European Summer Time. The digital world premiere will take place on the Mercedes me media platform.
The question is, will it suck? In terms of aural qualities, it surely will. But in terms of performance, Mercedes-AMG will prove naysayers wrong by means of 670 horsepower and 553 pound-foot (750 Nm) of torque. Not bad for a 2.0-liter turbo with plug-in assistance, right? Teased one last time before it goes official, the C 63 S E Performance is rocking four exhaust pipes, one for each cylinder, which is – dare I say it – two tailpipes too many.
To be joined by a family-sized wagon, a.k.a. T-Modell in the German automaker’s vernacular, the first C 63 to benefit from hybrid trickery is listed with a combined fuel consumption of 6.9 liters per 100 kilometers and a combined electricity consumption of 11.7 kWh per 100 kilometers. Converted to imperial units, those figures mean 40.9 miles per gallon in the United Kingdom, 34.1 miles per gallon in the U.S. of A., and 62 miles.
Before grabbing your pitchforks and torches, bear in mind that Merc is going electric from 2030 where market conditions allow the widespread adoption of electric vehicles. AMG didn’t really have a choice but to come to terms with this development, forced by draconic emission regulations.
Given these circumstances, Mercedes-AMG has decided that a four-cylinder PHEV is the right call for its most performance-oriented W206. Also, the most performance-oriented C of them all, the “C 63 S E Performance,” will premiere tomorrow at 4:00 pm Central European Summer Time. The digital world premiere will take place on the Mercedes me media platform.
The question is, will it suck? In terms of aural qualities, it surely will. But in terms of performance, Mercedes-AMG will prove naysayers wrong by means of 670 horsepower and 553 pound-foot (750 Nm) of torque. Not bad for a 2.0-liter turbo with plug-in assistance, right? Teased one last time before it goes official, the C 63 S E Performance is rocking four exhaust pipes, one for each cylinder, which is – dare I say it – two tailpipes too many.
To be joined by a family-sized wagon, a.k.a. T-Modell in the German automaker’s vernacular, the first C 63 to benefit from hybrid trickery is listed with a combined fuel consumption of 6.9 liters per 100 kilometers and a combined electricity consumption of 11.7 kWh per 100 kilometers. Converted to imperial units, those figures mean 40.9 miles per gallon in the United Kingdom, 34.1 miles per gallon in the U.S. of A., and 62 miles.