Photo: Mercedes-AMG
On the same day German carmaker Porsche pulled the wraps off the third plug-in version of the Cayenne, neighbor Mercedes-AMG did the same for something it calls its first performance hybrid SUV, the GLC 63 S E Performance. The SUV is part of the new 2024 Mercedes-AMG GLC Coupe family that also offers a second model, the GLC 43 Coupe.
The two new SUVs share the same engine, a 2.0-liter unit with just four cylinders. Despite the rather unassuming design, it is more than capable of offering the punch one would expect from AMG machines. In both SUVs, the engine is controlled by means of the AMG Speedshift MCT 9G transmission.
In the GLC 43, for instance, the engine's power starts at 416 horsepower, but it can get a boost of 13 hp thanks to the belt-driven starter generator. In the top of the line 63 S E, however, power levels are much greater, allowing for a combined 671 horsepower.
Yet those are not the impressive bits about the powerplant. Mercedes claims we're looking at the "world's first and only series-production engine to date with an electric exhaust gas turbocharger."
An adaptation of the technology already used by the Mercedes-AMG Petronas team in Formula 1, this kind of turbocharging is supposed to provide "particularly spontaneous response across the entire speed range."
But how does it work? The tech looks surprisingly simple, really. Mercedes installed a small electric motor, just 1.6-inch thin, right on the shaft of the turbocharger. It sits between the turbine and compressor wheels and directly drives the shaft. In doing so, it accelerates the compressor wheel until there's enough exhaust gas flow to take over.
Back to the 63 S E Performance, the system deployed by AMG is hailed as the "most powerful series-production four-cylinder engine in the world." Along with the 671 horsepower it develops there are 752 lb-ft of torque to work with, allowing for an acceleration time from standstill to 60 mph of just 3.4 seconds. The top speed is electronically limited to 171 mph (275 kph).
The new AMG GLC models are hybrids and that means that alongside the ICE unit there is some kind of electric system to work with. In the case of the 63 S E, we're talking about an electric motor fitted on the rear axle that contributes no less than 201 peak horsepower to the whole system output, and a battery placed above the same axle.
The battery is rather small, coming in at 6.1 kWh, and that means it can only sustain the peak power output of the motor for about ten seconds. It can however help the motor deliver 107 hp of continuous power.
Mercedes does not reveal how long the battery lasts because, the carmaker says, it was not meant for range, but for fast power delivery and absorption.
Both models will be offered from the get-go with the full list of Mercedes-AMG fittings, including Ride Control suspension, AMG braking hardware, and a long list of wheel options, with sizes going from 19 to 21 inches. Mercedes-AMG throws on the table a large variety of equipment packages, including AMG Night, Night Plus, Carbon, and Studio.
Although it spilled all the details on the two models, the German company said nothing about when we should expect the GLC Coupes to become available, or how much they will cost.
In the GLC 43, for instance, the engine's power starts at 416 horsepower, but it can get a boost of 13 hp thanks to the belt-driven starter generator. In the top of the line 63 S E, however, power levels are much greater, allowing for a combined 671 horsepower.
Yet those are not the impressive bits about the powerplant. Mercedes claims we're looking at the "world's first and only series-production engine to date with an electric exhaust gas turbocharger."
An adaptation of the technology already used by the Mercedes-AMG Petronas team in Formula 1, this kind of turbocharging is supposed to provide "particularly spontaneous response across the entire speed range."
But how does it work? The tech looks surprisingly simple, really. Mercedes installed a small electric motor, just 1.6-inch thin, right on the shaft of the turbocharger. It sits between the turbine and compressor wheels and directly drives the shaft. In doing so, it accelerates the compressor wheel until there's enough exhaust gas flow to take over.
Back to the 63 S E Performance, the system deployed by AMG is hailed as the "most powerful series-production four-cylinder engine in the world." Along with the 671 horsepower it develops there are 752 lb-ft of torque to work with, allowing for an acceleration time from standstill to 60 mph of just 3.4 seconds. The top speed is electronically limited to 171 mph (275 kph).
The new AMG GLC models are hybrids and that means that alongside the ICE unit there is some kind of electric system to work with. In the case of the 63 S E, we're talking about an electric motor fitted on the rear axle that contributes no less than 201 peak horsepower to the whole system output, and a battery placed above the same axle.
The battery is rather small, coming in at 6.1 kWh, and that means it can only sustain the peak power output of the motor for about ten seconds. It can however help the motor deliver 107 hp of continuous power.
Mercedes does not reveal how long the battery lasts because, the carmaker says, it was not meant for range, but for fast power delivery and absorption.
Both models will be offered from the get-go with the full list of Mercedes-AMG fittings, including Ride Control suspension, AMG braking hardware, and a long list of wheel options, with sizes going from 19 to 21 inches. Mercedes-AMG throws on the table a large variety of equipment packages, including AMG Night, Night Plus, Carbon, and Studio.
Although it spilled all the details on the two models, the German company said nothing about when we should expect the GLC Coupes to become available, or how much they will cost.
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