Photo: SB-Medien
Mercedes-AMG is apparently looking to add another line, the "53". According to a new media report, those two numbers are going to sit on the rump of the successor to the famous CLS four-door coupe.
Automotive News reports that the stylish cruiser will adopt the new mild-hybrid straight-six engine producing around 430 horsepower. That would place it in the range somewhere between the current twin-turbo "43" models that make up to 401 HP and the V8-powered monsters that make anywhere from 476 to over 600 ponies.
That part makes perfect sense, but the part about it being called a "53" doesn't. Up until now, the six-cylinder engine codenamed M256 was rumored to go into the Mercedes-AMG E50 Coupe, a celebratory model for the go-fast brand.
Sure, 43-53-63 sounds like a cohesive way to make a brand, but Mercedes has had only limited success with its new V6 powered cars, which aren't always benchmark setters in their respective classes.
Also, we have trouble going along with the CLS name. Sure, the model made a name for itself within the automotive community. But we are dealing with a much stronger Mercedes-Benz brand than in 2004, when the original came out. Nowadays, the uber-luxurious S-Class versions grab all the headlines, and it's ok for the Germans to admit that the four-door coupe is actually based on the E-Class, thus calling it the CLE instead.
While the aim is for the inline-6 block to completely replace the V6, it will take quite some time. And until it happens, there will be a lot of confusion. For example, the two numbers - 43 and 53 - won't be reflected by the displacements, which will be roughly the same.
Even more bewildering is the fact that the 2018 Mercedes-Benz S-Class and SL-Class will both hold onto the V6 engine for the U.S. market while the Europeans switch them out. Hopefully, everything will become clearer when the rumored performance version of the E-Class Coupe finally arrives.
That part makes perfect sense, but the part about it being called a "53" doesn't. Up until now, the six-cylinder engine codenamed M256 was rumored to go into the Mercedes-AMG E50 Coupe, a celebratory model for the go-fast brand.
Sure, 43-53-63 sounds like a cohesive way to make a brand, but Mercedes has had only limited success with its new V6 powered cars, which aren't always benchmark setters in their respective classes.
Also, we have trouble going along with the CLS name. Sure, the model made a name for itself within the automotive community. But we are dealing with a much stronger Mercedes-Benz brand than in 2004, when the original came out. Nowadays, the uber-luxurious S-Class versions grab all the headlines, and it's ok for the Germans to admit that the four-door coupe is actually based on the E-Class, thus calling it the CLE instead.
While the aim is for the inline-6 block to completely replace the V6, it will take quite some time. And until it happens, there will be a lot of confusion. For example, the two numbers - 43 and 53 - won't be reflected by the displacements, which will be roughly the same.
Even more bewildering is the fact that the 2018 Mercedes-Benz S-Class and SL-Class will both hold onto the V6 engine for the U.S. market while the Europeans switch them out. Hopefully, everything will become clearer when the rumored performance version of the E-Class Coupe finally arrives.
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