Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
When Mercedes-Benz replaced the 190 E with the C-Class in 1993, everyone embraced the W202 with open arms. From the beginning, there were plans to put a massive V8 in the engine bay thanks to the mad professors in Affalterbach. And thus, the 4.3- and 5.4-liter powerplants from the M113 family cemented the sporting potential of the compact executive sedan.
Fast-forward to the fourth generation, and the W205 leveled up to a twin-turbo V8 with more than 500 horsepower and tons of torque. The M177 hot-vee engine is also ready to receive electrification in the case of the 73 series, translating to 800-ish horsepower in the GT 4-Door Coupé.
Development of the W206 is currently underway, and even though it’s obvious the M177 will soldier on with various modifications to improve performance while cutting back on emissions, Autocar vouches for “an advanced four-cylinder hybrid drivetrain developing 500-plus horsepower.”
This rumor started last year on German forums, and as expected of an Internet rumor, nobody could come up with any evidence – however little – about the downgrade to four cylinders. While it’s true that 4Matic+ is on the table to fend off the BMW M3 with M xDrive, the 2.0-liter M139 turbo in the A 45 S 4Matic+ doesn’t match the character of the 63 series.
Greg Kable also highlights that “other AMG models set to run the new electrified driveline include successor models to today’s GLC 43 and GLC 63 SUVs, the GLC 43 Coupé, and the GLC 63 Coupé.” How could the electrified M139 be applied to everything from the 43 to the 63 series? The simple answer to that is no, we’re dealing with yet another unfounded rumor.
Autocar even talks about “the decision to provide the C 63 4Matic+ with four-cylinder power” as if Mercedes-AMG and the higher-ups at Daimler AG confirmed the switch. We would be glad to be proven wrong, but at the risk of sounding like dinosaurs, the three-pointed star certainly knows that it can’t swap a burbly V8 with the engine from a hot hatchback.
What about CO2 emissions and stuff the eco-friendly crowd likes to bring into question? That shouldn’t be a problem for Mercedes either because lots of plug-in hybrids and EVs are in the pipeline, offsetting the jungle juice of internal combustion engine-only models. Because the C-Class isn’t expected to receive an all-electric option for the W206 chassis code, the EQS flagship sedan and EQA compact hatchback will pick up the slack.
Development of the W206 is currently underway, and even though it’s obvious the M177 will soldier on with various modifications to improve performance while cutting back on emissions, Autocar vouches for “an advanced four-cylinder hybrid drivetrain developing 500-plus horsepower.”
This rumor started last year on German forums, and as expected of an Internet rumor, nobody could come up with any evidence – however little – about the downgrade to four cylinders. While it’s true that 4Matic+ is on the table to fend off the BMW M3 with M xDrive, the 2.0-liter M139 turbo in the A 45 S 4Matic+ doesn’t match the character of the 63 series.
Greg Kable also highlights that “other AMG models set to run the new electrified driveline include successor models to today’s GLC 43 and GLC 63 SUVs, the GLC 43 Coupé, and the GLC 63 Coupé.” How could the electrified M139 be applied to everything from the 43 to the 63 series? The simple answer to that is no, we’re dealing with yet another unfounded rumor.
Autocar even talks about “the decision to provide the C 63 4Matic+ with four-cylinder power” as if Mercedes-AMG and the higher-ups at Daimler AG confirmed the switch. We would be glad to be proven wrong, but at the risk of sounding like dinosaurs, the three-pointed star certainly knows that it can’t swap a burbly V8 with the engine from a hot hatchback.
What about CO2 emissions and stuff the eco-friendly crowd likes to bring into question? That shouldn’t be a problem for Mercedes either because lots of plug-in hybrids and EVs are in the pipeline, offsetting the jungle juice of internal combustion engine-only models. Because the C-Class isn’t expected to receive an all-electric option for the W206 chassis code, the EQS flagship sedan and EQA compact hatchback will pick up the slack.
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