Mercedes Ditches The 4.0 V8 On The C63 AMG For A 2.0 Hybrid

Mercedes ditches the 4.0-litre V8 engine from the previous C63 AMG models in favour of a 2.0-litre four-cylinder hybrid that offers up to 670 bhp.

This change is causing quite a big stir in the AMG community. Unfortunately, we can only imagine that Mercedes would have preferred to continue making a 6.2-litre V8 which sounds amazing. But as emissions regulations get ever more strict, this trend of downsizing engine size and adding more turbos or hybrid battery options will continue unabated.

So no more V8 is a punch to the gut for sure but what do we have in replacement? Mercedes have given us the latest AMG 45 hot hatch 2.0-litre ‘M139’ four-cylinder, as well as an electric motor that offers 204hp. The M139 four-cylinder has had some modifications and now offers around 476hp, says Mercedes. 

The M139 engine sits at the front of the car and powers the front axle while the rear axle is powered by the 204hp electric motor. Mercedes says this gives the car a total of 680hp when both the front engine and rear electric motor are working in tandem. That's some serious firepower for a 2.0-litre vehicle.

Might this 2.0-litre C63 AMG be the first ever to reach 200mph? We'll see when the car gets released. But for now, Mercedes have added four-wheel drive in order to combat the increase in power. No way in hell could this car be a rear-wheel-drive-only model. But purists need not worry as there will be a sole rear-wheel-drive mode called 'Drift Mode'.

You would think that a car with this amount of power may seriously hurt MPG figures too. But Mercedes have already soothed our worries by saying that the 2.0-litre C63 AMG will do a claimed 34 miles per gallon and emit just 156g/km of CO2. In terms of comparison, that's the same as a Volkswagen Golf GTI. Crazy!

Due to all of the technology and battery packs, the car has had a big increase in weight. The previous 4.0-litre V8 model weighed in at around 1.7 tonnes. But now the C63 AMG will weigh around 2.1 tonnes. That's around 400kg extra. And yet, Mercedes claims the car will still do 0-62mph in 3.4 seconds.

The top speed is limited to 174mph and will be able to be unrestricted in a performance pack option (more than likely). There is a new battery pack specifically integrated to allow the turbo on the 2.0-litre M139 engine to spool up faster and increase output. Mercedes says this eliminates turbo lag a fair amount.

Mercedes have added techs such as rear-wheel steering, adaptive suspension and two gearboxes to control the power output better. Optional goodies include carbon-ceramic brakes, a carbon side skirt and a carbon spoiler. 

You also get a 'Boost' button when the car is in Race Mode that presumably allows all of the power (680hp) of the front and rear to be combined in an instant. We can imagine this will propel the car from wicked fast to brown deposits in the pants very quickly. 

All of this sounds great in theory but we've still lost that iconic V8. However, rather than be negative we will stay cautiously optimistic that this car may have plenty of performance changes to keep us happy. 

Regardless, we will miss the sound of the old 6.2 naturally aspirated and 4.0 twin-turbo V8 engines.