By: Double Apex
Nürburg, Germany - Mercedes-AMG made the announcement a few months ago that the new generation C-Class performance derivatives will be powered by four cylinder engines. Not only will the new car have half the cylinder count but it will be electrified. Fans of the brand are probably sad to note that the rip-snorting V8-powered C63 will be no more. More importantly, they are probably keen to know how the new car sounds. Now we have the answer as cameramen have spotted the new Mercedes-AMG C63 testing at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, Double Apex reports.
Mercedes-AMG was the last of the Teutonic Trio to hold on to V8 power as BMW and Audi both went back to six cylinder powerplants for their performance rivals. Now that emissions regs are tightening the folks from Affalterbach have taken a massive step in fitting the W206 performance versions with a four cylinder engine mated with a powerful electric component.
The four-cylinder 2,0-litre turbocharged engine is familiar from the ‘45’ series models made by AMG. In the small sedan the engine has been turned 90 degrees into a longitudinal orientation. Power from the petrol unit will be ramped up to 330kW. It will be combined with an electric motor developing up to 150kW and 320Nm, depending on what badge it carries. Peak power is reported to be over 470kW but that will be for short bursts of up to ten seconds. A steady 375kW will be on tap when not in the heightened power mode.
The electric drive unit, along with its battery, will be placed over the rear axle. Electric drive is sent to the rear wheels through a two-speed transmission and limited-slip differential. The electric power unit can feed power to the front wheels when required. Interestingly, when drivers apply too much power the control electronics use it to recharge the battery rather than allowing the ESP to intervene. A 0-100 km/h sprint time of under 3.5 seconds has been mooted for the upcoming performance halo. You can read more about the high-tech, F1-inspired powerplant at this link.
As for how the new, four-cylinder C-Class AMG sounds, you can hear the new Mercedes-AMG C63 testing in the CarSpyMedia video below.
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