You Can’t Replace the V8 Heart
Since the ’90s, AMG has been shoving V8 engines in its C-Class, with the original C43 being the reason why we’ve always expected eight cylinders in the most potent Cs. Sure, there was the C32 AMG Kompressor, but Mercedes quickly rectified that with the C55 AMG.
Then came the W204 C-Class, and with it, the 6.2-liter V8 in the C63. The W205 had a downsized engine, but it still packed a 4.0-liter V8 with a pair of turbochargers. Then the W206 halved its displacement and cylinder count, replacing it with a plug-in hybrid system.
Yes, it made more power than the V8s, and yes, it was also faster. However, the soundtrack was clearly part of the C63’s appeal, not just outright speed. Simply put, people voted with their wallets and went to Audi and BMW instead. There’s no denying the electrified C63 stayed anchored in dealer lots, and it was put out to pasture earlier this year.
Course Correction
Mercedes-AMG has since admitted that it made a (massive) misstep turning the C63 into a four-cylinder plug-in hybrid. It has since promised to double down on V8s for the top performance models, and the new flat-plane crank motor is making amends for that. That engine debuted in the heavily updated S-Class, and it’s now in the GLE 63 and GLS 63, packing more power.
We can expect this engine to appear in the upcoming S63 as well. Also, Mercedes-AMG just unleashed the CLE Spezialanfertigung, effectively a CLE 63 with a proper V8 under the hood. It’ll be a limited-run model, though, but it marks the return of V8 power in a compact(ish) AMG.
Meanwhile, the C-Class has no V8 AMG on offer, but at least the brand is atoning for the lack of engines bigger than a four-cylinder. The C53 is coming soon, and it will use a turbo inline-six from the GLC 53, with an expected 443 hp and 443 lb-ft.
Mercedes-Benz
Comeback Confirmed
Mercedes-Benz chief technical officer Jorg Burzer recently spoke to Australian automotive media, and Drive noted that AMG is, indeed, working on a new C63 model. An electric C63 is already expected, but Burzer confirmed a combustion-powered version will also arrive.
That said, don’t get too excited just yet. It will be for the next-generation combustion-powered C-Class and not the current model. Still, the fact that it’s happening should be to the delight of AMG fans, but only if it will have the right engine, of course. More interestingly, the next C63 will adapt the same route as the BMW M3 with either pure electric or pure combustion versions, rather than following Audi with a middle-ground solution with the RS 5 plug-in hybrid.
Will the V8 Come Back?
Now that the C63 comeback is confirmed, it’s only natural to ask whether it will have a V8. Burzer was pressed by Australian media to answer, but the executive tried his best not to budge. He said, “I don’t want to talk about the future plans here, but there is [an] exciting future ahead of us.”
Still, the press were persistent, and when asked whether the flat-plane crank V8 will fit in the next-gen C-Class chassis, he jokingly replied, “I don’t know,” followed by, “I don’t know what these guys are doing at AMG.” It wasn’t long ago that AMG dashed hopes for an immediate return of V8 power in the C63, but recent banter between the media and the manufacturer is making us hopeful. If not the V8, a hotter version of the inline-six is possible. Anything but the plug-in hybrid four, perhaps.
That said, the new-generation C-Class is still a couple of years away, since the current model just got a facelift. Given that Mercedes model cycles last seven years, we might see what will presumably be called the W207 by 2029 at the earliest. It’s also worth pointing out that Mercedes invested heavily in making the new V8 Euro 7 compliant, so it probably won’t do any harm to offer it in more vehicles. It might even get a better return on investment after C63 fans were denied V8 power for the last couple of years.
