When the third-generation Mercedes-AMG C 63 was revealed, it caused quite an uproar. It’s not because of its looks. If anything, the body is handsomely understated. Instead, the controversy erupted because of its engine.
Gone was the large V8 engine under the hood. The new C 63 replaced that with an electrified 2.0-liter, four-cylinder turbo. Sure, it made more power than the previous models, but the fact that the engine was half the size meant it no longer growled like a V8.
OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:
New car brand alert: Vietnamese automaker VinFast officially launches in PH
The new Honda Sensing-equipped City Hatch is on its way to PH
Now, it seems that AMG is doing an about-face on that decision. According to Autocar magazine, the C 63’s two-door counterpart, the CLE, will get a proper V8 engine. The publication claims that sales of the four-cylinder PHEV AMGs are ‘well below its predecessor’, hence the decision.
With that, the likely candidate to power the CLE63 is the latest turbocharged V8 from AMG. It’s used in the GT, G63, and S63, to name a few. In its most powerful guise, it pumps out 577hp and 800Nm of torque. With electrification, those numbers can go as high as 805hp and 1,420Nm of torque. For the CLE63, we reckon AMG won’t give it the 800hp + rating, but it’s likely more than its main competitors such as the BMW M4 and Audi RS5.
So, does this mean the sedan version, the C63, will follow suit? That’s still up in the air. Speaking to Autocar, Markus Schäfer, head of Mercedes-Benz’s R&D operation, said the company is ‘monitoring closely monitoring sales of the C63 and GLC 63 amid calls for them to return to V8 power’ and it will be ‘up to customers to decide’ is AMG should continue with the high-performance plug-in hybrid powertrains.
‘We have to see what the customer ultimately decides,’ added Schäfer.
