You haven’t heard the anti-EV crowd get this quiet since the Tesla Model S Plaid came out
The compact sport sedan segment is an interesting one. Including the likes of the BMW M3, Audi RS5, Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance, and now an overhauled AMG C63 S. Where the differentiation lies though is what’s underneath the hood. The segment has a vast array of engine options ranging from BMW’s inline-6 to Lexus’s 5.0 L fire breather V8. Now as a shock to the group, AMG has put out their latest offering… a hybrid 4-cylinder.
A Four-Pot?
We know what you’re thinking, and yes, it’s half the engine the AMG C63 used to offer. The 63 in C63 didn’t stand for nothing of course. It stood for a 6.3 L V8 that AMG used to make the old C63 into one of the greatest sport sedans of all time. Now relegated to a hybrid motor, will the C63 keep its charismatic demon intact?
Heeding to European regulations that make smaller engines more favorable in today’s climate (no pun intended), the C 63 AMG S E Performance… what a name, has made nothing into something by keeping the C-Series alive. From the hybrid powertrain, the new C63 S puts out a jaw-dropping 671 horsepower. That’s lightyears above the competition. Mercedes touts this as the most powerful production 4-banger ever made, with the combustion engine yanking out 469 horses by itself and the electric motor supplementing the extra 201 ponies.
The closest competition lags 168 hp behind in the realm of the BMW M3 CS which possesses a comparably measly 503 horsepower and the Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance with 472. Off the line, the new C63 S seems to be a monster with the electric motor being a huge factor of the bone-churning 752-pound feet of torque. That torque will be on-demand off the line with the hybrid motor, which we can only imagine would absolutely break our spine.
F1 Roots Made the C63 S
Mercedes-AMG makes sure to gloat the fact that the new C63 S was bred from the sport of F1. Using F1 technology wherever they could. This is evident by the use of a segment first electric turbocharger which harnesses exhaust gas and electrically adds power to the engine. This will be the first engine in production to have an electrically assisted spooly snail, which is an engineering marvel in and of itself. 0-60 comes in 3.3 seconds taking the cake in one of the most hotly contested segments in the performance car industry. Our BMW M3 tested in at 3.4 seconds to wind itself up to 60 mph with 2 more cylinders and the Audi RS5 matched. The new AMG C63 S is now the king of the compact performance segment in terms of numbers alone.
While the 4-banger might be anathema to most, it certainly silences the peanut gallery. Look past the dwindled down engine and you’ll see a myriad of upgrades that clearly place the C63 as the vanquishing figure of the German performance segment. Rear wheel steering and an upgraded chassis make sure that no BMW will ever pass you on the racetrack, gearing the C63 S for quick and skinny turns.
The front axle has been reworked as well as the dimensions of the vehicle in general. Longer and wider than the regular C-Class, the C63 S is a chunky girl, the scale readout imprints a walloping 4,654 lbs. Banging with the heavyweights are we? Stepping into the ring with a body like that pits it against the Rolls-Royce Dawn and its own familial S-Class. The front hood has a distinct air inlet scoop that gives the sainted C63 S an even more daunting look and presumably to cool the longitudal engine.
8 different driving modes allow the driver to select exactly what level of driving bliss they prefer plus the AMG 4Matic AWD system grants the pilot a “Drift Mode”. Besides immersing yourself in burnt rubber while testing the mode out, you’ll be intrigued by the throaty engine noise despite the motor only being a hybrid 4-cylinder. AMG has resorted to pumping in sound via an internal speaker, which we aren’t the biggest fans of, but in this case it seems natural in such a high performance vehicle.
The Representation of the Future
We understand the E-Performance AMGs come at much hatred and dismay to many. Gearheads want big V8s and gas guzzling motors. And who can blame them? We all want them too. However, it’s apparent this is the future of performance. The AMG C63 S is the physical incarnation of the future of sports cars. Muscle cars, super cars, sports cars, you name it, this is the inevitable. While we may gnaw and gnash at that idea, it’s better than Priuses rolling around and the world being stoic and melancholic. When push comes to shove, we like where this is going.
If we can yank north of 600 horsepower out of an engine with the same amount of cylinders as a Jetta paired with an iPhone charger turbo, the future of AMG and cars is in good hands.
