Even though Mercedes-Benz said it would focus on “electric only” and zero-emission vehicles, it has continued to improve all of its powertrains. After taking a number of steps, such as giving the C-class a powerful four-cylinder engine, the car company is rethinking the V-8. There are V-8 engines in 11 of the 17 Mercedes, AMG, and Maybach model lines, which is pretty cool. The C63 S E Performance sedan (shown above) and wagon were made by AMG more than six years ago, while Ola Källenius’s Electric Only plan was still in place. EV sales were going up around the world, and the EU planned to get rid of all internal combustion engines by 2035. A complicated hybridized four-cylinder engine that gave great performance was one of the most creative parts of Mercedes’ zero-emission plan. The 1049-hp AMG One supercar was based on the AMG Petronas F1 racer and was shown for the first time in its most extreme form. The newly announced top-of-the-line C-class got a slightly modified but still very aggressive version with 671 horsepower. The price went up a lot, even though it lost its powerful, expressive, and unique V-8 powertrain. The marketing department’s goal was, naturally, to use Formula One technology in a very fast road car. Lewis Hamilton won the Formula One world title with Mercedes from 2017 to 2020, but the AMG One, which was first shown in 2017, is still getting over a lot of problems that caused delays in production and a bad response. The first time people saw the AMG C63 S E Performance was on the road and at the Ascari track in Spain last year. The press criticized the car for not having much emotion and not being very efficient in real life. It wasn’t even close to being as musical as the trademark V-8 when the driver opened the throttle all the way, even though the performance data was perfect. As expected, it was hard for dealers to sell the four-pot C63 against cheaper competitors with six- and eight-cylinder engines, and sales didn’t come in as high as expected. In 2027, there might be a V-8 CLE Earlier this year, Mercedes started offering an official online discount of 18% on easily available versions of the best-selling car in the subbrand. AMG scrapped the almost-ready-for-production CLE63 S E Performance in April because they didn’t think it would sell at all. At the same time, work is said to have started on a top-of-the-line V-8 car with a modified 4.0-liter twin-turbo engine called the M177. This engine is already available in the GLE63 and G63 SUVs. The CLE will get a mid-cycle update in 2027, which could push back its release date. The final CLE63 should have at least 600 horsepower and 774 pound-feet of torque. An integrated starter-generator (ISG) can add 20 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque when needed. Even though a press spokesperson wouldn’t talk about any possible changes to the engine, this is still the case. Most likely, the nine-speed Speedshift TCT gearbox can only handle 774 pound-feet of twist. However, at a later point of development, the final M177 might have as much power as the C63’s combined 671 horsepower, which comes from the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and the 201-hp electric motor. The hybrid system in the AMG GT four-door, which has 630 horsepower, is much better. There are a lot of options for the almost certain V-8-powered E63. The same engine can make up to 831 horsepower and 1084 pound-feet of torque in PHEV mode. The 718-horsepower M5 PHEV and the new Audi RS6 will be its main rivals. What to look forward to What will happen with the C63 and GLC63? It depends on how long the life cycles of these two types will be. Because combustion engines are still used a lot, the life cycles could be extended by four years to 2032. Rumor has it that such a change would likely mean a second makeover, with the famous V-8 engine replacing the less popular 4. There are reports that Affalterbach would rather stick with the current block than spend a lot of money upgrading the cylinder head and other parts like electric turbos. Increasing displacement to, say, 4.4 liters could be a pretty easy and cheap way to deal with pollution problems, even though future rules like EU7 are currently much less strict than what was originally planned. Even in the strictest places, gasoline engines are still safe until 2035 (China recently extended the law banning internal combustion engines until 2060). It makes sense to rebuild this classic powertrain to make it more efficient and perform better. A V-8 engine can indeed be used in 11 of the 17 model lines that Mercedes, AMG, and Maybach make.
