The electrification It advances by leaps and bounds throughout the world and not even sports cars are spared. In this case, Mercedes Benz has chosen a smoother transition for one of its most iconic sports cars, the class C intervened by AMG. For a long time, a gigantic V8 lived under his hood, even supported by two turbos. No more. For the new generation of this sedan, AMG has chosen the route of plug-in hybrids and its 2023 model is presented with a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine supported by a electric system.
The result is the most powerful four-cylinder car engine in the world. Produces huge 470 hp and 402 lb-ft of torque. In fact, it ends up offering more power than the 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 it replaces in the last generation C63. It should be noted that it is an updated variant and with a much larger turbo of the M139 that already drove the AMG A 45, CLA 45 and company for years.
As we already mentioned, this new engine is supported by a plug-in hybrid system made up of a 201-hp engine that will drive the rear axle through an electronic limited-slip differential and a two-speed gearbox exclusive to this axle. Your battery is 6.4 kWh and thanks to this it can reach 125 km/h only with electric power, in addition to walking in fully electric mode for 13 km. Range isn’t very high in that mode, but that’s because its setup prioritizes performance over efficiency.
The electric motor can deliver its 201hp totals only for 10 seconds per cast, the rest of the time it operates with a maximum of 94 hp. Your second gear will always engage from the 140km/h First gear is for better launches and second gear is more stable and supports efficiency at higher paces.
When all of its power figures are mixed together, the 2023 Mercedes-AMG C 63 S can go up to 671 hp and 702 lb-ft of pair That is much more than the 503 hp that the last generation C 63 S reached, even more than what an AMG E 63 S and even a BMW M5 Competition develops, two cars of a higher category than the C 63.
0-100 km/h only takes 3.4 seconds and its top speed is 250 km/h as standard, but with an optional package, it can reach 280 km/h. Unlike past C 63s that prioritized power to the rear axle, now the default mode of the new C 63 will be AWD, however, you can choose between an AWD mode, rear-wheel drive only or fully electric.
At the chassis level you can carry adaptive suspension, carbon-ceramic brakes and even steering rear axle. Another extra is the driving mode “teacher” that focuses all the electronics towards the rear axle so that it can behave like the old C 63 with a V8 engine and its characteristic propensity for oversteer.
Finally, the weight. One would think that with a smaller engine it could be considerably lighter, however, that remains a dream. The new C 63 S can weigh as much as 2,063kg Due to the hybrid system, the luxuries inside and some options that can be added, it is more than 300 kg extra than the C63 S of the last generation.
It should also be made clear that this is the top model of the AMG range. Below it will be a C63 conventional and a C43, these models with less power, but maintaining a sporty appearance and the high level of equipment.
sporty and elegant
Mercedes-AMG knows perfectly how to maintain a sporty design without losing elegance. In this C63 S there are new contrasts in black, the emblematic Pan-American grille of the most powerful models, large air intakes, exclusive wheels, a diffuser and a small spoiler at the rear in addition to the AMG emblems.
The interior maintains the great design that we had already seen at the premiere of this generation, but now with new graphics and menus focused on high performance, as well as sporty seats, red inserts and the possibility of choosing trims in aluminum, carbon fiber carbon, among other types of materials.
This high-performance variant will also have a station wagon body version so as not to leave the road alone to the BMW M3 Touring. Finally, it must be said that Mercedes-AMG did not disclose prices of this new generation of its C63 S. For this we will have to wait until the end of the year when its sales begin in Europe. It is a fact that we will see it in Mexico, but surely that will happen until 2023.