Mercedes will deliver up to 503 hp with the new AMG C63 - along with 32% better fuel economy.
Mercedes-Benz wants to pump you up – at least if you’re looking to buy one of its new C-class models. With the addition of the AMG C63 line next year, you’ll be able to order a package that tips the scales at more than 500 horsepower.
That’s a far cry from the old Baby Benz, but the latest C-Class is larger and far more luxurious than ever, undergoing a number of significant changes for the 2015 model-year, as TheDetroitBureau.com has already reported. The AMG treatment takes it up a significant notch, both in terms of features and performance.
What Mercedes describes as the “pinnacle” of the C-Class spectrum will be powered by an all-new biturbo 4.0-liter V-8. It’s a derivative of the engine that will be powering the maker’s new AMG GT sports car. Officially set to debut at the Paris Motor Show in little more than a week, the C63 will be offered with a “power spectrum” of choices.
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In “base” trim, the C63 AMG will punch out an already impressive 469 horsepower. For those who want to take things to the max, the C63 S takes that all the way up to 503 hp. The S version is expected to hit 60 in just 3.9 seconds, on the way to a top speed of 155 mph.
The AMG C63 nose is longer, the front fenders wider, than the stock Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
Even while boosting performance over the outgoing C63 line, the new engine allows AMG buyers to get an estimated 32% better fuel economy, according to Mercedes. The current 6.3-liter V-8 delivers 13 mpg City, 19 Highway, and 15 Combined. That would appear to mean new fuel economy figures of around 17/25/20, if EPA testing concurs.
To get there, AMG engineers adapted a new design for the biturbo V-8, notes a Mercedes release. “the two chargers are not located on the outside of the cylinder banks, but instead, within the cylinder V – specialists refer to this as the “hot inside V”. The resulting benefits are a compact engine design, optimum responsiveness and low exhaust emissions.”
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The engine also uses new piezo-electric fuel injectors to improve the efficiency of the ignition process.
Among the new features that will be added as standard equipment on the C63 are the AMG Adaptive sports suspension, with electronically controlled shocks, dynamic engine mounts, a mechanical rear locking differential, and the AMC Dynamic Select system, which allows drivers to choose from various drive modes.
The C63 also boasts a unique interior.
One of the things the driver can select is the operation of the new, electronically controlled exhaust flap. Depending upon its position, it can create an engine “sound (that) varies between low-key for long-distance travel and raw emotionality.”
Officially, the new model will now be known as the Mercedes-AMG C63, notes Tobias Moers, the head of the AMG subsidiary. The outgoing version was the most successful ever product Mercedes’ performance brand has ever produced, and the goal is to top the previous generation’s 40,000 sales.
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In keeping with AMG tradition, the C63 models also undergo some interior and exterior upgrades. The front fenders are made of lighter-weight aluminum, for example, and are 0.55-inches wider than the mainstream C-Class models. The entire front end is 2.12-inches longer. And there are unique power bulges on the aluminum hood.
An A-wing helps with aerodynamic flow, and helps guide air to three cooling intakes. In the rear, a three-finned diffuser is lifted from Mercedes’ motorsports program.
Inside, the dashboard is finished in a unique man-made Artico leather with crystal gray stitching and aluminum accents. There are special controls for the mode select system, among other AMG features, and a special 3-spoke performance steering wheel.
The world will get its first official look at the new C63 and C63 S AMG models on October 2nd at the Paris Motor Show. U.S. motorists will be able to take delivery next March — and American drivers will not be getting the C63 wagon.