Mercedes supersaloon swaps its V8 for a plug-in hybrid four-cylinder
The very first V8-powered one, the W202-generation C43 AMG, emerged just as Mercedes’ then-parent DaimlerChrysler was buying control of what would become its in-house performance brand right at the end of 1997. It became the very first AMG model to be built on one of Mercedes’ own production lines.
That turbo is driven by a 400V electric motor, rather than just by exhaust gases, in order to eliminate any turbo lag. It helps to produce 469bhp and 402lb ft of combustive power from just under 2.0 litres of swept capacity, which is then channelled through AMG’s nine-speed Speedshift MCT automatic gearbox, and then to the road via a torque-vectoring four-wheel drive system with a rear-mounted electronically controlled limited-slip differential.
The interior has likewise been uprated compared to a normal C-Class, if not quite as radically as the mechanicals. In the UK, at least, carbon fibre interior trim is standard, and in combination with the microsuede AMG steering wheel and the AMG Performance Seats, it makes give the C63's cabin a suitably racy atmosphere.
The 'push to pass' electric kickdown boost works okay on circuit, but if you use Race mode on the road, you soon forget that the boost function is there. And without it, the C63 feels notably slowerSoon enough, though, you’ll want to know what else your Mercedes super-hybrid has to offer.
But the rest of the time, the torque vectoring dynamic benefit you’re expecting to feel from the car’s better-balanced weight distribution, and that diff-mounted electric motor, doesn’t ever really materialise. When you dial up the 'Master' mode in the AMG Dynamics menu, the C63 retains four-wheel drive but feels tangibly rear-biased at moderate commitment levels.
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