Report: Mercedes-AMG C63 Set To Drop 4-cyl PHEV For 6-cyl PHEV

The W206-gen Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance is set to undergo a revamp sometime next year where it will pack an a new powertrain.

It appears that the Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance super-saloon could see itself gain a new powertrain to replace its current – and much maligned – 2.0-litre 4-cyl plug-in hybrid (PHEV) package, but it won’t be the engine most fans would expect.

In a recent report by Autocar UK, the Affalterbach-rooted performance arm of the mighty three-point star marque indicates that the W205-based super-saloon will undergo a revamp sometime next year where it will adopt a new 3.0-litre 6-cyl PHEV setup instead.

Despite the upgrade in displacement and cylinder count, as well as the subsequent promise of more power and performance, this is still not the engine desired by most of the nameplate’s fans and prospects– most are still yearning for a V8 heart, as what its predecessors packs.

670 HP and 1,020 NM from the current 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo PHEV setup may make this the most powerful C-Class model ever, but it simply does not appeal to customer. 

Highlighted in the same report too were claims that “packaging constraints” prevented the W206-gen C-Class platform form re-adopting a V8 mill for its AMG-built performance flagship, with engineers reportedly going as far as saying the move was “unfeasible”.

This switch from the previous-gen model’s 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 mill to the current 2.0-litre 4-cyl PHEV setup didn’t sit well with both fans and prospecting buyers, leading to slowed sales for this latest-gen C63 S E Performance model.

The latter also comes even though the PHEV system noted employed stands as the most powerful setup ever fitted into the C-Class model’s performance flagship nameplate. As a refresher, this setup outputs 670 HP and 1,020 NM to enable 0-100 KM/H sprints in just 3.4 secs.

Instead of a V8, the revamped W206-based C63 performance flagship is set to share a new 3.0-litre 6-cyl PHEV setup derived from the CLE 53.

Nonetheless, despite being two cylinders short of what most would want, an upgrade to a similarly electrified 6-cyl setup appears to be the next step. Autocar UK’s report adds that this is the same setup primed in the E53, GLE 53, as well as the CLE 53 Coupe and Cabriolet.

Above all though, it seems House Affalterbach will still have a V8 mill ready, just not in the C63. Instead, the performance arm looks poised to prime the upcoming CLE 63 model with a new flat-plane-crank V8 with twin-turbos.