Malus and CO2 emissions to be controlled force car manufacturers to gradually abandon large displacements to offer electrified engines. If the purists will undoubtedly regret the song of the 100% thermal biturbo V8 of its predecessor, the pragmatists will rub their hands in front of the figures of the new Mercedes-AMGla Classe C 63 S E Performance.
If the previous version of the supercharged sedan could already boast of announcing 510 hp and 700 Nm, the newcomer drives the meters crazy with a cumulative power of 680 hp and a maximum torque of 1020 Nm. A feat made possible by a hybrid engine, a first for the AMG manufacturer.
Building on the know-how acquired in F1, the new AMG C-Class 63 S E Performance incorporates a 2-litre four-cylinder turbo engine mounted longitudinally at the front assisted by an electric motor installed on the rear axle, itself powered by a 6.1 kWh lithium-ion battery. Performance is favored here over autonomy, but it will still be possible to drive up to 13 km in all-electric mode. Above all, the kinematic chain (voltage 400 V) also incorporates electrical assistance to the turbocharger to eliminate the latency specific to its triggering. The entire powertrain is sourced from AMG and weighs around 200 kg.
A lightness that will have to be put into perspective, because the new C-Class still weighs 2111 kg. Yet the 0 to 100 km / h is shot in 3.4 s, 0.6 s less than the previous full-thermal version.
Beyond the figures, the manufacturer will simultaneously launch the sedan and station wagon version. For the first time in a C 63, the AMG Performance 4MATIC+ fully variable all-wheel drive sends the driving force to the road, depending on the grip conditions and the type of driving. In the event of slippage of the rear axle, the driving force of the electric motor is also transmitted to the front wheels according to traction requirements thanks to the mechanical connection of the variable four-wheel drive which is based on the articulated drive shaft and front wheel drive shafts.
Note that the damping is also adaptive depending on the road and the 8 driving modes. Settings are made via the MBUX multimedia system; this is integrated into the digital instrument cluster, the central touch screen and the head-up display system. The system has the optional AMG Track Pace, a data logger for use on the track.
The design of the new C 63 S differs from that of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class by more muscular proportions and reworked aerodynamics.
The manufacturer has a combined fuel consumption of 6.9 l/100 km and CO2 emissions of 156 g/km on average, compared to 11.8 l and 266 g/km of CO2 for the previous generation. The price is currently not announced.