Mercedes-AMG C 63 Appears as a 671hp Plug-in Hybrid for 2024

Affalterbach rather backed itself into a corner with the C 63 – at least in terms of its powerplant. For ages, the octopot racket was a key part of the package, meaning any replacement featuring less than eight cylinders would need to blow the doors off itself in order to avoid derisive looks from the cognoscenti. 

Leave it to AMG to tackle the thorny issue of four-bangers head-on by delivering one which, by itself, produces a scarcely believable 469 horsepower – then add an electric motor on the rear axle which pushes total output to nearly 700 horses.

Its full name is actually the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E PERFORMANCE, a typically precise German moniker that denotes this thing as a plug-in hybrid. Under the hood is an AMG 2.0L four-cylinder turbo, one which tag teams a so-called “permanently-excited” synchronous electric motor on the car’s rear axle. We wish all electric motors were permanently excited, but we digress. This partnership is good for a system output of 671 horsepower and maximum system torque of 752 lb-ft of twist. Merc says 60 mph is yours in 3.3 seconds. A 9-speed transmission, in which a wet start-off clutch replaces the torque converter, handles shifting duties.

Well, some shifting duties. Engineers go on to explain the electric motor is integrated with an electrically shifted two-speed gearbox which upshifts at 87 mph. This notation will take some time for your author to comprehend, particularly the knowledge  An electronically controlled limited-slip rear diff sorts out traction in the aft quarters, which is also weighted with a 6.1 kWh battery above the rear axle. For the first time in a C 63, the fully variable AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive transfers power to the road at all four corners, packing a Drift Mode for even more driving shenanigans. Adding to the levity is active rear-axle steering, 2.5 degrees opposite to the fronts under 62 mph and 0.7 degrees in concert with the fronts above that speed, fitted as standard kit and touted as a unique feature in this segment. 

Though the figure of 671 will be breathlessly parroted by many, we are keen to learn more about the allocation of all these horses. Why? Buried deep in the C 63 bumf is the caveat that “the high-performance battery offers a capacity of 6.1 kWh, a continuous output of 94 hp and a peak output of 201 hp for ten seconds.”

Knowing that, it seems drivers will need to thumb a manettino-style button in order to always have access to 671 ponies or stick the car in a particular one of its many driving modes. Will there be a refractory period (as there is in many cars with such a system) of 10 or 15 seconds as a cool down? We will find you these answers – preferably behind the wheel during a First Drive next year.

Elsewhere, the design of the new C 63 S differs from the Mercedes-Benz C-Class in its more muscular proportions, with a front end two inches longer and wider fenders. Matching side skirts, unique fascias, staggered tires, and the typical AMG addenda let everyone know this ain’t a (god forbid) workaday C Class. Improvements to the MBUX infotainment system, including some specific hybrid power displays, are also part of the deal.

While AMG didn’t detail a specific on-sale date for America, its designation as a 2024 model suggests it’ll show up in dealers sometime in the next calendar year.

[Images: Mercedes-Benz/AMG]

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