Top power for new Mercedes-AMG C63

AUSTRALIAN-market versions of the new C63 will all be equipped with the more powerful version of the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 being developed by AMG.

The engine, codenamed M178, will be capable of delivering up to 375kW at 6250rpm, according to an official teaser video on the forthcoming AMG GT sports car released last month.

At the recent launch of the C-Class Estate, a Mercedes-Benz engineer revealed that the M178 will be produced with two power outputs.

The more powerful, presumably to be labelled ‘S’ in line with current Mercedes-AMG practice, will have an extra 25kW, he said. So expect the full 375kW, and 650Nm torque maximum that goes with it, when the new C63 launches in Australia next year.

Even though Mercedes’ new W205 C-Class family is engineered to combine right-hand drive and all-wheel drive, unlike the previous W204, the new C63 will be produced only in rear-drive form.

The high-power version of the downsized M178 twin-turbo V8 is capable of delivering a fraction more power and a chunk more torque than the hot version of the atmo 6.2-litre V8 in the current C63. In ‘507’ (for its output in horsepower) form, this engine punches out 373kW and 610Nm.

With the new W205 C-Class shedding considerable weight – around 100kg – it’s clear the new C63 will be even quicker than the car it replaces.

The dry-sump twin-turbo M178 engine will also power the much anticipated AMG GT, the smaller and more affordable sports car that will take the place of the SLS.

The engine adopts a layout similar to that chosen by both Audi and BMW for their large twin-turbo V8s, with turbos located inside the engine’s vee.

While the new C63 will use AMG’s familiar seven-speed automatic at launch, it will likely gain an extra two ratios halfway through its production life.

Mercedes-Benz engineers have confirmed the company’s new nine-speed automatic, introduced recently in the E350 BlueTec with V6 turbo-diesel, will in time find its way into all models from C-Class up.