Mercedes’s in-house tuning division, AMG, will reportedly downsize the engine under the E63’s hood in order to make it more fuel efficient and, more importantly, more powerful. That will mean, sadly, saying goodbye to the car’s beloved V8.
Citing unnamed insiders, Autocar reports that as with other models in the AMG lineup, the E63 will turn to plug-in hybrid power for its next generation, which is set to be sold as a 2024 model. To do that, it will apparently choose to heavily modify a version of its M256 3.0-liter inline-six.
To that, AMG is expected to add its PHEV system, which features a 6.1 kWh battery mounted on top of the rear axle that supplies an electric motor with 201 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque. It gets its own two-speed gearbox and limited slip diff, and sends power directly to the wheels.
Read: Mercedes-AMG E 63 S Final Edition Waves Goodbye To The V8
For use in the E63, AMG is reportedly looking for the whole driveline to produce more than 700 hp (522 kW/710 PS). Although that’s a large number, it shouldn’t be too hard for the artisans in Affalterbach to manage, since they were able to squeeze 671 hp (500 kW/680 PS) and 1,020 Nm (752 lb-ft) of torque out of the C63’s plug-in hybrid system, which is based on a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder.
In both instances, that’s a healthy amount more than the existing E63’s 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 can manage. In all, the old-school engine makes 603 hp (450 kW/612 PS) and 850 Nm (627 lb-ft) of torque.
Although it’s arguably going green with this plug-in hybrid drivetrain, this is still an AMG driveline, so the focus is more on performance than fuel efficiency. Don’t expect, then, for the 2024 E63 to go very far on electric power alone. The C63, for reference, has a range of just eight miles on battery power.
In addition, reports indicate that the E53 will also get a six-cylinder plug-in hybrid system, though, as the name suggests, it will be milder than the above model. It is expected, instead, to make around 510 hp, which is still a significant increase over the current E53, which makes 429 hp (320 kW/435 PS).
