- The head of Mercedes-Benz Australia says customers will be convinced by the extra performance.
- The 2.0-liter PHEV of the C 63 S and GLC 63 S delivers 671 hp and 752 lb-ft.
- Mercedes believes that abandoning V8s will be like removing the option of manual gearboxes.
A lot has been said about the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S and GLC 63 S downsizing from eight cylinders to four, and most of it hasn’t been flattering. However, the head of Mercedes-Benz Australia is confident that consumers will eventually come around and embrace AMG’s new era of small-displacement, electrified engines.
Both the new C 63 S and GLC 63 S share the same powertrain. It consists of a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder churning out 469 hp and supplemented by a 201 hp electric motor. Combined, the duo churn out an extraordinary 671 hp and 752 lb-ft (1,020 Nm) of torque—significant gains over their V8 predecessors.
Read: By Going Back To V8s, AMG Admits There’s More To A Sporty Car’s Appeal Than Speed
While this makes them faster, critics have been quick to lament the loss of the soul and character that the old V8 models exuded, feeling that the plug-in hybrid lacks the emotional connection of its forebears.
During a recent interview with Car Sales at the launch of the new GLC 63, Mercedes-Benz Australia boss Jaime Cohen said he doesn’t have any qualms about the switch to a four-cylinder.
“Slowly that will develop and I don’t feel at all any reservations,” he said. “I think it will still be a very successful vehicle. I don’t think there is an issue, it’s a transition, and transitions always take time and always take some convincing and experience. It’s about performance. It would be a problem if we could not deliver the same performance with the [plug-in hybrid powertrain], but once you drive it you see the performance is there.”
Cohen used the example of Mercedes ditching manual transmissions and the eventual acceptance of its automatic boxes as evidence that buyers will eventually come around to the idea of 2.0-liter AMG models.
“I still love manual transmissions, if you ask me I would buy one. But the market developed and the market changed,” he noted. “When we first moved not everyone was convinced about our automatic transmissions. But eventually now… everyone has one.”
While the new plug-in hybrid powertrain is significantly more powerful, and vastly more fuel efficient than AMG’s 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, we remain unconvinced Mercedes made the right decision. We’re living in the final era of the combustion engine and select carmakers have proven it’s still possible to build big gas-guzzling ICEs chock full of character which are supplemented by electric motors. AMG should have done the same.
