2024 Mercedes-AMG C63 SE Performance First Ride Review: Doubt Denied

Judging by some feedback on the efficiency of the 2024 Mercedes-AMG C63 SE, the longer term needs to be a scary, scary place. The new C63’s turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four replaces its older twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8, and regardless of the automobile’s mammoth 671 horsepower and 752 pound-feet of torque courtesy of the brand new C63, skeptics have not held again their disdain for downsizing took. Plug-in hybrid system.

But for a lot of opponents, there is no such thing as a alternative for displacement, despite the fact that smaller engines and electrification appear to be an crucial. They say, “Where the V8’s low-end barbell or snarling redline”, and no energy can persuade them in any other case. Well, after a short trip in 2024 C 63 Through mercedes-benz The impressive testing facility in Immenden, Germany, I’m going to fall back on that old chestnut used since ancient times to silence critics: haters hate haters.

That infantile phrase apart, New C63 It’s nonetheless nearly as good at placing a smile in your face as its V8-powered predecessor—no less than from the passenger seat. The system is totally different, as is the tactic used to realize that aim, however nonetheless, Turbocharged, Hybridized Four-Pot Still makes for a rowdy good time.

zero-emissions fun

to introduce me briefly C 63 SE Performance, Mercedes-AMG chief technical officer Jochen Hermann drives me along the access roads of the Emmenden test center under completely silent EV power. The single electric motor on the rear axle produces 204 hp on its own, and it seems to have enough grunt to keep up with urban traffic. A quick pull to 20 mph (what you’d have to do when making a right turn) is faster than I expected given the C63’s, partially, 4,600-pound estimated curb weight. But EV mode isn’t really about performance, and with a Mercedes-estimated electric range of 7.5 miles, it’s not even an efficiency sport.

As Hermann explained, driving on pure electrons is more for those rare moments when you (or your neighbors) need some peace and quiet. And at least in the test facility deliberately varied, sometimes around cracked pavement, the C63 is just as pleasant and comfortable to ride as the three-pointed star you’d be expected to wear. Some thanks go to silent electric power coming from the rear, but adaptive suspension and progressive steel springs play a role, isolating the cabin from some vertical motion to provide a smooth ride.

Once Hermann grew weary of the 18-mph speed limit on Immenden’s “City Route,” he pointed us to a fake mountain road with two plunging hairpin switchbacks connected by three long, sinuous sweepers. Still in EV mode, but with the suspension firmly in place via its own dedicated control knob, it ripped the C63. The instantaneous torque characteristic of most hybrids and EVs gave the AMG considerable acceleration from corners, though I suspect if they were longer the car would have run out of steam towards the end of the sweeper.

Harman dodges the C63 into the corners with some shocking speed, and the car just swung in and sped a little hard. Body roll is minimal, though with dampers also tack on the cost of some ride comfort. Adding to the G-force is a standard rear-axle steering system that can turn the rear wheels up to 2.5 degrees out-of-phase for a tighter turning radius, snappier turn-in and less understeer. Harman says the decision to add rear steer was due to weight gain – a compensatory measure that paradoxically adds weight to itself.

Two Faces

Still, the C63 modifications course with ease, as I used to be about to be taught when Harman led us to the check facility’s 2.9-mile dealing with circuit, the place we would first fireplace a gasoline engine. My driver urged I take note of the battery situation after my EV keep: 34 p.c.

“It’s a pre-production automobile,” he said, “so we’ll take it simple.” I shouldn’t have relaxed though, as the Mercedes-AMG CTO knows a thing or two about driving – his “take it simple” is about three-tenths more aggressive than my “most assault”. After a few corners behind the camouflage coupe, which looked like a hardtop version of the SL, Harman tossed the 2024 C63 down the track, twisting Turn 1. Descending about 30 feet through the curve, slightly AMG out. The exit exploded with eerie sharpness, accompanied by the chopsaw scream of the 2.0-liter inline-four.

With the powertrain, suspension, and exhaust in race mode, the car veered its way around the track, clipping every apex before drifting wide at the exit. Even on the curb stripes, the body control was admirable, and it was clear that Herman was having a good time carrying his baby around the course—a brutal swoon for me in the passenger seat. After a lap or two, he reminded me to check the battery gauge, where I was surprised to read a number in the 60s – at its sportiest setting, the car demands maximum brake regeneration to be sure So that whenever there is a boost of electricity. The driver needs it.

Helping achieve that noble goal is a small 6.1-kilowatt-hour battery that can charge or discharge at a rate of 150 kWh. With the car set to race, it maximized every opportunity to recharge the battery, meaning that even after three hot laps, there was still enough juice to get back to our starting point on electric power. To ensure reliability without sacrificing performance, the Mercedes-AMG C63 SE Performance’s battery features active temperature control that cools each individual battery cell to keep it in optimum range – even in high-stress conditions. In too.

Once derailed, Harman put the car in Sport Plus mode so that I could experience the car’s new soundtrack. In a way, the executive admitted that it looked nothing like the old C63’s V8, but when he opened the taps on that aforementioned mountain road circuit, I’m here to tell you, it doesn’t need a copy.

Although the hybridised, turbocharged C63 doesn’t have quite the same power as its 4.0-liter V8 predecessor, there’s no denying the thrill of its newfound scream. who has driven the hornet-nest-on-wheels CLA 45 Understand that Mercedes-AMG’s M139 four-cylinder engine has as much joy as the V8’s. They sound different, to be sure, but neither is better nor worse.

Adding to the joy (theoretically, since I’ve only experienced it as a copilot) is its no-lag turbocharger setup. Similar to the system found in the non-hybrid Mercedes-AMG C43, the C63 has an electrically driven turbocharger, with a small electric motor mounted on the compressor wheel to boost the exhaust-gas impeller before it is spooled up. In fact, the 2.0-liter inline-four in the C63 itself makes 476 hp, which is higher than the outgoing C63’s 471 hp (though the supposedly older C63 S also produced 500).

appreciate not hate

It’s easy to spot a car’s best features when it’s rolling you from side to side in its well-sturdy sport seat, engaging your mind with the G-force and giving it a snap-crackle-pop turbocharged exhaust note. connecting with. Once back on the paddock and on the 2024 C63’s spec chart, I couldn’t help but feel sad that the legendary, handcrafted AMG 4.0-liter V8 is really going away, no matter how much its downsized and electrified replacement Why not be good

While I sympathize with those that will keep in mind that engine’s banshee scream, I nonetheless can not help however be impressed by the ability and efficiency that AMG Engineered Plug-in Hybrid 2024 Mercedes-AMG C 63 SE brings to it. have been capable of get out. efficiency. The inevitable, electrified weight achieve is a priority, however not one I used to be fascinated by after I was chucking towards the transmission tunnel or pushed again into my seat on that intensive dealing with circuit. I’m curious to see how the brand new automobile compares to its predecessor in apples-to-apples lap instances, however as all the time, the C63 remains to be a good way to place a smile in your face and thrill in your abdomen. Is.