The new Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance is the headline-grabbing high-performance range-topper of the acclaimed new Mercedes-Benz C-Class range. Due here in 2023, with prices expected to start from around £90,000, the new car is a landmark for the elite Mercedes-AMG brand – its first-ever plug-in hybrid.
Crowning the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class line-up, the Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance will be offered in both saloon and estate guise. Both will be marked out by a much more extreme front end, with a radically-widened track and extended wheelarches. There’s a bespoke Mercedes-AMG front grille, a bonnet featuring twin power domes and new aero-inspired air outlet, huge air intakes, plus a big AMG front apron and even wind-cheating aero flics. The side skirts are deeper and there’s an enlarged rear diffuser – not to mention an eye-catching airflow breakaway spoiler. Those looking to buy or lease a new Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance can choose from either 19-inch or 20-inch alloys, and an array of paint colours including super-cool satin finishes. There’s even a unique new Mercedes-AMG badge, replacing the traditional Mercedes-Benz laurel. It's unique inside too, with standard AMG sports seats and optional new second-generation AMG Performance chairs with lightweight side bolsters. Again, there’s no end of choice in terms of trims, finishes and nappa leather colours – and they all boast an array of AMG logos throughout. Standard MBUX infotainment is as comprehensive here as it is on the regular Mercedes-Benz C-Class range. The Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance gains bespoke AMG- and hybrid-specific displays, including an AMG Supersport layout to offer an array of super-detailed readouts and displays. The AMG Track Pace data logger is standard too, for analysing umpteen parameters, F1-style, during track days. Speaking of F1 takes us to the drivetrain: the Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance is no longer a V8. It instead boasts the world’s most powerful 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo engine (it puts out 238PS per litre), that’s coupled with a 204PS rear axle electric motor incorporating an electronic limited-slip differential and high-performance battery co-developed with Mercedes-AMG F1. Total system power is 680PS, with a remarkable four-figure torque output of 1,020Nm. With the aid of four-wheel drive traction and launch control, 0-62mph takes just 3.4 seconds. Better still, in-gear response is electrifying, thanks to the world’s first electrically-assisted turbocharger, which virtually eliminates turbo lag. The regular Mercedes-Benz C-Class plug-in hybrid range offers a pure electric driving range in excess of 60 miles. The Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance instead offers just eight miles of EV range. That’s because it’s designed, F1-style, for high-power deployment, rather than power-saving range. It's why performance is going to be so vivid – but the plug-in hybrid system does still offer non-performance benefits, say the engineers. It has more than enough range, for example, to offer early morning ‘silent starts’, so you can drive well clear of residential areas before the engine enthusiastically fires up. It also helps cut emissions – CO2 starts from 156g/km, a huge improvement over the old V8 – and improves fuel economy to a combined 40.9mpg. It will be repeatable in everyday driving too, reckons Mercedes-Benz. The dramatic new Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance is a real statement from this famous performance car division. The most potent Mercedes-Benz C-Class in history, we can’t wait to get behind the wheel when first UK deliveries begin in 2023.
