Mercedes is being severely criticized for the decision to fit an engine with only 4 cylinders in the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Performance, the most powerful model of the C-Class. The Austrian tuner has fixed the mistake and managed to fit the 4-liter V8 engine in the existing AMG C-Class (W206), which powered the old AMG C-Class W205.
In order to meet the increasingly stringent emission regulations, Mercedes made the decision to electrify the AMG range and chose a radical solution for the current generation Mercedes-AMG C-Class and AMG GLC. They’ve replaced the 4.0-liter V8 engine from the previous generation with a Plug-in Hybrid system that’s based on a four-cylinder, 2.0-liter engine combined with an electrified rear axle driven by an electric motor.
Although on paper the new PHEV system develops 680 PS and 1,020 Nm, compared to 510 PS and 700 Nm in the previous-generation AMG C 63 W205, in reality, the new generation doesn’t offer the same driving pleasure and deep sound.
Despite weighing 435 kg more, the new-generation AMG C 63 W206 is quicker in a straight line but doesn’t have the same transverse dynamics as the previous generation and Mercedes has lost many customers because of this.
AMG boss Michael Schiebe admits that Mercedes has lost customers because of the new powertrain and he said that clients do not blame the PHEV system but the fact that it’s based on a 4-cylinder engine. He notes that Mercedes uses a similar PHEV system in larger models but in combination with a V8 engine.
On the other hand, Schiebe says that Mercedes will not give up on this electrification solution even though they have lost many customers to rival BMW M3/M4.
4.0 liter V8 instead of PHEV system with 4-cylinder
An Austrian tuner, Vuk Automobile, was receptive to what Mercedes customers wanted and decided to correct Mercedes’ mistake and please the customers. So they removed the four-cylinder engine and PHEV system from the AMG C 63 S E Performance and fitted in its place the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine, which, thankfully, is still produced by Mercedes and can be found under the hood of current models like the AMG GT, AMG SL, and AMG S-Class.
The replacement was a laborious operation for a number of reasons, but at least the V8 engine fit under the bonnet of the C-Class W 206 without any bodywork modifications.
The modifications were complex, however. The Austrians removed not just the 4-cylinder engine but the entire PHEV system along with the 6.1 kWh battery. Since the 4-cylinder engine has less torque than the V8, 545 Nm compared to 700 Nm, they had to fit a new driveshaft to cope with the extra torque but also different differentials and rewrite the engine control software without the hybrid components.
The AMG V8 engine has been mated to the AMG Speedshift automatic transmission, which also exists in Mercedes’ current sub-base. But the engine mounts were hand-crafted by Vuk Automobile.
The 4Matic all-wheel-drive system was also carried over from the previous generation, as the new one was completely different. In the AMG C 63 W206, the rear axle is electrified and there’s the possibility of the electric motor mounted at the rear axle sending torque to the front axle.
Vuk Automobile says that this modification is also possible for the AMG C 43, where the replacement operation is simpler, as the AMG C 43 only has a 48V mild hybrid system and the rear axle is similar to the AMG C 63. Vuk Automobile plans to offer from spring this year a conversion program for all willing customers. This program could be aimed at those who already have an AMG C 63 and are not satisfied or those who buy an AMG C 43 and want to upgrade.
It is not worth buying a new AMG C 63 and upgrading it because it has a very high starting price of 115,174 euros plus the modification. But one can imagine a situation where someone buys an AMG C 43, which is much cheaper (84,246 euros) and replaces the 4-cylinder with the V8 engine. By comparison, a BMW M3 Competition xDrive starts at 106,200 euros. That’s why converting an AMG C 63 to a V8 becomes much more expensive than a new M3. Conversely, modifying a bought-new AMG C 43 might not be much more expensive than an M3.However, those who have an AMG C 63 and are disappointed with it, might pay several tens of thousands of euros for the conversion rather than sell it, as they will lose a lot on resale.
