New Mercedes-AMG C63 hybrid revealed in exclusive renderings: price, specs and release date
Mercedes has confirmed the new AMG C63 will come with a hybrid four-cylinder engine and four-wheel drive. Read on for more info and to see exclusive renders of the new car.
- New C63 AMG rendered
- Available as saloon and estate
- Hybrid power confirmed
- 449hp four-cylinder engine
- 204hp electric motor
- Four-wheel drive
- 0-60mph in less than 4 seconds
- Reveal expected in 2021
- Sales to start in 2022
- Likely to cost from £80,000
The upcoming Mercedes-AMG C63 will not come with a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, as in the current car. But, it’s not all bad news – instead, it’ll get a turbocharged four-cylinder 2.0-litre engine with 449hp a powerful 204hp electric motor, along with four-wheel drive for the first time.
Read on for full details and exclusive renderings giving you your best looks yet at this upcoming BMW M3 and Audi RS4 alternative.
New Mercedes-AMG C63 engine and driving
Mercedes has confirmed that the new AMG C63 will come with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder hybrid engine. The petrol engine itself will be borrowed from the 421hp AMG A45 S, but it’ll be tuned to produce 449hp.
This boost will come partly thanks to a new turbocharger that uses a built-in electric motor to help the engine respond 40% more quickly than in the A45 S when you hit the accelerator.
This engine will be helped along by a 204hp electric motor that’s powered by a 6kWh battery mounted in the new car’s boot.
The C63’s engine will drive all four wheels through a nine-speed automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive. The electric motor will add its share of power through a new two-speed gearbox fitted to the car’s rear axle. Both the engine and motor can drive either the rear wheels on their own, or split their power between all four wheels.
This grippier four-wheel-drive setup will help the new car accelerate more quickly than the old rear-wheel-drive car. Mercedes hasn’t confirmed exactly how quick it’ll be, but you can expect it to blast from 0-62mph in less than four seconds.
This new hybrid system brings will it a few new driving modes, too. You’ll be able to drive the new AMG C63 in electric-only mode at up to 81mph (albeit for short distances only) or choose to run in a fuel-saving hybrid mode (handy if you’re close to emptying your fuel tank after a long day at the race track.)
Engaging Race mode will turn the engine and motor up to 11, and use the battery’s energy has to maximise performance.
The new hybrid setup alone adds around 200kg to the weight of the new car, and the new four-wheel-drive system comes with its own (undisclosed) weight penalty. As a result, it’s unlikely the new car will feel quite as agile on a race track as today’s non-hybrid rear-wheel-drive C63.
New Mercedes-AMG C63 design
As this exclusive render shows, the new AMG C63 will sport an even more aggressive look than the regular Mercedes C-Class car, thanks to details such as a big vertical-stripe grille, flared wheel arches and an array of new air intakes on the front bumper.
This image of a prototype car being tested confirms the new car will come with quad exhaust tips, just like the outgoing C63.
Expect plenty more sporty touches to find their way onto the production-ready car, too. For instance, there’ll almost certainly be a subtle lip spoiler on the boot lid and a lower, sportier-looking bumper than on the standard car.
New Mercedes-AMG C63 Estate spotted and rendered
A new Mercedes-AMG C63 Estate is also on the way. This exclusive render and new spy shots show it’ll share many of its sporty touches with the saloon version.
The upcoming Mercedes-AMG C63 Estate has been spotted testing again, this time with a few more sections of camouflage wrap removed.
It is clear that the sporty body kit and front-end treatment will be shared with the saloon, but the rear features its own unique integrated roof spoiler and an elegantly sloping roofline. Twin tailpipes on either side of the rear bumper are still clearly visible but now the triangular LED rear light clusters have been completely uncovered.
A quick peek through the window at the dashboard reveals the same oval air vents and huge touchscreen layout as is currently offered in the C-Class. Hopefully, the added packaging challenges of the hybrid drivetrain will not impede too much on the estate’s practicality and load carrying capabilities.
New Mercedes-AMG C63 interior
The new Mercedes-AMG C63’s interior remains a secret for now, though there should be a lot of similarities with the regular C-Class’ cabin. The swoopy dashboard design will be carried over mostly intact, as will the huge touchscreen display on the centre console.
Because the new C-Class is a little larger than the previous model, the new AMG C63 should be slightly more spacious than the car it’ll replace, too.
Not everything about the C63’s interior will be a carbon copy of the standard C-Class’, though. A smattering of sporty touches, such as shiny AMG-badged trim pieces and sportier seats will be fitted to this performance version. The steering wheel will likely be redesigned, too, and will come with a few extra buttons to tweak the car’s driving modes.
The new hybrid system will occupy a significant amount of bootspace, however, so there’s a chance the new car won’t be quite as practical as the old AMG C63.
New Mercedes-AMG C63 price and release date
Mercedes hasn’t yet said when the new AMG C63 will go on sale. However, as the standard C-Class won’t start arriving in showrooms until summer 2021, the AMG C-Class will likely join the range in 2022.
With all the hybrid tech on board, don’t be surprised if the new C63 ends up being more expensive than the car it replaces – expect the saloon to cost from around £80,000, and the estate from a few thousand pounds more.
Check out the latest Mercedes-AMG C63 deals available on the current car or compare the latest carwow offers on the best sports cars on sale.
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