AUTONEWS

Mercedes' engine error in the C63 and C63 S range that customers did not accept and the brand admitted the mistake

The Mercedes C63 and C63 S have always managed to combine, in a very interesting way for their potential customers, a generous on-board space with an agile chassis that is well suited to sporty driving and the use of a powerful V8 biturbo engine with an exciting roar. Since it first appeared on the market, the C63 has consistently managed to captivate a generous number of buyers, but in the latest generation launched in 2023, Mercedes introduced a plug-in hybrid engine with a combustion engine with a much smaller displacement and number of cylinders, which displeased customers.

The previous generation of the Mercedes-AMG C63 S enjoyed 510 hp and a force of 700 Nm extracted from a 4.0 V8 biturbo engine, whose sound was one of its main assets, at least from the point of view of drivers. Two years ago, driven by the need to reduce the average consumption and emissions of the range, the manufacturer opted for a mechanics in which the main engine is a small 2-liter, four-cylinder unit, whose “roar” was considered below expectations by customers who loved the V8. 

It is worth noting that Mercedes made an effort to ensure that the new generation, called the C63 S E — with the “E” because it is a PHEV —, surpassed the power of the previous C63 S, which was not electrified and depended exclusively on the combustion V8. 

Thus, in addition to the 475 hp and 575 Nm of the 2.0 turbo with 4 cylinders, the latest generation of the sedan combines an electric motor with 204 hp and 320 Nm, which increases the total power to 680 hp and a torque of 1020 Nm, values ​​much higher than those of the previous generation, which was purely gasoline. But while power and strength increase, weight also increases, with the new C63 S E weighing in at 2,165 kg, 510 kg more than the previous generation's 1,755 kg. 

The boot is also affected by the inclusion of the batteries, which has been reduced from an already modest 435 litres, to the saloon's 4.76 m, to a "short" 280 litres, a figure lower than many city cars with a track width of less than 3 metres. 

It is true that the small battery (4.8 kWh of usable capacity) of the PHEV engine promises the ability to travel 12 km in electric mode, which should allow for around 8 km in real-world conditions. In practical terms, the Mercedes-AMG C63 S E is capable of reaching 280 km/h and going from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.4 seconds, which even beats the previous 510 hp C63 S, which claimed 290 km/h and 0-100 km/h in 4.0 seconds. 

But what customers complain about is the thrills provoked by the V8, which led to sales of the new version falling to almost zero in Germany and, in countries like the United Kingdom, leading to a situation in which customers (who in Portugal pay 153 thousand euros for the saloon) sold their C63 S E shortly after purchasing it, dissatisfied with what it had to offer.

Mercedes-AMG CEO Michael Shiebe acknowledges that the C63 S E “was the target of a lot of criticism” and that many customers thought it was a mistake to opt for a four-cylinder in this segment. “Drivers show a strong preference for V8 engines,” so convincing customers to opt for a 4-cylinder engine is almost an impossible task, with the manager also admitting that they failed to adequately explain the advantages of the new PHEV mechanics. 

Hence Mercedes having to run discounts and promotions to sell the manufactured units. Shiebe is convinced that getting drivers to fall in love with the 4-cylinder may take a long time, but the problem is that customers don’t seem to care.

Autonews