The V8 Comeback is Real
While AMG never really stopped making V8-powered vehicles, the choices for one dramatically shrunk over the years. Emission and noise regulations have forced Mercedes-Benz’s performance arm to lessen those offerings, and the rush towards electrification also prompted that move.
Ultimately, the brand’s biggest fans voted with their wallets and stayed away from models like the C63 plug-in hybrid and all the other electric AMGs in droves. With that, AMG promised to commit to V8s, and so far, it’s making good on that.
Mercedes-Benz
And Now, Some Sad News
The promise of making more V8s pretty much got everyone excited. After all, AMG fitted eight cylinders to pretty much everything, from sedans and wagons to SUVs, and, on one occasion, even a minivan. That’s the AMG almost everyone knows and loves, and this love for that configuration started with the first-generation C-Class (W202/S202) in the form of the C43.
While not the first AMG V8, it was the first one officially under the wing of Mercedes-Benz. The C32 aside, it was V8 or nothing for the AMG-fied C-Class since then. The backlash towards the latest and soon-to-be-axed four-cylinder plug-in hybrid model was totally understandable. If anything, we saw it from nautical miles away.
So, it there going to be a course correction given the V8 revival? Unfortunately, no, and it has been confirmed by Klaus Rehkugler, the head of product management and global training for Mercedes-Benz.
But, Why Not?
Speaking to CarExpert, the executive said, “Although the four-door C63 was a very popular car in several markets, including North America, Australia, Japan, China and Korea, we’re not planning a return of the V8 model. It comes down to a question of ‘can you get the amortization back given the remaining lifecycle of the current C-Class?’ and the answer is ‘probably not’.”
For starters, the current C-Class (W206/S206) was never engineered to accommodate a V6 or inline-six, let alone a V8. That platform was only ever meant to package a four-cylinder turbo, and depending on configuration, fitted with a mild-hybrid or plug-in hybrid system. Digging up an Automotive News Europe interview from 2021 with the W206/S206’s chief engineer, Christian Früh, he explained the reason why the car (supposedly) couldn’t have a six-cylinder at the very least.
“The front end would have grown by 50 mm in length, not to mention the higher axle load and its impact on driving dynamics. Performance-wise, we have more than made up for the difference between the four- and six-cylinder engines through the plug-in hybrid models,” said Früh. Well, we all know how that panned out for the electrified C63.
Consolation
If it’s any consolation, Rehkugler didn’t rule out the chances of a V8 C-Class for the next-generation model. He mentioned that Mercedes-Benz will build V8s ‘at least until 2035,’ and that there is still strong enough demand for these engines to last a decade. He did admit that Europe is making it difficult to keep it alive due to, you guessed it, tightening emissions and noise regulations.
At least the current C-Class is getting some extra cylinders back despite the claim that it’s not meant to have anything more than four cylinders. The facelifted version will gain a new C53 model, and it’s slated to use the 3.0-liter turbo inline-six from the GLC 53. Official stats aren’t out yet, but we’re expecting it to put out 443 hp and 443 lb-ft, and it’ll likely be revealed before the end of the year. In some ways, the C53 returns to AMG C-Class roots, as the original C36 had a straight-six.
If that’s still not enough, the CLE 63 Mythos will, indeed, have a V8. That one’s coming pretty soon, and hopefully, it’s a modern-day version of the rowdy C63 Black Series.
