Mercedes-AMG C 63 V8 Engine Or The Electrified Four-Pot Better ?

Mercedes-AMG’s modern C 63 S E Performance keeps creating controversy more than two years after its premiere, and the subject is usually the same: not having a V8. Heck, it doesn’t even have a six-banger but a four-pot that shares many traits with the one powering the A 45 S hot hatch, assisted by electric trickery.
 

The total output is rated at 670 horsepower, and the electrified four-banger powertrain pushes out a total of 752 pound-foot (1,020 Nm) of torque. The Affalterbach brand claims the latest C 63 S E Performance will run out of breath at 174 miles per hour (280 kilometers per hour), while dealing with 0-62 mph (0 to 100 kph) in a very respectable (for a modern-day sports sedan) 3.4 seconds.
 
By comparison, the GLC 63, which is basically its crossover equivalent, has a 171 mph (275 kph) top speed and is one-tenth slower from 0-62 mph. The W205 generation C 63 featured a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 shared with many other AMG models. It was good for 500 hp (510 ps/380 kW) and 520 lb-ft (700 Nm) of torque in the C 63 S, which needed a hair over the four-second mark to zip to sixty-two mph from a standstill.
 
Constant rumors going back and forth as to whether or not Mercedes-AMG might change its mind and stuff a big V8 engine under the hood of the latest C 63, ditching the electric trickery in the process, emerged over the past couple of years. However, the three-pointed star brand’s officials have also confirmed that it will not happen while also admitting that choosing this recipe for the C 63 has taken its toll on sales, as it’s far from being a best-seller.
 
For what it’s worth, we were left with the impression that technically, the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Performance can not fit a V8 engine under the hood, at least not without serious modifications that would pretty much make engineers and designers alike go back to the drawing board. However, we were wrong to think that, as a tuner recently contradicted the three-pointed star brand. The name of the company is VUK Manufaktur, and they just fitted a V8 engine to the modern C 63.
 
According to the Austrian tuner, the conversion took two years to complete, but they now have what is very likely the only V8-powered W206 Mercedes-AMG C 63 on the planet. The company chose not to reveal what type of engine their C 63 packs, but it appears to be the ubiquitous bi-turbo 4.0L V8. The electric motors and the battery pack were removed during the heart transplant, and we reckon a lot of work has gone into transforming the C 63 S E Performance into a V8-powered sports sedan.
 
A few videos and images shared on social media recently reveal that this Mercedes-AMG C 63 is fully functional – at least in the powertrain department. We suspect that the project is not yet complete, as there should be other things that might need refining. We are curious to see how this car behaves next to a stock C 63 S E Performance, both in a straight-line acceleration test and at the racetrack, given that the driving dynamics have likely changed dramatically. It should also be interesting to see if the braking system needs upgrading and if the chassis needs some stiffening, as it packs double the cylinders and probably has a seven-speed automatic transmission instead of the nine-speed unit (our two cents).
 
Every AMG enthusiast (and I’m not one) could tell you that this is what the new-gen Mercedes-AMG C 63 should have been all along, as it would have offered 50% more cylinders compared to one of its arch rivals, the BMW M3, as well as the upcoming Audi RS 5 series (Sedan and Avant). The latter is rumored to pack an updated version of the RS 4 Avant’s V6 with electric trickery and launch as a plug-in hybrid, supposedly with in excess of 600 horsepower combined. That’s about as much as the electrified C 63 and more than what BMW has to offer in the M3.
 
We hope the W206 Mercedes-AMG C 63 does not go down in history as a failure, though only time will tell if that’s the case or not. If it is, then customers will prove the Affalterbach company wrong, as it appears the brand may have rushed in a bit too soon to come up with an electrified sports sedan, and it seems that the car world was simply not ready for it. If we held the reins at Mercedes, we’d consider giving the C 63 (and not only) a V8 engine, even if that means investing a large sum of money into the research and development phase and adjusting the assembly line for it.
 
Are you happy with the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Performance as it is now? Do you think it’s a great alternative to the BMW M3 and the upcoming Audi RS 5 Sedan (liftback)? Do you long for the V8? Let us know your thoughts by dropping a few lines in the comments area below.