Mercedes-AMG CLE 63 Allegedly Packs V8 Muscle

Mercedes has ditched plans to stick a 2.0-litre PHEV in the upcoming AMG CLE 63. It will instead use a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 petrol.
 

The C-Class became a four-pot-only affair in 2021 with the introduction of the 206 series. One year later, the GLC followed suit with the 254 series. Everyone and their dog knew that Mercedes would struggle to sell AMGs with four-cylinder engines, and there was a glimmer of hope that Mercedes would go back on its decision to emasculate the C 63 and GLC 63 from eight to four cylinders.
 
At the beginning of August 2023, an online report citing insider sources made the rounds, alleging that a familiar V8 would power the C 63 and E 63 in 2026 as a result of poor sales for the four-cylinder C 63 S E PERFORMANCE. By the end of August 2023, none other than Mercedes-AMG GmbH big kahuna Michael Schiebe denied the cited report.
 
Fast forward to May 2024, and the Brits at Autocar have it on good authority from senior officials at Mercedes-Benz that the CLE 63 will get a twin-turbo V8 with mild-hybrid assistance rather than a plug-in hybrid turbo inline-four powertrain. Can you guess what made the German marque reassess V8 muscle to the detriment of an I4 powerplant?
 

“Mercedes sources say the decision to provide the CLE with V8 power is related not only to the lukewarm response to the plug-in hybrid C 63 and GLC 63 models, but also to feedback from its global dealer network.” It’s one thing when enthusiasts and prospective customers lambast automakers for their obviously mistaken decisions, but dealers biting the hand that feeds them? As Michael Gary Scott from The Office famously said, how the turntables!
 
Speaking to Markus Schafer, whose current role at Mercedes-Benz AG is that of R&D boss, Autocar understands that Merc is monitoring sales of the C 63 and GLC 63. According to Schafer, it’s “up to customers to decide” whether the four-cylinder will be discontinued in favor of a V8.
 
The eighter in question is – of course – the M177 version of the 4.0-liter V8 that premiered in 2015 as the M176. The primary difference between these versions? That would be M176 for non-AMG models and M177 for AMG models. We also have to remember that Mercedes also produces the M178, a dry-sump take on the M177. It was used in the original AMG GT Coupe and Convertible, with the Black Series and Track Series flaunting a flat-plane crankshaft V8 referred to as the M178 LS2.
 

Completely unrelated to GM’s free-beathing small block, the LS2 also powers the Aston Martin Valhalla. Pretty much the V8-powered sib of the Valkyrie, the Valhalla combines the AMG-sourced V8 with three electric motors for a system total of 1,012 metric ponies, meaning 998 horsepower.
 
Turning out attention back to the M177 version, this engine makes 585 ps (577 hp) and 800 Nm (590 lb-ft) of torque in the GT 63 Coupe and SL 63 Roadster. One can imagine similar maximum output numbers for the CLE 63 and – fingers crossed – the C 63, GLC 63, and E 63 as well.
 
The CLE 63 going V8 also makes sense once you look over the rest of the lineup: six cylinders for the 53 and 450, whereas the 300, 200, and 220d sport four cylinders. It would be ludicrous for the CLE 63 to come with a four-pot turbo, even though said engine is a thoroughbred AMG powerplant.