Before Mercedes-AMG products were great to drive, they were great to take heed to — that V8 rumble was an enthusiast balm’s for lackluster dynamics. When AMG began making great driver’s cars almost 20 years ago, it made its exhaust notes even higher, then fed the addiction with increasing sales yearly. Now buyers cannot quit the drug: Ever since AMG put a four-cylinder PHEV powertrain in the newest C 63 and E 63, compliments on the ability and performance of each cars are drowned beneath indictments of extra weight and insufficient thrills. Last August, we heard rumor that Mercedes was contemplating a V8 return for the AMG C 63 and E 63 variants. Two weeks later, Mercedes-AMG’s CEO personally scotched the scuttlebutt. Nevertheless, it appears the love child of each sedans, the AMG CLE 63, will get a V8. That is the word from Autocar, which says it got the data from “senior officials on the division’s Mercedes-Benz parent company.”
Seems just a few evidentiary exhibits have gone into this verdict. First, AMG owners all over the world have voted with their pocketbooks, withholding purchases of the brand new C 63 and E 63. Autocar reports that sales of the newest top-class AMG C and AMG E are “well below” their V8 forebears. Second, dealers have supposedly told Mercedes that because the CLE 53 is powered by an inline-six mild hybrid with 443 hp and 413 lb-ft, customers is likely to be confused by the more powerful, dearer version getting a four-cylinder. This appears like desperation logic from a dealer body that may say anything to get a V8, however it might work. To present this rationale some context, the C-Class is powered by a four-cylinder engine in standard and AMG guises, the E-Class encompasses a six-cylinder engine whether it has a three-pointed star or an Affalterbach crest on the hood. Mercedes reportedly believes the sixer within the AMG CLE 53 helps justify putting a V8 within the AMG CLE 63.
Autocar says the mild hybrid V8 option will produce 585 horsepower, down a healthy amount from the 670-hp four-cylinder PHEV powertrain. AMG apparently wants the CLE to line up against the BMW M4 in customers’ minds; a 585-hp V8 would make a more suitable AM-branded counterpart to the M4’s 542-hp twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six.
The upshot beyond the CLE is that Mercedes is likely to be softening its position concerning the AMG C 63 and AMG E 63. Autocar wrote that finally month’s Beijing Motor Show, “Markus Schäfer, head of Mercedes-Benz’s R&D operations has indicated the corporate is monitoring closely monitoring sales of the C63 and GLC 63 amid calls for them to return to V8 power. … Schäfer said it should be ‘as much as customers to make your mind up’ whether AMG continues with its downsized petrol-electric drivetrain.” The fight ain’t over.
This Article First Appeared At www.autoblog.com
