MALIBU, Calif – The Mercedes C 63 AMG has all the time been about pleasant overkill. The kind of factor that outcomes from a pair folks sitting round a workshop after hours and questioning, “Hey, wouldn’t or not it’s humorous if we stuffed that into that?” At first, stated stuffing was the 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 from the grandest AMGs into the then-humblest, the C-Class compact sedan. Whereas overkill was achieved again then by excessively giant displacement, at the moment’s new 2025 Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Efficiency does so with one other Mercedes staple: gratuitous complexity.
Right this moment’s mightiest C makes use of a kitchen sink strategy to extra. Issues begin with a 2.0-liter inline-four, which doesn’t sound like a tragic trombone, however it’s arduous to not hear one anyway. It’s additionally arduous to not suppose that cylinder rely might be underwhelming to some, presumably many, no matter all the opposite stuff that we’re about to explain. That features an infinite conch shell of a turbocharger that includes Mercedes F1-derived electrification – an electrical motor spools up the turbo earlier than exhaust gases can take over, thereby eliminating turbo lag. To the identical finish, it additionally retains the turbo spooled up once you momentarily raise off the throttle. The general result’s 469 horsepower and 402 pound-feet of torque despatched by way of an AMG nine-speed multi-clutch transmission, making this 2.0-liter essentially the most highly effective manufacturing four-cylinder on this planet. It additionally has 18 hp greater than that previous 6.2-liter. Prefer it, nonetheless, at the moment’s “M139I” 2.0-liter remains to be hand-built utilizing AMG’s “one man, one engine” methodology. Our take a look at automobile’s was constructed by a Maxímílían Bee£. That’s most likely not his final identify, so let’s assume his engine-building skills are superior to his penmanship.
Issues don’t finish with Herr Bee£, nonetheless. Because the “S E Efficiency” bit in its appropriately complicated identify implies, that is additionally a plug-in hybrid. However not that type of plug-in hybrid. You don’t even have to plug it in because the engine retains it topped up beneath most circumstances. EPA-estimated vary is 3 miles. It’s subsequently greatest to think about it extra like an everyday hybrid with an absurdly giant, 6.1-kilowatt-hour battery pack that gives a commensurately absurd quantity of energy to a motor that’s packaged inside an electrical drive unit on the rear axle together with its personal two-speed transmission and an digital limited-slip differential. The motor’s most output of 201 hp and 236 pound-feet of torque, or principally the identical as a normal Volkswagen ID.4, is just despatched to the rear axle by way of that two-speed gearbox (the utmost output final solely 10 seconds, thereafter it’s 94 hp, we didn’t discover a distinction throughout our drive). AMG improvement engineer Damian Hampen says the second gear engages at 81 to 83 mph to make sure that most electrical enhance remains to be obtainable at greater, rarely-in-America speeds.
Though the electrical motor solely sends energy to the rear axle, the large Bee£ 2.0-liter nonetheless sends its tidings to each axles by way of an AMG-ified 4Matic+ AWD system that does function a Drift mode for these occasions you’ve grown bored with the entrance axle’s enter. Whole system output is 671 hp and 752 lb-ft of torque. As beforehand acknowledged, overkill efficiency by way of gratuitous complexity. The estimated 0-60-mph time is 3.3 seconds.
The complexity extends to the drive modes, of which there are eight that we received’t bore you in describing, particularly as you’ll be able to change particular person components of every on the fly utilizing the intelligent little management hub on the left facet of the steering wheel (pictured above proper). This meant we might drive in Sport, Sport+ or Race, however ease up the suspension firmness on bumpier parts of street. We ignored the extra electric-forward drive modes as we completely have been driving on incredible mountain roads and doing so appeared like a waste. Additionally, once more, 3 miles of vary.
With the automobile in these spiciest drive modes, there’s nothing overtly hybrid-y in regards to the energy supply. It simply goes. There may be certainly no lag, be it from the electrical motor or turbocharger, only a entire bunch of slam-you-in-your-seat torque. The exhaust gives some snap, crackle and pop on overrun between shifts, which is principally the one little bit of thrilling noise from this powertrain, however then Mercedes “enhances” even that with the again seat audio system.
A lot was carried out to the chassis. Not solely is the automobile wider as has been typical, however the wheelbase is 0.4 inches longer than a normal C-Class, which is principally unparalleled. Hampen says that this quirk was essential to accommodate the engineers’ desired tires: 265 entrance and 275 rear. He additionally says doing so wasn’t that massive of a deal: AMG all the time had its personal body-in-white it might modify in such methods, and manufacturing wasn’t impacted as a result of the manufacturing facility is already arrange for various vehicles taking place the identical line.
The adaptive “AMG Experience Management” suspension is broadly the identical as what you’d discover within the C 43, and like that automobile, it’s arduous to think about many locations on this continent the place the journey received’t be uncomfortably agency and jostling. Even on the commonly easy pavement round Malibu, it received previous. It was additionally mandatory to modify the suspension to Consolation and Sport at occasions to raised greet massive mid-corner bumps. No denying its street holding, nonetheless, because the C 63 successfully scalpeled its approach by way of extraordinarily tight and technical mountain roads. To that finish, it has normal rear-wheel steering, however its modest 2.5 levels of articulation doesn’t draw consideration to itself (the EQS goes as much as 10 and appears like a Disney journey). The steering is feelsome, too, thanks partly to Mercedes not dialing in an entire bunch of effort only for the sake of perceived sportiness. It feels friction-free and pure. Good job.
Much less so the brakes. They’re carbon ceramic as normal, however it’s uncertain that’s why the pedal motion was inconsistent. There would often be X quantity of preliminary journey earlier than a firmer foot was wanted to extend stopping – in different phrases, completely regular. In a couple of corners, although, that preliminary journey would disappear and we have been instantly confronted with the firmer response. There didn’t appear to be a correlation with the kind of braking or a specific scenario and it wasn’t fixed. There may be regenerative braking current, together with a one-pedal drive mode that positively wasn’t lively throughout our take a look at drive, in order that certain looks as if the perpetrator, if by fault or by a quirk in design.
Visually, the 3-inch-wider fenders wrapping these uniquely bigger wheels are the best telltale this isn’t a C 43. There’s additionally a novel entrance fascia that elongates the automobile by 2 inches, an aerodynamic hood vent, particular purple badges that’ll be the inform for all future E Efficiency fashions, and the primary utility of the Affalterbach badge to an AMG’s exterior (it replaces the same old Mercedes hood crest). The inside will get distinctive AMG and hybrid shows, an AMG Efficiency steering wheel that’s a delight to carry, and the choice for AMG Efficiency seats. We discovered the usual “Sport” seats to be lots grippy and abundantly adjustable.
All informed, the C 63 S E Efficiency is a distinct kind of monster C-Class that caters extra to the geekier of us who prefer to regale their associates, prompted or not, about all of the whiz-bang geekery that went into their automobile. Describing previous C 63s was extra “V8, F- yeah!” adopted by a high-five and a burnout. Possibly all that doesn’t matter. Possibly the world wants to maneuver past V8s, and the brand new C 63 is certainly heaps extra highly effective than all AMG Cs which have come earlier than, however there’s additionally one thing much less loveable about this one. Complexity simply isn’t as enjoyable as largesse.
