The new Mercedes-AMG C63 S may have 671 hp and enough torque to change the rotation of our planet, but the switch from V8 power to a turbocharged four-cylinder plug-in hybrid upset many purists. Fortunately, Mercedes-AMG hasn’t made the same mistake with the upcoming CLE 63. A couple of months ago, our spy photographers snapped the new car testing at the Nurburgring in the heart of Germany but until now, we hadn’t had the opportunity to hear it. That’s now changed as several CLE 63 prototypes were recently filmed up close in Europe and it’s clear there’s a thumping great V8 under the hood.
Details about the V8 used in these
prototypes aren’t known, but it’s widely expected to be the latest version of
the 4.0-liter twin-turbo unit the carmaker has been using for several years
now. It sounds very familiar and certainly has a lot more character than the
four-pot of the C63.
The existing Mercedes-AMG SL 63 rocks this
same engine and produces 577 hp and 800 Nm of torque. That may be
significantly less than the 671 hp and 1,018 Nm of the C63, but
it’s still plenty of power. While we’d like to see AMG’s engineers tweak this
engine for use in the CLE 63 to over 600 hp, there’s no guarantee that’ll
happen. Nevertheless, the lack of a visible charging port on any of these
prototypes suggests that V8-powered CLE 63 models will not use any significant
electrical assistance, although a mild-hybrid system remains a possibility.
There’s also been some speculation that
the new CLE 63 could be offered with a second powertrain. Apparently, this
version could be known as the E-Performance and may have the same plug-in
hybrid powertrain as the C63 S. The launch date for the new car remains a
mystery, but we suspect Mercedes will unveil it sometime in 2025.