New Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance: price, specs & release date

The new Mercedes-Benz C-Class range now has a headline-grabbing high-performance range-topper – the C63 S E Performance.

For the first time in 55 years of Mercedes-AMG, is now a plug-in hybrid capable of travelling for eight miles as a zero-emissions EV. It also averages up to 40.9mpg.

But they aren’t the headline figures. The new Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance’s total system output of 680PS is, which is combined with a staggering 1,020Nm of torque – all from a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo engine and F1-derived rear axle motor. “These are new peak values for the C-Class.”

The launch of the new Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Performance is being called “the dawn of a new era”. Let’s take a closer look at why the new range-topping Mercedes-Benz C-Class is so exciting.

New Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance price and release date price and release date

The Mercedes-AMG F1 team has been cleaning up on the racetrack for years. This know-how is now being incorporated into the road cars, with sales of the new Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance due to begin later this year.

Prices are yet to be confirmed. The previous model hasn’t been sold for a while now, but cost just under £80,000 when it was last offered. A combination of inflation and all the extra new tech means we’d expect the new Mercedes-AMG C-Class range-topper to cost from around £90,000.

Based on the C-Class, the Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance's interior gets a sportier upgrade.

New Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance: exterior and interior: exterior and interior

Visually, the Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance is a stylish new Mercedes-Benz C-Class on steroids. The front end is 50mm longer and the front wings are wider; with the wider front axle, it’s a meaty 76mm wider at the front. Choose 19-inch wheels as standard or 20-inches as an option.

Trademark Mercedes-AMG power domes feature on the bonnet, this time with a slim air outlet positioned between them. There is also an AMG-specific radiator grille, AMG front apron, AMG aero flics and enlarged air inlets, plus air curtains, side skirts and rear apron with large diffuser. We love the distinctive airflow breakaway spoiler on the saloon’s bootlid; for the estate, this becomes a roof spoiler.

The eagle-eyed will spot a brand new round badge replacing the traditional Mercedes star with laurel wreath; it’s now a bespoke black AMG logo.

Inside, the Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance has AMG sports seats with bespoke upholstery and stitching. There’s a new AMG Performance twin-spoke steering wheel, which now allows regeneration levels of the hybrid drive to be selected via steering wheel buttons.

The company admits that there are “many individual choices for the interior” for those looking to buy or lease a new Mercedes-AMG C 63S E Performance to choose from, with exclusive colours and various nappa leather upholsteries with embossed AMG emblem on the front head restraints.

Optionally available are second-generation AMG Performance seats. These have new side bolsters with weight-saving openings, that also allow better ventilation (good news for intensive track days). The shape of the backrest also elegantly tapers towards the bottom.

The MBUX infotainment system has a suite of AMG- and hybrid-specific displays and functions, including bespoke displays in the instrument cluster. The AMG-specific Supersport layout, for example, allows readouts to be displayed in a vertical menu structure, showing settings for suspension or transmission along with temperatures and other data.

There’s a shortcut button for the AMG Dynamic Select drive programmes, while the AMG Track Pace data logger is bundled in: this reports more than 80 vehicle-specific data around racetracks for F1-style analysis in a post-track day debrief.

No V8 here. Instead the Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance gets a 2.0-litre four cylinder engine with hybrid battery power.

New Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance: engines and gearboxes: engines and gearboxes

Mercedes-AMG is promising instant performance unlike anything that’s gone before. It will achieve this through the combination of the 204PS rear electric motor’s immediate response and an electrically-assisted turbocharger that aims to eliminate turbo lag.

The electric motor is combined with an electronically-shifting two-speed gearbox and electronic limited-slip differential. The 89kg ‘AMG high-performance battery’ is mounted there too. This was developed with the Mercedes-AMG F1 engine team, and is designed for fast energy draw and high power density, rather than outright EV range.

The eight-mile electric range is short – and contrasts with the lengthy 60-plus miles you get in other Mercedes-Benz C-Class plug-in hybrids – but it’s still enough to allow ‘silent’ starts, so you can leave residential areas quietly before the engine starts up.

The 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine is the world’s first series-production engine to have an electric exhaust gas turbocharger. An electric motor is integrated into the turbo, powered by the 400-volt on-board electrical system. It ensures almost instantaneous response, as well as more torque at lower revs. Add it all together and that colossal 1,020Nm system torque figure is achieved. This equals 0-62mph acceleration in just 3.4 seconds (four-wheel drive is standard, so traction won’t be an issue), and a top speed of 155mph whose electronic limiter can optionally be extended to 174mph.

For those with the ultimate willpower, average fuel economy of 40.9mpg is attainable, while official CO2 emissions of 156g/km mean the new Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance will boast the same company car BIK tax band as a petrol-powered Kia Sportage.

Managing all this mighty output in the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class range-topper is standard AMG Ride Control with adaptive damping. There’s bespoke geometry and componentry front and rear, which is combined with standard rear axle steering that makes it more manoeuvrable at slower speeds and more responsive at speeds over 62mph.

It’s all overlayed with the extremely comprehensive AMG Dynamics control system, which brings together elements such as the stability control, all-wheel drive and electronic limited-slip rear differential. It’s staggeringly capable and fully configurable, with modes including Basic, Advanced, Pro and Master. There’s even a drift mode…

Find a used Mercedes-AMG C63 S for sale

If you’re a traditionalist horrified at the idea of a four-cylinder Mercedes-AMG C63, you will need to look to the used car market instead. There, you’ll find a tempting choice of high-performance Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

Two bargains caught our eye; a 2016 Mercedes-AMG C63 with 50,000 miles on the clock, for £33,300, and a 2017 Mercedes-AMG C63 S with 43,000 miles on the clock, for £42,000. Both have a burbling V8 engine that sounds simply sublime.

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The combination of 2.0-litre turbo engine and plug-in hybrid drivetrain gives the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Performance a staggering power output of 238PS per litre – making it the world’s most powerful four-cylinder engine.

Mercedes-Benz will offer the new C 63 S E Performance in both saloon and estate bodystyles – which will be launched at the same time.

This is not a lightweight car, despite being a regular saloon rather than an SUV. It tips the scales at a substantial, 2,111kg.

Introducing the all-new Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance