Mercedes-AMG Could Swap Back to V8s for its C 63 and E 63, According to the Rumormill

[Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E PERFORMANCE Limousine und T-Modell | Kraftstoffverbrauch kombiniert: 6,9 l/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 156 g/km | Stromverbrauch kombiniert: 11,7 kW/100 km]* Exterieur: Hightechsilber und Graphitgrau magno; Interieur: schwarz mit gelben Nähten und Titangrau mit roten Nähten. // [Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E PERFORMANCE Sedan and Estate| fuel consumption combined: 6,9 l/100 km | CO₂-emissions combined: 156 g/km | electric energy consumption combined: 11,7 kW/100 km]* exterior: hightech silver and graphitgrey magno; interior: black with yellow stitching and titanium grey with red stitching]

Are you upset about Mercedes-AMG switching away from V8s? Things may change soon.

One of the most contentious issues surrounding new performance cars, whether you support it or not, is transition toward electrified platforms. Moving away from V12s in favor of V8s was a bitter pill for some enthusiasts to swallow, and those same folks call Mercedes-AMG’s move toward a four-cylinder solution for its top-end models a bridge to far. According to a recent piece from Georg Kacher at Car and Driver, though, the automaker could do an about-face and bring V8s back to appease the angry AMG community.

The furor centers on the most powerful version of the new AMG C-Class, the C 63 S E Performance. That car swaps the mainstay 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 for the 2.0-liter M139 four-pot as the backbone of a plug-in hybrid setup. The on-paper specs are promising, as the new C 63 manages 671 horsepower and 752 lb-ft of torque. In a classic case of “there ain’t no substitutes for cubes”, though, losing those cylinders is more important than the power specs.

It’s a similar story for the upcoming AMG E-Class, as the new AMG E 63 S will also pare down its V8 to a plug-in hybrid inline-six. Again, we’ll see promising outputs on paper — not to mention the C-Class’ numbers already trample the BMW M3 — but AMG die-hards are sticking to their guns on this one. And, if the gossip laid out in Car and Driver‘s piece proves accurate, the automaker already seems ready to cave.

Would you look into the Mercedes-AMG ’63’ models if they got their V8s back?

Of course, the competition among high-strung German performance cars is as fierce as ever. BMW is reportedly slotting the V8-backed plug-in hybrid setup shown in the XM into its new M5. Beyond that, Audi also has big ambitions as it introduces more potent versions of the RS 5 and RS 7.

It’s about principle for the Mercedes-AMG fans, however. It’s not just going toe-to-toe with its rivals, but delivering nothing short of an absolutely berserk experience in the process. That’s why the old top-end AMGs curry favor with enthusiasts all over the world: The ’63’ models are insane, with an exhaust note to make any four- or six-cylinder contender wet its pants.

Fortunately, despite Mercedes’ decision to omit eight-cylinder options early in this new generation, the new C-Class and E-Class can reportedly accept the 4.0-liter V8 with a few modifications.

Word has it that AMG’s engineers are working on bringing the old M177 4.0-liter V8 up to snuff to meet Euro 7 emission standards. The AMG GT 63 S E Performance and the AMG S 63 sedan already use this powertrain, so it shouldn’t be a huge stretch to make them compliant in the smaller sedans as well.

Expect to see V8-powered C 63 and E 63 models back on the market by 2026, according to this report.