2024 Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Performance: High Tech, Big Power

• Mercedes-AMG uses a high-tech turbo from its Formula 1 team to squeeze 469 hp out of a 2.0-liter four-cylinder. A 201-hp rear-mounted electric motor ups total power output to a mind-bending (considering the displacement) 671 hp.

• No, the 63 in the car's name does not refer to anything anymore.

• Starting price is $85,050 including destination.

When he was talking about how to increase output, your old grandpappy used to say, “There ain’t no substitute fer cubic inches!” Maybe he’d add, for effect, “Dad-gummit!”

And for many years, Grandpap was right. Torque is a function of engine displacement, mostly. And the more displacement, the more torque. And the more rpms pumping air and gas through that displacement, the more horsepower, generally speaking.

But now there’s technology available that twists that old-time knowledge—technology that would fry g-pap’s brain like an Egg McMuffin on a hot exhaust manifold.

Take the 2024 Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Performance, for instance. Not only does it have one of the longest names in automotive history, it also has some of the smallest displacement for a performance sedan. This four-cylinder engine displaces only two liters, or 122 cubic inches, as gramps would say.

And Grandpappy would howl at this small engine mounted transversely, driving the front wheels. It hardly seems a displacement worthy of the iconic “63” logo slapped on Mercedes-AMG products.

The 63 label used to refer to displacement, way back when, but like so many rebranded monikers nowadays, 63 is just a marketing term. This one fits.

Consider the output of merely 2.0 liters in the AMG C 63 S E Performance four-cylinder: 671 hp and 752 lb-ft of torque. Gramps is clutching his chest. He just swallowed his cigar.

AMG accomplishes this impressive output by slapping a 201-hp electric motor on the rear axle and by spinning that turbocharger electrically at up to 175,000 rpm. That ain’t no typo.

By spinning the turbocharger impeller shaft electrically with a 1.6-inch-thin electric motor—a technology shared with Mercedes’ F1 engine—AMG engineers have eliminated turbo lag. The turbo is spun electrically until rpms get high enough to spin on its own using just the force of the exhaust gases.

The electric motor mounted on the rear axle gets its energy from a 6.1-kWh battery, then feeds its output through a two-speed gearbox, like a tiny two-speed automatic transmission just for the back end, to operate effectively at a variety of speeds, up to 174 mph.

Put all this into a 4,620-pound (according to the presentation, 4,817 pounds on the spec sheet) C-Class and you get to 60 mph in just 3.3 seconds. Really?

Yes, really. I spent several hours traversing some lovely winding roads in the hills above Malibu in a 2024 Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Performance, and I was pleasantly surprised, dang near smitten.

There is, indeed, no turbo lag to speak of. Step on the accelerator anywhere on the power band and the car leaps to life, lunging forward, and pulling you out of the turns you just dive bombed into. It did this the whole time I had the car, time spent only on twisty turns.

It was aided and abetted by double wishbones front and rear with 265/40 R19 tires front and 275/40 R19 rears and an AMG Performance 4Matic+ fully variable all-wheel-drive system distributing torque to the wheels that can benefit most—like a college scholarship fund for acceleration—all finished off with an AMG Speedshift automatic transmission.

Of the eight drive modes, put the AMG Ride Control into Sport—not Sport+ or Race unless you’re driving on a billiard table—and it feels like it can conquer any turn on the mountain. And it can!

The speed-sensitive steering with variable steering geometry in front and rear axle steering in back increase stability of the car at speeds above 60 mph and make parking easier at slower speeds.

Stopping is easy and fade-free with 15.4-inch internally ventilated and perforated front brake discs with six-piston aluminum fixed calipers, and 14.6-inch internally ventilated and perforated rear brake discs with single-piston aluminum floating calipers.

Of the car’s total output, the 2.0-liter four makes 469 hp at 6750 rpm and 402 lb-ft between 5,000 and 5,500 rpm (the most powerful production four in the world, Mercedes-AMG says), and the electric motor makes 201 hp and 236 lb ft. Put them together with gearing that multiplies the torque on its way to the crank, and Mercedes-AMG mathematicians come up with that total of 671 hp and 752 lb-ft.

What more do you want?

Maybe an interior? This one has AMG sport seats with special upholstery and distinctive stitching pattern. Or optional new second-gen AMG Performance Seats that feature side bolsters with weight-saving openings that also allow for better ventilation.

The car’s MBUX infotainment system includes various AMG- and hybrid-specific displays and functions that can also be personalized to your tastes. There’s even an AMG Track Pace data logger to record specifics of your splendid driving.

Ten times per second, AMG says it records more than 80 vehicle-specific data items such as speed, acceleration, steering angle, and brake pedal usage. There is also a display of lap and sector times as well as additional training and analysis tools.

Is this technology, specifically that electric turbo, going to last? AMG says the goal is 300,000 kilometers of life, or over 186,000 miles. That ought to be enough.

Pricing starts at $85,050 including destination.

Is 2 liters enough for a luxury sport sedan? Perhaps only as a hybrid? Please comment below.