2024 Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance review, first drive - 680PS hybrid AMG on track

It's difficult to not associate an AMG, especially the C63, with a raging V8 that forms the core of its driving experience. But with the new 2024 Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance, that association has been done away with in quite an astonishing way. There's no better way to put this new take to the test than at the Buddh International Circuit.

2024 Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance engine, electric motor, 0 to 100 kmph

We call this change astonishing because Mercedes-AMG has brought its brute force attitude from performance to downsizing. From a V8, the new C 63 now packs a 4-cylinder plug-in hybrid powertrain. But this is slightly misleading since it now can put out a maximum system output of 680PS and 1,020 Nm, although you only get to this figure in certain drivetrain modes. Either way, this is enough to get the C63 from 0 to 100 kmph in 3.4s, as we tried for ourselves on the BIC's main straight.

The ingredients of this formula make for some heavy reading. The four-cylinder in question is the manic M139 motor from the A45 placed longitudinally and reworked with a massive electric turbocharger, improved cooling and new internals to make it the most powerful four-pot in the world with 476PS and 545 Nm.

Pairing with this is an electric motor that makes up to 204PS and 320 Nm, fed by a 6.1 kWh battery pack. But unlike most hybrids, this motor's main function is to assist the engine rather than efficiency. So at any time, you have electric power on tap. The electric motor powers the rear wheels, along with the ICE, but both can also send power to the front when needed via the AWD system. There's a separate 2-speed gearbox for the e-motor aside from the 9-speed MCT for the engine to improve high-speed assistance. This is an especially complex system that monitors drive parameters to supply anywhere between 25 to 80 per cent of its electric power at all times, with 100 per cent coming up in the launch and boost modes.

The pack manages to do this with direct cell cooling, which lets the battery pack charge and discharge rapidly. So in our time with the car, a warm-up lap was enough to fully prep the battery. In the real world, Mercedes says that you may never need to use the 3.7 kW charger that comes with C63 where the car can do up to 13 km of electric driving.

2024 Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance driving impressions - power unit

But how does it all play out on what should be the C63's home turf? In the pits, the low-speed burble and the ticks and flicks from the V8 are now gone. You can start up and drive out on electric power alone but it's still quite an event when the engine fires up with its agitated, high-frequency bark. Also different is how much more friendly this feels as you start to get your eye in. The V8 was intimidating but this is a calmer experience throughout. Much of the sound, sadly, is synthesized through the speakers. So while it isn't natural, we found ourselves quite engaged by it. Especially with the slight electric whirr that has been neatly incorporated.

But that doesn't mean it's slow. As you start to push, the immense performance that's on tap makes its presence felt. This M139 motor is as angry and as responsive as it has been before, but the changes made here have led to it feeling less still like a boosted motor. You have that same ever-growing wave of performance. But the electric assistance has now added another dimension to it.

The e-motor nearly does away with any interruption in performance, even when the gearbox is firing in those heavy shifts. So it makes for a V8-like volume of performance but with the seamless, instant attributes of EV torque. There's no waiting for the gearbox to kick down or the engine to be in its powerband to give you a good shove of pace. Now this means that the C63 is shockingly good at powering out of corners or at maintaining momentum around the track, but it has brought with it a slightly distanced engagement with the car.

You might worry at this time, that the relentless top-end surge of a V8 can't possibly be replicated with a hybrid. But Mercedes has gotten quite close. We found that the C63 keeps pulling hard to over 200 kmph on the BIC's back straight. The higher electric gear engages at 140 kmph so while there is some dip it's still enough to keep propping up the 4-cylinder and recreate that sensation of a higher-volume motor. That said, this is a complex powertrain with numerous components, so in certain situations, you do find that it may need a split second more than natural to know what you really want from it.

But there's tech to help you with this. The Trackpace app now lets you configure a boost program for a particular track. It chooses the best areas to give you full system power, say getting on to a big straight from a slow corner. This may sound like a gimmick, but in this setting, it's a fun, effective tool to fully exploit the drivetrain.

2024 Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance driving impressions - ride and handling

But arguably more impressive is the way the C63 manages itself around a track. With the smaller engine and much of the electric gubbins over the rear wheel, there's 50:50 weight distribution. Combined with the adaptive damping, LSD and AWD, you have a car that feels quite eager and safe to be pushed to its limits.

It manages its 2.1-tonne weight quite well, showing up most noticeably around the BIC's tricky parabola where you find it tries to run wide a bit more than ideal. But aside from this, there's that agile, composed feel to it that gives you confidence to go fast. So there's just a hint of lean that you can use to good effect along with bags of grip that lets you take corners faster than ideal but still hold on. It turns confidently if not sharply, which is helped by the mild 2.5 degrees of rear steer and LSD.

The Race mode is great on track with the slight slip it gives you via the AMG Dynamics. You can use this in the BIC's tight corners to keep the car flowing, so even with the AWD system, there's some of the rear-driven balance to be had. Much of the nose-heavy sense that you can get from something with a big engine isn't here either. Needless to say, it stays properly tied down on the straights with power being put down effectively even on well-used tyres.

Noticeable around the BIC's slower haripins, is the quite sharp and direct steering. It has that fluid and hefty AMG feel and the variable ratio system ramps up quite progressively so you can be confident during more precise, smaller manoeuvres as well as has heavy inputs to which the car reacts briskly. It's also worth noting that even with the standard steel brakes fitted here, the braking performance remains predictable and progressive. There's little interference that you notice from the regen system, at least out on track.

2024 Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance styling, dimensions

The new C63 may look like a beefed-up C-Class, but only for the second time in its history, it now carries a completely new front section. There's an 83mm wider track and a 10mm increase in wheelbase all of which has gone into integrating the new powertrain. So there is a visibly more aggressive stance to it. You have the usual AMG enhancements over this hasn't changed the impression you get from a C63 much at first glance.

So the AMG-style grille works with the blacked-out lighting and the beefy inatkes in the air dam with the exposed radiators. There's a new bonnet too with more aggressive contouring to house the powertraina as well as additional venting.

This flat aggressive stance continues to the sides too. Here the softer C-Class bodywork works well to give you that traditional cab-rearward sedan look, although these aero-style 19-inch wheels could have amped up the sense more. The rear is relatively simple with a black-out diffuser section and the quad-exhaust motifs.

The red highlights and added cladding seen here are part of the F1 Edition cosmetic upgrade.

2024 Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance interiors

Mercedes-AMG usually does a good job of turning the soothing, soft cabins of regular Mercedes cars into something a bit more aggressive and special, and the C 63 S E performance is no different. So the hefty vents, vertically stacked screens and the soft-edged dash design have been retained but there has been a good dose of sportiness added to it.

This comes from the all-black theme with the carbon-fibre dah inserts and the red highlighting that goes with this. This immediately creates a closer sense of the car. A significant change is the AMG steering wheel. While this still has those fiddly capacitive controls, the quick toggle functions for the drive modes and other drivetrain settings are via the rotary dials.

Another notable change is the new AMG seats. These are lighter and get more lateral support, and we did find them to be effective in holding us in place. They seem to be placed a touch lower than the regular C-Class, going with the more engaging sense further. As with other AMG models, you control most functions through the screens. There are a host of AMG-specific settings and screens that have been added, including the quite nerdy Track Pace driver screen display. The drive modes, the Trackpace settings as well as the ESC controls are relatively easy to access via the screen given the large surface area.

2024 Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance price, verdict

Priced at Rs 1.95 crore, the Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance is a big step up in price over the last one. There's also the matter of this drivetrain being somewhat divisive among enthusiasts. It takes calibrating what you have traditionally expected from the C63, which may be too much for some. But look past this and you have a car that may be complex but it sure is effective. It uses the latest tech to give you a natural, engaging feeling from behind the wheel which will scare you and make you grin in the way a performance car should.