Mercedes-AMG’s M156 ad M159, the naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V-8 that powers the SLS and the C63, won’t be around for much longer.
Insiders close to Mercedes-Benz have confirmed a report by Autocar claiming that the AMG version of the next-generation C-class and the successor to the SLS will be powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8. Car and Driver can further reveal that the engine, code-named M177, will produce between 460 and 500 hp in the next-gen C—which will come to market in 2015. For use in the SLS’s replacement, which is set for a 2016 launch, the powerplant will be referred to as M178 and will produce in the region of 590 hp.
This news spells the end for the legendary M156/M159 6.2-liter V-8, a naturally aspirated mill designed by Bernd Ramler, an engineer who was deeply involved in the conception of the 604-hp, 5.7-liter V-1o that powered the Porsche Carrera GT. The M177/M178 also could eventually replace the M157—the twin-turbo 5.5-liter V-8 that currently powers the entirety of AMG’s lineup outside the SLS, the C63, and the SLK55. The SLK55 AMG’s naturally aspirated 5.5-liter V-8—code-named M152—also is set to be replaced, and the new 4.0-liter turbo would be the likeliest of successors.
What happens to the nomenclature of the new models isn’t known yet. We believe that the misleading “63″ moniker applied to all V-8–powered AMG models—with the exception of the SLK55—will remain. It’s also possible AMG could adopt “60″ as the new handle for its V-8s. A displacement-appropriate name of “40″ is out of the question with the introduction of the A45 and upcoming CLA45, both of which will be powered by a high-output 2.0-liter turbo four.
- Comparison Test: 2012 BMW M3 Coupe vs. 2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe
- First Drive: 2013 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT Coupe
- Comparison Test: 2013 Audi S6 vs. 2013 BMW M5, 2012 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG
With the new engine, AMG will offer a displacement identical to Audi’s twin-turbo V-8, which powers several S and RS versions and the Bentley Continental GT V-8. Although Mercedes will have cut 2200 cubic centimeters from its C63, that car’s direct competition in BMW’s next-gen M3 and M4 as well as Cadillac’s upcoming ATS-V will be powered by turbocharged six-cylinders—further proof that the more-horses-from-fewer-cubes war rages on.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/Qun0Z0131O0/
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