Next Mercedes-Benz C-Class AMG will ditch its V8

Will a turbo V6 replace a V8 in the next Mercedes-Benz AMG C-Class?

The the redesigned 2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan will be just one of several cars in a very large lineup. The U.S. will also get C-Class coupe and convertible models, as well as an AMG performance variant. That’s the one you really care about, right?

The current C63 AMG is one of the last cars to use the fire-breathing 6.3-liter V8, and it’s due to be replaced in the new model.

With what, though?

Speaking to DT Automotive Editor Nick Jaynes at the U.S. press launch of the C-Class, a Mercedes representative implied the next AMG will lose a few cylinders.

“You won’t miss the V8,” he said.

A downsized engine wouldn’t be out of the ordinary given the current AMG emphasis on efficiency, which has seen the replacement of the 6.3-liter V8 with a 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged unit in most cars, and the introduced of the pint-sized, 2.0-liter four-cylinder CLA45 AMG and GLA45 AMG.

A smaller-displacement AMG C-Class isn’t unprecedented, either. AMG versions of both the first and second-generation C-Class had V6 engines, although both were eventually replaced by V8s.

However, ditching the V8 this time would involve even more downsizing than many have anticipated. Previous reports suggested the new model would use the 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 slated for the AMG GT sports car.

Nonetheless, a V6 would bring the C-Class in line with the 2015 BMW M3 (and its two-door M4 siblings), which is also ditching a V8 for six cylinders.

V6 power would also split the difference between the four-cylinder CLA and GLA and the larger AMG models, giving the C-Class a more defined place in the hierarchy.

None of this has been confirmed, but no matter how many cylinders it has, you can get the next AMG C-Class engine will be turbocharged, just like everything else in the tuner’s current range.

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