If you like the 2016 Mercedes-Benz AMG GT, but need to haul groceries, just wait for the next C63 AMG.
Based on the redesigned 2015 C-Class, this new model will use the 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 from Mercedes’ latest sports car, producing up to 503 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque.
That’s the same horsepower rating as the top AMG GT S model, but the torque figure is actually 37 pound-feet higher. Well played, Affalterbach.
The V8 always seemed like a logical choice for the C63 AMG, although for a time it appeared Mercedes would follow rival BMW’s lead and downsize with a turbocharged six-cylinder engine.
Related: 2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class first drive
Now that V8 power is confirmed, the C63 stands ready to obliterate the 2015 BMW M3 and its twin-turbocharged, 3.0-liter inline-six. That engine makes just 425 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque.
It will even out-muscle the Lexus RC F’s 5.0-liter V8, which can only muster 467 hp and 389 lb-ft.
However, that 500-horsepower output is reserved for the top C63 S AMG. The “base” C63 AMG gets 469 hp and 479 pound-feet of torque, which still beats both BMW and Lexus.
Coupled to a seven-speed automatic transmission, that’s enough to get the C63 AMG from 0 to 62 mph in 4.0 seconds, while the C63 S AMG will do it in 3.9 seconds. Both versions are electronically limited to 155 mph.
In addition to that monstrous engine, the new C63 AMG is set apart from regular C-Class models by performance hardware – including an AMG-tuned adaptive suspension system – and more aggressive exterior styling.
Like the current C63 AMG, Mercedes may also introduce a more potent, hardcore Black Series version at some point after the standard C63’s launch.
With an expected auto show debut in either Paris or Los Angeles later this year, those first C63s will probably arrive in showrooms to terrorize BMW and Lexus owners sometime next year.
UPDATE: We added photos and more technical details released by Mercedes-Benz after the original version of this article was published.
