Mercedes-AMG has launched its latest hot SUV, the fastback GLC Coupe, in 43 and 63 S forms.
The most potent version, the AMG GLC 63 S, gets 680hp, while the AMG GLC 43 must suffice with a mere 421hp. However, where you might have once expected to hear the snarl of a V8 or the growl of a V6 in either car, now there are only four cylinders and a lot of battery power.
Mild or plug-in hybrid
That's because the AMG GLC 63 S and 43 use the latest 2.0-litre four-pot turbo AMG engine combined with a plug-in hybrid module or a mild-hybrid system that adds an electric boost to their sledgehammer swing.
Let's start with the headline act - the AMG GLC 63 S. Even without the battery boost, this M139-L engine would be pretty racy, thanks to the addition of a compound electric-gas turbocharger. This uses a tiny 4cm-diameter electric motor strapped to the turbo's input shaft, which spins up the impeller to help avoid any wait-and-wait turbo lag. Once the electric bit has the turbo up to speed, the more conventional exhaust-gas-driven side takes over. It's fiendishly clever, and Mercedes says it's the only such system currently in production. There's even a rally-car-style anti-lag system where when the driver eases off the accelerator or brakes, the technology can maintain the boost pressure at all times. It's all driven by a 48-volt electric system, and Mercedes claims it's been designed based on the turbo tech used by the Merc-AMG F1 team.
It allows this 2.0-litre engine to produce a massive 476hp, with 545Nm of torque. Which is a lot, but wait - there's more. We need to account for the hybrid side of things.
Mounted to the rear axle is a 204hp electric motor, which gets its own discrete, two-speed transmission. With the compact 6.1kW battery sat above it, that motor acts directly on the rear wheels for maximum response time, but it can also turn the front wheels, if needed, through a complex driveshaft system.
12km electric range
You can charge this tiny battery up from the mains, but as it gives you a mere 12km range, we're not sure there's much of a point (other than providing the AMG GLC 63 S somewhat better WLTP figures than would otherwise be the case...). No, the point here is more power - 680hp and 1,020Nm of torque combined, thanks to the battery's continuous 80kW output and its ability to 'sprint' at 150kW for ten seconds at a time.
That's enough to shove this AMG GLC 63 S to 100km/h in just 3.5 seconds and on to a top speed, where legal, of course, of 275km/h.
There's more cleverness in how that rear-mounted electric motor works. Mercedes says, "Instead of ESP braking intervention, the electric machine can also regulate traction as soon as a wheel signals too much slip. To do this, the intelligent control reduces the drive torque of the electric machine, which is transferred to the wheel via the rear axle locking differential. The result: The ESP does not have to intervene or only intervenes later."
The AMG GLC 43 4MATIC is, unsurprisingly, less of a tearaway, but we doubt any sensible person would be disappointed with 421hp and 500Nm. The 43 isn't a plug-in hybrid but a mild hybrid with a 48-volt electrical system and a compact electric motor that can boost power and torque by 10kW when needed.
You'll be slower than the 63 S, of course, but 0-100km/h in 4.8 seconds and a top speed of 250km/h is surely no one's idea of sluggish.
Both models get a nine-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission with both a fuel-saving coasting function and a non-fuel-saving Race Start launch control function. The 43 gets a rear-biased four-wheel drive setup (69 per cent of the power goes to the rears), while the 63 S gets a fully-variable four-wheel drive system.
Active roll control
Both cars, of course, get the AMG Dynamic Select system, which allows you to choose driving modes and set the car's steering, ride, and engine response to your liking. Both also get AMG arise Control suspension with adaptive dampers, and active roll control keeps the body flat in corners.
There's also three-stage AMG speed-sensitive power steering with active rear-axle steer, which turns the back wheels at up to 2.5 degrees.
Both cars get appropriately massive brakes. The 43 has internally ventilated and perforated brake discs measuring 370 x 36 millimetres with four-piston fixed calipers mounted on the front axle and 360 x 26 millimetres at the rear with one-piston floating calipers.
Meanwhile, the 63 S gets the AMG high-performance composite brake system with six-piston fixed calipers at the front (with internally ventilated and perforated brake discs 390 x 36 mm) and one-piston floating calipers at the rear (with internally ventilated and perforated brake discs 370 x 26 mm).
Both cars get the requisite AMG body kits with the 'Panamericana' grille and chunky alloy wheels of up to 21-inch diameter. You can also add 'Night Packs' and a 'Carbon Pack', which turn all the exterior chrome to black or carbon fibre, and there's a highly-specked Edition 1 model at the time of launch.
Inside, there's Nappa leather everywhere, carbon-fibre trim where the Nappa isn't, and AMG-specific graphics and menus for the digital instruments and infotainment screens. The 63 S also gets the Track Pace software, which is a racing-car-style telemetry system which logs more than 80 different data points so you can analyse your track-day driving. Although, in fairness, if you're bringing this two-tonne SUV Coupe to a track day, we need to talk about your life choices.
"With the new Mercedes-AMG GLC Coupé, we are addressing customers who are looking for a sporty lifestyle and dynamic design coupled with impressive performance. The diverse and high-quality technical components guarantee the highest level of driving dynamics and pleasure. With the top model GLC 63 S E Performance Coupé, we now also offer our innovative hybrid drive in this segment, which guarantees an extensive range of driving experience", said Michael Schiebe, CEO of Mercedes-AMG GmbH and head of business units Mercedes-Benz G-Class & Mercedes-Maybach.