Mercedes Backs AMG’s 4-Cylinder PHEVs, Says It’ll Take Time To Convince Buyers

Unsurprisingly, a top Mercedes-Benz executive is backing the decision to adopt four-cylinder AMG power

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A lot has been said about the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S and GLC 63 S shifting from eight-cylinders to four-cylinders, and not much of it has been positive. However, according to the Australian boss of Mercedes-Benz, consumers will eventually come around to the idea and embrace AMG’s small-capacity, electrified age.

Both the new C 63 S and GLC 63 S share the same powertrain. It consists of a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder churning out 469 hp and supplemented by a 201 hp electric motor. All up, the duo deliver an extraordinary 671 hp and 752 lb-ft (1,020 Nm) of torque, remarkable gains over their respective predecessors. This means they’re much quicker, but many have been quick to criticize the lack of soul and character the plug-in hybrid has compared to the old V8 models.

Read: By Going Back To V8s, AMG Admits There’s More To A Sporty Car’s Appeal Than Speed

During a recent interview with Car Sales at the launch of the new GLC 63, Mercedes-Benz Australia boss Jaime Cohen said he doesn’t have any qualms about the switch to a four-cylinder.

“Slowly that will develop and I don’t feel at all any reservations,” he said. “I think it will still be a very successful vehicle. I don’t think there is an issue, it’s a transition, and transitions always take time and always take some convincing and experience. It’s about performance. It would be a problem if we could not deliver the same performance with the [plug-in hybrid powertrain], but once you drive it you see the performance is there.”

Cohen used the example of Mercedes ditching manual transmissions and the eventual acceptance of its automatic boxes as evidence that buyers will eventually come around to the idea of 2.0-liter AMG models.

“I still love manual transmissions, if you ask me I would buy one. But the market developed and the market changed,” he noted. “When we first moved not everyone was convinced about our automatic transmissions. But eventually now… everyone has one.”

While the new plug-in hybrid powertrain is significantly more powerful, and vastly more fuel efficient than AMG’s 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, we remain unconvinced Mercedes made the right decision. We’re living in the final era of the combustion engine and select carmakers have proven it’s still possible to build big gas-guzzling ICEs chock full of character which are supplemented by electric motors. AMG should have done the same.