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Mercedes-AMG GLC63 to make use of new E63 drivetrain, will not use C63 bits

There will be a new Mercedes-AMG GLC63 SUV and a Mercedes-AMG GLC63 Coupe, and neither of them will use the same drivetrain as the C63 range.


CarAdvice learnt this exclusive detail about the not-yet-revealed high-performance version of the GLC63 in an exclusive one-on-one interview with Mercedes-AMG CEO Tobias Moers, who was on hand at the show to unveil the Mercedes-AMG GLC43 model (pictured) that will plug the gap between the regular GLC range and the yet-to-be-revealed, full-fat GLC63.

The full details of the drivetrain that will power the all-new Mercedes-AMG E63 have not yet been revealed, but it will feature a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine, with a standard nine-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.

The good bit for GLC buyers is that the new drivetrain that will be seen in the E63 is set to see a power bump. The C63 drivetrain churns out 350kW and 650Nm in the standard models, or 375kW and 700Nm in the C63 S models we get in Australia.

The E63 unit will produce a bit more than that, with reports suggesting it could push 430kW and more than 800Nm in the high-performance S version.

“We are in the final phases of doing the new E63, with the totally new drivetrain, with a new four-wheel-drive system engineered by us,” Moers said.

Further to that, Moers has said in the past that the new AMG-developed all-wheel-drive system has been engineered to allow drift, to maintain that rear-drive feel if the driver so desires. He stressed the point that the four-wheel-drive system has been “engineered by us”.

“And in our understanding, all other 63 models coming up to the market, they have to use the new, more sophisticated drivetrain, Moers said.

So, what else could we see it in? The E63 wagon (pictured below) Coupe and Cabriolet models, for a start, and maybe the next-generation CLS (which is based on the E-Class), too.

“But this is what I always put on the table: it’s going to be the biggest step we ever make in one generation of E-Class to another,” he said. “A new era of driving dynamics, I think unexpected from your side.”

Moers wouldn't be drawn to comment on timing for the arrival of the new GLC63 models, though a roll-out next year for the SUV and Coupe variants would be logical.

“So E63 comes first, and after that, maybe the GLC63,” he said, before going on to confirm that the GLC63 will indeed be offered as an SUV and as a Coupe.

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