Mercedes-Benz upset a lot of people when they announced that the next generation Mercedes-AMG C63 would no longer have a V8 engine. If the arms were up in the air when they downscaled from a 6.2-litre V8 to a blown 4.0-litre V8, then the news that a diminutive 2.0-litre 4-cylinder would be replacing it saw their hair spontaneously combust. To add fuel to the fire (ironically), Mercedes-AMG also announced that it would be a plug-in hybrid. You can imagine the froth being whipped up by fossil fuel purists. Be that as it may, there's no denying that the W206 Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance is the most powerful C63 ever produced.
Related: Mercedes-Benz South Africa unveils the locally-built Mercedes-AMG C 43 and C 63 S E-Performance
Mercedes-Benz South Africa was kind enough to not only allow us to access this new super saloon ahead of its local launch but also ask if AutoTrader would be keen to prove its worth at the prestigious Simola Hillclimb event in Knysna. An event that repeatedly draws international attention from both spectators and competitors alike; and annual spectacle of speed and power.
Chad Luckhoff will be tasked with taking the 500 kW and 1020 Nm rocketship up the hill for its South African debut, challenging the onslaught from the BMW and Porsche contingent. In this video, he gets a first look at things, and in the upcoming videos, we'll take you along for the ride as he tackles the Simola Hillclimb challenge.
