The Fate Of AMG Rests On One Four Litre Lump

This picture should never be with an article about economy.
But it's happened.

I've been noticing just how much I have been writing about efficiency recently. Of course, it is completely unintentional but since my posts are often based around current automotive events, it does show what all manufacturers are focussing on nowadays.

And if you are fed up of me hammering on about green this and clean that, I'm afraid you're in bad luck; it's business as usual for today. But the latest greenery comes from one of the most unexpected firms of them all: AMG. Let that sink in and read on
if you dare...



Bad news! You will never find a new AMG Mercedes model sporting the legendary 6.2L V8 (badged 6.3 for nostalgic reasons). This may sound slightly familiar to you; AMG has been phasing out the monster motor for a while, with a 5.5L bi-turbo V8 replacing it. Only a few models remain with the naturally aspirated beast and as soon as they get a facelift or a refresh, the engine will be gone for good.

Say your farewells!

While the 5.5 is still serving well in some models like the SLK, AMG has announced a brand new engine that was designed to be paired to the upcoming Porsche 911 rival. Little is known about this new mystery model, but rumours are saying that it will essentially be a shrunken SLS. And the new engine definitely supports that theory...

This is all we can see now. Oh AMG, you tease.

The engine is a 4L bi-turbocharged V8, producing 510bhp and 479lb/ft from 1750rpm. Clearly, this engine won't be a slouch, especially when it is slotted in this supposed 'mini SLS'. And I am willing to bet that will only be the start; 510bhp seems a little bit conservative. I'm sure another 100bhp could be squeezed out with a little bit of AMG magic.

A warm welcome to the new 4L unit. Get your magnifying glasses out!

But the question that has been resting on some worried people's minds is this: what will happen to the famously naughty AMG soundtrack? Just as a general rule of thumb: the smaller the capacity, the blander the noise becomes. A 7L V8 will always sound better than a 3.5L one without exhaust enhancements, and that is just a physical fact.

But AMG thankfully seem to be quietly confident that this new engine will not let the enthusiasts down. According to TopGear.com, the AMG workers 'smirked' when the idea of enhancing the engine note through the car audio system was mentioned. That's pretty promising if you ask me.

There are 510 horses trapped in there somewhere

Another point that may lower the enthusiasts' temper down a bit is the fact that AMG claim that these new turbos will have no lag that's noticeable to the driver. While this is clearly a very good thing, I very much doubt that it will have the same buttery smoothness of the late 6.2.

AMG also add that the economy will be astonishing. Yeah, whatever. As long as we get what has come to be expected from you AMG, we'll be happy. Time will tell.