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Mercedes-AMG's 416-hp turbo four will power bigger, rear-drive cars

The firecracker turbo four was developed with RWD in mind

Tires ran for cover when Mercedes-AMG announced plans to power its latest round of hot-rodded compacts with a turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder tuned to make up to 416 horsepower. The company's previous turbo four powered only smaller, front-wheel drive-based models, like the CLA and the GLA, but the new engine was also designed to live under the hood of bigger, rear-drive cars.

"The reason [why it makes so much power] is that we're going to use that engine for further applications, which are not necessarily east-west applications," AMG boss Tobias Moers told Malaysian website Paultan on the sidelines of the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show.

Moers declined to provide details about what his team has in mind for the turbo four. It doesn't sound like engineers can wring significantly more horsepower from the engine, however, so whatever it ends up in will need to compete with about 416 horses under the hood. Keep in mind that every rear-wheel drive car that Mercedes makes is bigger and heavier than a comparable, front-wheel drive compact. That rules out the next-generation C63, among other cars. The current C43 offers 385 horses from a straight-six; the lighter turbo four would give it a comparable power-to-weight ratio, but it wouldn't provide the same smoothness, and it would be down on torque by about 20 pound-feet.

Seeing it in a C-Class is unlikely, then, at least without some degree of electrification. While nothing is official, the comments made by Moers sound like AMG's fresh turbo four will play a significant role in the sub-brand's electrification offensive. Even a de-tuned, 400-horsepower variant of the turbo four could easily deliver C63-like power if teamed with an electric motor. The current C is unlikely to make the switch for cost and packaging reasons, but its replacement is nearly here.

Paultan added Mercedes will show "some ideas" related to the four-cylinder engine later this year. The timing suggests the firm could introduce a concept or a new car alongside Mercedes-Maybach's GLS-based SUV during the 2019 edition of the Los Angeles Auto Show opening in a few weeks.

Mercedes-Benz Information

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