Mercedes-AMG Unleashes 600bhp+ Mild Hybrid SUV

Paul Myles

TU-Editor

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21st November 2019

Mercedes-AMG has let its most powerful mild-hybrid SUV off the leash with the new GLE63 boasting some 628bhp.

The ranging-topping GLE63 S employs a new charger in the 608bhp AMG-tuned 4.0-liter V8 biturbo engine which is combined, for the first time, with the EQ Boost starter-alternator. This is accompanied by an additional electric output of 20bhp from its 48-volt on-board electrical system, cylinder shut-off and gasoline particulate filter to enhance city clean air credentials.

The V8 gasoline engine uses twin-scroll turbo-chargers set between the cylinder banks. The automaker says the advantages of the “hot inside V” lie in its compact engine design and the immediate response of the exhaust-gas boost. Other technical highlights of the engine include spray-guided direct gasoline injection with piezo injectors, all-aluminium crankcase, the four-valve-per-cylinder design with camshaft adjustment, air-water charge air cooling, alternator management, the ECO start/stop function and the gliding mode.

Its electrified assistance employs a 48-volt on-board electrical system used as a power generator and also performs hybrid functions. These include boost, recuperate, load point shift, gliding and the restarting of the engine with the start/stop function. For the first time, the EQ Boost starter-alternator is also responsible for idle speed control which allows fuel savings that claim high-voltage hybrid technology efficiency.

Tobias Moers, chairman of the board of management of Mercedes-AMG, said: “For the first time we are electrifying our well-proven 4.0-litre V8 biturbo engine with an EQ Boost starter-alternator and a 48-volt on-board electrical system. As such we are embarking on another new chapter of our drive technology, which we are also successively extending further to other model series as we move towards electrification and hybridization.”

— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in London. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_