Mercedes-Benz is introducing the 5,5-litre V8 from the S-Class to its E, CLS and CLK ranges in South Africa and the eagerly-awaited 63 AMG engine (with outputs ranging from 354 to 378 kW) will be made available in the E, CLS, CLK and ML lineups.
Mercedes-Benz is introducing the 5,5-litre V8 from the S-Class to its E, CLS and CLK ranges in South Africa and the eagerly-awaited 63 AMG engine (with outputs ranging from 354 to 378 kW) will be made available in the E, CLS, CLK and ML lineups.
Besides the imminent arrival of the updated E-Class, the E500, 2007 model year CLS500 and CLK500 will be equipped with the 285 kW 5,5-litre V8 unit that currently does duty in the S-Class grand saloon. Apart from its bigger capacity, the new powerplant produces 26 per cent more power than the 5,0-litre. The engine’s maximum torque output (530 N.m) also exceeds that of its predecessor by about 15 per cent and Mercedes-Benz claims the new CLS 500 will accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in 5,4 seconds, 0,7 seconds faster than the outgoing model.
The new 500 engine will become available immediately in the CLS, CLK and E Class,” DaimlerChrysler SA’s media manager for the Mercedes Car Group, Richard Sloman, said on Wednesday. “The 63 AMG engine will be available immediately in the CLS, the CLK, the
E-Class and, from about September, the ML as well. There are various levels of tune for the engine in the different bodies (CLK – 354 kW, E & CLS – 378 kW and ML – 375kW) all of them produce peak torque of 630 N.m”.
CARtoday.com reported last year that the naturally-aspirated 6,3-litre V8 (as earmarked for the E- and CLS-Class) was developed entirely by AMG, produces its maximum power at 6 800 r/min and peak torque at 5 200 r/min, with 500 N.m avaiable from 2 000 r/min.
The engine combines high-revving characteristics with a large displacement engine to produce what Benz calls the “most powerful naturally aspirated V8 production engine in the world”. Thanks to its large displacement, the new engine produces about 20 per cent more torque compared with similar engines in its class and employs a variable intake manifold with two throttle flaps and vertical intake and exhaust ducts to ensure optimal cylinder charging. The 32 valves in the cylinder heads are operated by bucket tappets, whose space-saving style allows for a stiff valve train and, as a result, higher engine speeds. The crankcase design follows a bedplate construction using the closed-deck principle that is well used in motorsport sectors. Variable camshaft adjustment and cylinder walls with a new LDS coating are further hallmarks of Affalterbach’s new V8 powerplant.
In design terms, the high-revving V8 is the first by AMG to be independently developed without any sharing of components with other Mercedes-Benz eight cylinders. The new unit differs from earlier V8s in that the crankcase, the new intake and exhaust manifolds, the distance between its cylinders, and the valve train are all new developments for the Mercedes-AMG division.
Zero to 100 km/h in 4,5 secs
Stuttgart engineers claim their new CLS63 AMG can bolt from zero to 100 km/h in just 4,5 seconds. The CLS AMG’s extras include a new sports suspension (based on the Airmatic system but incorporating ADS II ad
