Mercedes-AMG is revving up its upcoming, twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8, which carries the internal code name M178. (Read our deep dive on the engine here.) Officially, the company has thus far only confirmed its use in the AMG GT sports car. But it will be installed in a whole range of AMG vehicles, serving as the replacement for both the M156/M159 naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V-8 and—eventually—the M157 twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V-8.
In the AMG sports car, the M178 will power both the launch GTS (503 horsepower)—which we rode in last month—and the basic GT to come later (about 475 horsepower). But the GT is only the beginning for the new powerhouse and its variants, as it will be fitted in the next C63 AMG sedan and coupe. We should see at least the C63 sedan later this year before it arrives here in the fall of 2015. Around that same time, we have learned that Mercedes will launch an AMG version of the next-gen GLK powered by the same engine. And the M178 will appear in the next-generation E63 AMG in three years or so.
Eventually, almost every AMG model that’s based on a rear-wheel-drive platform will use the new engine, which includes the S63 AMG and the ML63 AMG. One of the main reasons is that the M178’s 4.0-liter size is advantageous for tax considerations in some global markets. It is for this same reason that Audi’s twin-turbo V-8 features the same displacement.
The exceptions, of course, are AMG’s front-drive-based models, which include the CLA45 and the GLA45; they’re powered by the M133 2.0-liter four-cylinder, which could be considered “half” of an M178. Of course, the twin-turboed M275/M279 V-12 will continue.
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Forgetting for a moment our unending grief regarding the death of the naturally aspirated 6.2, the proliferation of the M178 is a good thing. It’s a compact and powerful engine with dry-sump lubrication and its turbochargers nestled inside the cylinder banks in an efficient—and Benz first—“hot-V” configuration. Features like its “Nanoslide” cylinder-bore surfacing (essentially a thin, porous coating of iron) and forged-aluminum pistons allow for high peak turbo pressure and a lofty 7000-rpm redline. See, we told you the engine was getting revved up.
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