Times Five

The easiest way for carmakers to reduce their emissions is to downsize their engines. Nile Bijoux looks at some nameplates still around today that have smaller powerplants.

Mercedes-Benz C 63

The most infamous on this list is probably the C 63. Mercedes-AMG initially gave it a 6208cc naturally aspirated V8 in the car’s first outing in 2008. While it missed out on the 5.5-litre biturbo V8 other AMG 63 cars got from 2011, in 2014 the engine was swapped for AMG’s 4.0-litre twin-turbo-charged V8, where it has remained since.

Well, until now, because it’s all but certain the new C 63 will be powered by the 2.0-litre turbo-four from the A 45 S, along with an electric motor, offering even more power than the current V8 with a total of 410kW and 800Nm.

Any BMW that isn’t an M car

BMW used to name its cars with three digits – the first indicated what series the car belonged to and the second two referenced the size of the engine. For example, a 330i was a 3 Series with a 3.0-litre engine. Now, most of those badges are still in rotation but they don’t really mean much, aside from showing where in the range a car is.

You can still buy a 330i now but the badge is a bit of a lie. These days, the model is powered by a turbo-charged 2.0-litre fourcylinder. Same goes for the M550i above – it still has a V8 but it’s a 4.4-litre not a 5.0.

Porsche 911 Carrera

Going back to the 996 generation of Porsche 911, the Carrera lineup was powered by a 3.4-litre flat six. The 997 generation featured 3.6-litre and 3.8-litre engines, depending on spec, but the mid-life update in the 991 generation saw a drop down to 3.0-litres for the Carrera and Carrera S models.

They gained turbo-chargers to boost power from 294kW to 309kW in the Carrera S and torque jumped from 400Nm to 500Nm. The new cars were more powerful and faster to boot, but didn’t quite have the same aural thrills as before.

Ford GT

The Ford GT might not exactly count as attainable but that’s OK. In 2005 we saw the ‘‘new’’ GT debut with styling aped from the iconic GT40 of the 1960s, along with a supercharged 5.4L V8 good for 410kW/678Nm. It sounded fantastic, but that’s probably a given.

The model lasted a couple of years before quietly retreating, only to come back in 2017 with more modern looks and a more modern powertrain. The second-generation used a 3.5-litre, twin-turbo-charged V6 with 492kW/745Nm (as of 2020).

Ford Mondeo

The Mondeo hasn’t been around these parts for a while now but it’s still kicking over in Europe. In its heyday, you could get a Mondeo with a range of four-cylinder engines, spanning 1.5-litres to 2.0-litres, as well as a couple of high-performance 2.5-litre V6s.

That was then, however, and this is now, a time when the Mondeo can be had with a tiny little 1.0-litre turbo triple. It makes as much power as the entry 1.8-litre from the Mk3 (92kW) but consumes less fuel.