Yesterday news broke that Mercedes-Benz is planning a new 5.5L V8 for the 2012 SLK55 AMG. Mercedes-Benz has now unveiled the new engine. The new 5.5L V8 features an AMG Cylinder Management system that gives it the fuel economy of a four-cylinder without sacrificing the power of the large V8.
The 5.5L V8 is codenamed M152 and is based on the AMG M157 engine that powers the CL63 AMG and S63 AMG models. The M152 engine does away with the twin turbochargers from the M157, but the displacement, bore/ stroke and direct injection systems are the same. The naturally-aspirated 5.5L V8 puts out 415 horsepower and 398 lb-ft. of torque, which is up from 355 horsepower and 376 lb-ft. in the previous engine. Fuel consumption has been improved by about 30 percent.
“With the new 415 hp AMG 5.5-liter V8 engine we have once again created a real masterpiece. The M152 sets an outstanding example for efficiency, while demonstrating the creativity and expertise of our engineers, who took their inspiration from Formula 1 when developing the cylinder shut-off system. This makes the new, naturally aspirated eight-cylinder the perfect power unit for the new SLK55 AMG, which will celebrate its premiere at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt/Main in the autumn,” says Ola Källenius, Chairman of Mercedes-AMG GmbH.
Stay tuned for the engine’s unveiling under the hood of the 2012 SLK55 AMG at this fall.
