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Image: - Mr Frederick Eichler, Head of Engine Development, Mercedes-AMG

In 2009, the Best performance engine category was one of the closest-fought in the whole of the International Engine of the Year Awards. In 2010, the winner is the same – the Mercedes-AMG 6.2-litre powerhouse – but its margin of victory has increased five-fold from 19 points to 105.

It’s a crushing performance from an engine that specialises in, er, crushing performance! In its most highly tuned form, as seen in AMG versions of the S-, SL-, CL- and E-Class models, this naturally aspirated V8 produces 525bhp and 630Nm of torque – enough to ensure acceleration from 0-100km/h in a rapid 4.6 seconds.

When the engine is combined with the AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT sevenspeed sports transmission, partial suppression of individual cylinders by interrupting ignition and injection during gearshifts under full load leads to considerably faster shift times – as little as 100 milliseconds in manual mode.

Cutting-edge technology is employed to ensure this highrevving, large-displacement beast is as efficient as possible. In the case of the E 63 AMG version, for example, despite 11bhp of additional output versus the preceding model, the fuel consumption has been improved to 12.6 l/100km (22.4mpg) on the NEDC combined cycle, a reduction of 1.6 l/100km (1.76mpg).

This progress has been made possible by a package of measures including on-demand delivery of fuel and generator management with recuperation of braking energy on the overrun. Friction is also reduced by the AMG-exclusive twin-wire arc spray coating process used on the cylinder walls.

It all adds up to a dominant display of power and efficiency from AMG, and another trophy for the cabinet. Perhaps the 6.2 will only be toppled from within: its creators are soon to launch a 5.5-litre, 571bhp biturbo V8, which will reduce fuel consumption in the S 63 by 25%!