{"id":72770,"date":"2026-02-01T21:42:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T00:42:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automotive.einnews.com\/article\/888522856"},"modified":"2026-02-01T21:42:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T00:42:19","slug":"the-turbocharged-four-cylinder-that-outperforms-most-v8-engines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/02\/01\/the-turbocharged-four-cylinder-that-outperforms-most-v8-engines\/","title":{"rendered":"The Turbocharged Four-Cylinder That Outperforms Most V8 Engines"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s an adage among hot rodders and old-school performance enthusiasts. It goes a little something like \u201cthere\u2019s no replacement for displacement.\u201d It\u2019s a reference to the times of big-displacement, big-power V8 engines like the ones hobbyists and racers would build for street and strip use. However, it\u2019s not 1971 anymore<\/a>. It\u2019s 2026, and, as it turns out, there really might be a replacement for displacement.<\/p>\n

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Doubt it? I invite you to take a look at Mercedes-AMG<\/a>\u2019s turbocharged, power-dense four-banger: the M139. When Mercedes-Benz introduced the mill in 2019, it produced 416 horsepower. It was instantly the world\u2019s most powerful production four-cylinder engine. Since then, variants of the M139 have made seemingly impossible power outputs from a 1,991-CC displacement. In peak setup, the hybrid<\/a> version will produce a properly muscular 671 horsepower. That\u2019s the sort of potency once reserved for big, supercharged V8s.<\/p>\n

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The Mercedes-AMG Turbo Inline-Four Is V8 Strong <\/h2>\n
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Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Performance engine side view<\/figcaption>Mercedes-Benz<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Mercedes-Benz<\/a> and Mercedes-AMG announced the M139, a turbocharged inline-four-cylinder engine, back in 2019. The big headline wasn\u2019t that Mercedes-AMG had a new engine in its repertoire, but rather what the little 2.0-liter mill produced in terms of power output. The Affalterbach-built AMG engine produced up to 416 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. That\u2019s almost 209 horsepower per liter of displacement. Put simply, it was instantly the most powerful series production four-cylinder<\/a> on Earth. In the less potent configuration, the M139 produced 382 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque.<\/p>\n

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Mercedes-AMG Turbo E Performance badge<\/figcaption>Mercedes-Benz<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

And Mercedes-AMG didn\u2019t stop there. Continuous development of the little four-pot heart resulted in the M139l engine. Mercedes-AMG touted that the M139l mill is the \u201c first series production unit in the world to feature an electric exhaust-gas turbocharger,\u201d something the brand borrowed from the AMG Petronas Formula 1<\/a> team. Using that electric turbo, a 4.8-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, and an AC electric motor, Mercedes-AMG vehicles with that hybrid application can produce up to 671 horsepower and 752 pound-feet of torque. That\u2019s less than 40 horsepower shy of the output of the original Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat<\/a> and its supercharged 6.2-liter V8. Make no mention of the fact that a non-hybrid M139 weighs less than half as much as a naturally aspirated 6.4-liter HEMI V8. Not too shabby.<\/p>\n

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