Test drive Mercedes-AMG C 43 Coupe 4Matic: gray cardinal

Driving a dynamic coupe with nearly 400 horsepower

The Mercedes-AMG C 43 Coupe impressively shows that it can be almost as fast as the C 63 without being as violent.

Although the Mercedes-AMG C 43 and Mercedes-AMG C 63 differ in the "first reading" by only one number in the designation, which suggests a difference in engine displacement, in fact the two are radically different.

The differences between the C 43 and C 63 are similar to those between the M Performance and M BMW models, resp. between S and RS models on Audi. In other words, full-blooded AMG models such as the M and RS competition cars are racial athletes with motorsport genes and are designed for both the road and the track.

Similar to the already mentioned BMW M Performance and Audi models, Mercedes has been offering its customers more powerful, dynamic and sporty versions based on its standard series for several years now, adding to them some technologies and accessories from AMG.

This is the case with the Mercedes-AMG C 43 Coupe, which is the standard C-Class with high power and not a tamed version of the extreme C 63. In other words, a very fast and powerful travel car with a sporty rather than a competitive character.

Menacing view

To the delight of AMG style aficionados, the exterior of the C 43 is actually pretty close to its powerful four-liter twin-turbo eight-cylinder sibling. The car is based on 18-inch wheels as standard, but most customers will definitely not opt ​​for the optionally larger and wider options.

The more impressive wheels look no less respectable in size, and the rear of the car boasts a small spoiler built into the trunk lid and four tailpipes.

The dynamic body style is complemented by reduced ground clearance, as well as special bumpers and side skirts, and the end result of all these styling changes is really aggressive.

Comfortable interior

The interior is brimming with the brand's typical comfort with the emblem's three-pointed star. AMG-Performance heated and air-conditioned seats can be ordered here as an option.

As an alternative to the standard instrument cluster, a 12,3-inch digital instrument cluster is available, which has a sporty look, especially for the AMG model - it is occupied by a large round tachometer, and readings such as turbocharger pressure, lateral and longitudinal acceleration, engine oil temperature and transmissions, etc. can be seen from the side.

The AMG sports steering wheel is tilted at the bottom and features the sensor fields already familiar from other Mercedes models at 12 o'clock, as well as perforated leather upholstery.

A thicker steering wheel with microfiber inserts is also available at an additional cost. All leather-covered elements in the interior (seats, steering wheel, dashboard, door panels) are highlighted with contrasting red stitching.

Wide range of settings

The driver of the C 43 has five main modes to choose from: Comfort, Sport, Sport +, one for slippery surfaces, and the freely configurable Individual.

You do not need to drive a car for a long time to find that even in comfort mode the AMG Ride Control suspension is stiff enough, the steering wheel feels heavy and straight, the brakes “bite” hard even when the brake pedal is lightly pressed, and all the behavior of the car is suitable for sports cars ...

This does not mean that the car behaves nervously - on the contrary, in most cases, the C 43 retains the calmness typical of Mercedes cars, as long as you do not overdo it with "hooliganism". The discipline that best suits this car is to cover long distances quickly, including on winding roads - for more mood.

390 hp, 520 Nm and a lot of good grip

As part of a partial model update last year, the three-liter V6 unit received a new turbocharger with increased pressure to 1,1 bar, and power was increased to 390 horsepower - by 23 hp. more than before.

The maximum torque of 520 Nm is reached at 2500 rpm and remains available up to 5000 rpm. Needless to say, with such characteristics, the C 43 is perfectly motorized in any situation and demonstrates excellent dynamic performance.

Thanks to the standard 4Matic dual-drive system for this modification (the thrust is distributed between the front and rear axles in a ratio of 31 to 69 percent), the model boasts very good traction, thanks to which power is transferred to the road as efficiently as possible.

The classic sprint from standstill to 4,7km/h is achieved in a remarkable 9 seconds, and the grip on every serious acceleration is impressive to say the least. The operation of the AMG Speedshift TCT XNUMXG nine-speed automatic transmission differs significantly depending on the selected operating mode - when "Comfort" is selected, the box tries to maintain very low speed levels most of the time, which actually matches the performance of the engine very well with its abundant traction on all modes.

However, when switching to “Sport”, the picture instantly changes, and with it the sound background - in this mode, the transmission holds gears much longer, “returns” to a lower level at every opportunity, and the concert of the sports exhaust system goes from classical music to heavy -metal.

By the way, the sound show becomes even more spectacular from the outside when a car passes by. It is interesting to note that while, as expected, the acoustics of the V6 in the C 43 are very different from those of the V63 in the C XNUMX, the two models are almost equally loud and screaming in sound.

Add to this the fact that on civil roads they are absolutely comparable in dynamics and real speed, so the C 43 is actually a very interesting, slightly more affordable, more comfortable and less brutal alternative to the most powerful model in the C-Class line. ...