Mercedes C43 AMG Review
The Mercedes C43 AMG sedan offers a blend of performance & practicality at a good price point
Mercedes seems to be betting really big on the Indian market. The Stuttgart-based automaker has launched their 13th offering this year and it is the C43 AMG sedan. Mercedes has been offering the C63 S since quite a while and that car is an absolute stonker. The C43 is aimed to be a relatively affordable offering and offers dynamic performance at the same time. We drove the C43 AMG on the Buddh International Circuit for a few laps to gauge its capabilities.
I’ve driven almost all AMG cars on the road and every BMW M car on the track. However, this was my first time with an AMG on a track and hence I was really looking forward to it. The Mercedes C43 AMG looks very similar to the C63 S which in turn looks similar to the C-Class but comes with a whole lot of sporty bits. The C43 does look very enticing and my personal favourite is the red shade. The C43 comes with 5-spoke alloys unlike the multi-spoke rims on the C63 S. The interiors are also very similar to the C-Class and the all black theme indeed looks very sporty. The front seats are super comfortable and they offer oodles of support. The instrument cluster, transmission stalk and all the other controls are again very familiar.
The Mercedes C43 AMG is powered by a 3.0-litre V6 engine that is matched to a 9G-TRONIC gearbox. The engine is capable of putting out 365 HP of power and 520 Nm of torque. The automaker claims that 0-100 km/hr comes up in just 4.7 seconds while top speed has been electronically limited to 250 km/hr. Apart from this, the biggest change that the C43 has over the C63 S is the fact that it comes with a standard 4MATIC system which offers much more grip. However, the car has a lesser tail happy nature due to 4MATIC and people who love sliding their way out will definitely not like this feature. Though, it offers a lot of traction which is very useful on the track.
The engine has good punch and the dynamics are very sharp and precise
Buddh International Circuit was the perfect place to check out this car. Unfortunately, we got to drive it only for a couple of laps and that too in a convoy. As soon as you turn on the ignition, the growl of the exhaust makes you fall for the car already. It doesn’t sound as violent as the C63 S but still the note is brilliant and the pops are very addictive. The throttle feels very responsive and so does the steering. I can easily opine that this steering is easily one of the best in this segment. It is extremely precise and has a lot of feel too.
The Mercedes C43 AMG comes with the usual driving modes like Eco, Comfort, Sport, Sport+ and Race. I drove in Comfort mode initially and then switched to Sport+. Race mode switches off the ESP. Sport+ is best suited on the track since it stiffens the suspension and the steering feels weighty and super responsive. The engine has a very strong mid-range and gear shifts are very quick too. I had fun using the paddle-shifters on the track to get a better feel. The engine has a very strong pull in the mid-range and has good whack all the way to 6000 RPM. I tried maxing out the car on the back straight at the BIC but managed only 210 km/hr, largely due to the fact that driving in a convoy does have its limitations.
The Mercedes C43 AMG has nice dynamics complimented by a super engine and gearbox combo. The sedan also offers good practicality for everyday use and is a nice performance car targeted towards people who don’t want to spend a bomb on a full-fledged AMG. Performance isn’t bad at all and the C43 AMG is definitely quite dramatic and engaging to drive. Buy this car if you’re looking for performance on a budget and want a sleeper car that looks classy as well as sporty. In terms of competition, the Mercedes C43 AMG will largely compete with the Audi S5 and will give buyers a ticket to the AMG club.
