2023 Mercedes-AMG C43 Has Less Engine, More Power
Before anyone assembles an angry mob and breaks out the pitchforks in response to this latest example of engine downsizing—a twin-turbo V-6 displaced by a turbo four in the 2023 Mercedes-AMG C43—know that we have been here before. AMG has been producing four-cylinder engines since 2013, although fitting them transversely to cars like the dinky GLA, CLA, and A-class rather than north-south as in the new C43.
Looking further back, Mercedes has even produced a four-cylinder performance derivative of one of the C43’s direct descendants, the stylish 190E sedan, which got 2.3- and 2.5-liter versions fitted with Cosworth-designed 16-valve cylinder heads in the 1980s. But while the 2.5-16 made 195 horsepower, the new C43’s turbocharged 2.0-liter four unleashes 402 horses.
So, it must be more than twice as good, right?
The new engine effectively replaces the 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 of the last-generation C43. It has lost cylinders and capacity but not power, using an advanced electrically assisted turbocharger to beat its predecessor’s peak output (although the maximum 369 pound-feet of torque is lower). The turbo, built by Garrett Motion, uses a compact electric motor between the turbine and the compressor that acts directly on the shaft. It can add a claimed 6 kW of assistance and spin at speeds of up to 170,000 rpm. It can also harvest a small amount of energy from gas flow, although only fleetingly. More regen comes from a 48-volt belt-integrated starter-generator that can also add modest levels of assistance at lower speeds.
The turbo’s e-motor allows boost to build even when exhaust gas isn’t flowing, to help reduce response delay. In the C43’s more aggressive dynamic modes, it will also keep the blades spinning when the throttle is lifted. It’s essentially an electric version of the pop-bang anti-lag that makes rally cars sound like a shooting range. As in the brawnier AMG models, the nine-speed automatic gearbox uses a wet clutch rather than a torque converter to improve response. The standard all-wheel-drive system has a permanent torque split of 31:69 front to back, and rear-wheel steering and active dampers are both standard.
While the new C43’s engine is more sophisticated than its predecessor, it’s less charismatic. The exhaust note is entirely in keeping with a potent four-cylinder engine, managing some pops and chuckles when the throttle is lifted, although some of that is digitally enhanced through the audio system. But it’s much more muted than previous AMG models, even when being pressed hard, and it fades to imperceptibility at cruising speeds.
The electric turbo makes its contribution almost invisibly. It is possible to hear an enhanced induction whine at lower speeds as the turbo builds boost even when the engine is only turning slowly. Pushed harder, throttle responses are indeed clean and lag-free, with no hint of delay even when lifting off and reapplying the gas rapidly. Yet despite its boosted booster, the new engine isn’t especially keen to rev. The car we drove in France hit its spark-cut limiter shortly before the marked 7000-rpm redline, and it shifted a good 500 rpm shy of that point with the transmission left in Drive. While the autobox swaps cogs smoothly and intelligently, there was a noticeable pause when requesting manual downshifts via the steering-wheel paddles.
That said, the C43 is hugely fast and dynamically secure. The engine’s linear responses and unbreakable traction mean it never felt edgy or loose when pushed hard. AMG’s claim of 4.6 seconds to 60 mph is almost certainly pessimistic, given that we hustled the old V-6 C43 coupe to 60 mph in just 4.1 seconds, and the new car has gained a launch-control system to help it get off the line. While there hasn’t been a significant reduction in overall weight—this C43 is a porky 3900 pounds, according to its maker—the reduced front-end mass of the lighter engine is obvious in tighter corners, where the new car felt keen to turn in.
The steering is good, as you would hope from an AMG, with more low-level feedback than in the regular C-class and forceful weighting beyond that as lock is added. Grip levels were impressive, too, with our sample car’s Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires finding huge adhesion in both dry and wet conditions. Yet despite the rear torque bias, there was little sense of any kind of rear-led handling balance, even in tighter corners—the C43 is one of those cars that sticks and goes. The ride was firm at low speeds, regardless of which drive mode was controlling the adjustable dampers, although our test car was riding on the largest available 20-inch rims. Overall, the C43 felt closer dynamically to the virtues we would expect from an Audi S4 than any of its rortier and more exciting AMG predecessors.
The C43 seems to be leaving plenty of headroom for the brawnier C63 that will follow, using a more powerful version of the 2.0-liter engine in conjunction with a hybrid system. But there is still much to like about this lesser model beyond the fact that it will cost less. Like the regular C-class, it has a well-finished cabin with a high level of standard technology. The MBUX operating system that powers the vast 12.3-inch portrait-oriented central touchscreen is not the most intuitive of user interfaces, and the steering wheel’s need for four spokes plus two round binnacles to accommodate all of its controls is another usability fail, but owners will doubtless quickly acclimate to the most commonly used functions—and there’s now a physical AMG shortcut button to get straight to the dynamic settings.
One strange ergonomic decision is the shared shape and mirrored positioning of the combined wiper and turn signal stalk on the left, and the gear selector on the right of the wheel. This is almost certain to cause confusion for anybody used to a more traditional stalk layout.
While the C43’s switch to its smaller engine hasn’t come at the cost of performance, it certainly hasn’t added anything to the experience. And it faces off against the larger and more characterful engine in the six-cylinder BMW M340i xDrive. The C43 has more power than the BMW does, but this downsized engine does feel like the answer to a question that hasn’t yet been asked, at least on this side of the Atlantic.
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