Saturday 23rd April 2016

Mercedes-AMG C43 saloon and estate confirmed

Hardly a surprise move, but the news of another fast saloon and estate sounds good to us!

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While it can be a little difficult to keep track of the various fast Mercedes products at the moment, some are certainly more interesting than others. The AMG-C43 ranks as one of the more interesting ones, particularly with the addition now of saloon and estate models.

Take a little bit of this...

Unsurprisingly the spec follows the coupe and the numerous other '43' models, with a 367hp twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 and a nine-speed automatic gearbox. For the saloon Mercedes claims a 0-62mph time of 4.7 seconds and 4.9 seconds for the estate.

Black 18-inch wheels are standard, with red contrast stitching on the Artico leather and microfibre seats. The latter can be upgraded to AMG Performance Seats for £1,405, with a Performance Exhaust also on the options list for £1,000.

Prices start at £44,460 for the saloon and £45,660 for the estate. There's also a C43 'Premium' available for a £1,695, er, premium that adds a panoramic roof, memory seats, keyless go and a powered boot amongst other little convenience features. At the top of the C43 range is the Premium Plus, costing £47,455 as a four-door and £48,655 in wagon form with the addition of Comand Online and a Burmester stereo on top of the Premium.

... with most of this for the C43 saloon

At the price the most obvious rival appears to be the BMW 340i, offered as an M Sport saloon for £38,815 or £41,635 as the equivalent Touring. Cheaper than the Mercedes, yes, but it's also less powerful and not a dedicated performance variant in the same way the C43 is. There's the new Audi S4 to consider soon also, plus the Jaguar XE S at £44,995. Oh yes, and the new V60 Polestar.

Lower down the C-Class range, all-wheel drive has also been announced for the C200, C220d and C250d. Just in case anything up to 204hp is frequently too much for the rear wheels. Drive story on the '43 just as soon as we can get one!

[anonymous-user]

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