A redesigned Mercedes-Benz C-Class was launched for 2022, and for the 2023 model year the first of two AMG versions has landed at dealerships.
Mercedes on Wednesday announced that AMG’s C 43 is now available for sale in the U.S., priced from $61,050, including a $1,150 destination charge. AMG’s more potent C 63 S E Performance is due to arrive in the second half of the year as a 2024 model.
First shown a year ago, the C 43 brings with it plenty of performance coupled with a long list of standard features.
The car has dropped the inline-6 engine of its predecessor in favor of a 2.0-liter turbo-4 in combination with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. The engine is the same one offered in AMG’s SL 43 sold overseas, meaning it features an electrified turbocharger design similar to what’s found in Formula 1.
2023 Mercedes-Benz AMG C 43
An electric motor is integrated directly with the turbocharger, sitting between the turbine wheel on the exhaust side and the compressor wheel on the intake side. It spools up the compressor at low revs, before the exhaust gases take over, reducing turbo lag and as a result making the engine more responsive. In F1, the electric motor is also used to recover energy from the exhaust, though the C 43 doesn’t have this ability. Instead, the car’s mild-hybrid system is used to recover energy.
The engine in the C 43 generates 402 hp on its own, with the mild-hybrid system, essentially a beefed up starter motor that also acts as a generator, able to provide a temporary boost of 13 hp during high-load situations. Drive goes to all four wheels via a 9-speed automatic and a rear-biased all-wheel-drive system (31/69 front-to-rear split), and AMG also fits rear-wheel steering as standard. Performance claims include 0-60 mph acceleration in 4.6 seconds and a top speed governed to 155 mph with the standard 18-inch wheels.
2023 Mercedes-Benz AMG C 43
Beyond the powertrain, the C 43 benefits from sport-tuned suspension with steel springs and adaptive dampers. The latter is controlled in part by the Comfort, Sport, and Sport+ modes of the vehicle’s drive mode selector. Other modes include Slippery and Individual. Some of the modes also affect the speed-sensitive steering system fitted to the C 43.
Stopping power comes from a brake system with 4-piston calipers and 14.6-inch rotors up front and single-piston calipers and 12.6-inch rotors at the rear. The quoted curb weight of the C 43 is 3,893 pounds.
2023 Mercedes-Benz AMG C 43
The exterior design of the C 43, much like that of the regular C-Class, has taken an evolutionary route. Things inside are much more dramatic thanks to a 12.3-inch floating display for the instrument cluster and a similar 11.9-inch floating display for the infotainment system. It also features a flat-bottom steering wheel, heated front seats, ambient lighting in the cabin, LED headlights, a surround-view camera system, and parking sensors and blind-spot monitors.
For $63,850, buyers can upgrade from the standard Premium model to the Pinnacle. This adds extras like Mercedes’s navigation system with augmented reality, a head-up display with AMG-specific content, a Burmester audio system, and wireless charging for mobile devices. For additional money, buyers can also choose from a handful of styling packs and wheel options.
