2017 Mercedes-AMG C43 Coupe: Don't overlook this middle child

Mercedes-Benz recently announced that its new AMG Sport line – which isn't even a year old – is getting a name change. What once was 450 AMG Sport is now AMG 43, and the newest model to get that treatment is here, and not unexpected. Debuting at the Geneva Motor Show next week, the 2017 Mercedes-AMG C43 Coupe slots between the C300 and C63, but this middle child should offer one heck of a potent package.

I've spent time in both the C63 and C450 AMG Sport (in Euro-spec wagon hotness, no less), and while the V8-powered C-Class is a real beast to behold, there's something hugely likable about the lesser model. It handles and hugs like an AMG should, and sounds right doing so. The AMG C43 Coupe takes everything from the sedan and packs it in the sleeker, two-door C-Class form. So, aside from a reduction in functionality, what's not to love?

Under the hood is Mercedes' twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6, good for 362 horsepower and 384 pound-feet of torque. A nine-speed automatic handles the shiftwork, and the power is sent to the road via a rear-biased 4Matic all-wheel-drive system. Mercedes claims hitting 60 miles per hour in the C43 Coupe will take just 4.6 seconds, on its way to a (limited) top end of 155 mph.

It's exactly what we expect from an AMG Sport C-Class, in a really attractive body. See it from all angles in the gallery above, and read the full details in the press blast below.




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