Make Lemonade: Mercedes C43 AMG Tested

"Adrian" (adriangc)
05/14/2017 at 21:28 • Filed to: Mercedes-Benz, C43 AMG, AMG

In the 24/7 news cycle, it’s rare to find a car as uncovered as the Mercedes C43 AMG. Perhaps it’s the limited changes to the external and internal appearances over the base C300. It could be the fact that the C43 is not a ‘real’ AMG which traditionally has a engine hand built by one man. Or maybe it is because the C43 AMG existed in 2016 as a C450 “sport line” AMG with limited changes in the new-for-2017 C43 AMG designation.

Regardless of the reason, I’ll take the limited coverage blessing. In the words of my great aunt Gertrude, “when life gives you lemons, sell lemonade and profit. Your costs are virtually zero.”

The Mercedes C43 AMG Tester

I purchased a polar white Mercedes C43 AMG recently. If only the costs were virtually zero. The C43 AMG came in just under $63k with destination before negotiations brought the sales price down to ~$52k.

Packages included the Premium Package 3 ($4,150), equipping the car with LED lights, a larger center console screen, navigation, voice control, upgraded sound system, heated seats, and more AMG swag covered throughout the cabin than I care to admit. I also opted for the premium 19 inch wheels ($850), run flat summer performance tires ($0), AMG Sport Exhaust ($1,250), the night package which blacks out the front spoiler, sideview mirrors, and the front intakes ($200), carbon fiber trunk spoiler ($700), carbon fiber dashboard ($975), and a panoramic roof ($1,450).

The Exterior

The base C class comes with a modern twist on the Mercedes classic lines. Aggressive front facias add a sporty look to the model and the tail has a smooth and flowing elegance which rounds out the car nicely. The C43 AMG adds a slightly more aggressive front, side defusers, and side badges for the ‘biturbo’ engine. You may have to squint to tell the difference between the two models. I’m a fan of sleepers, and this car is certainly one.

The exterior packages - the night packages, rims and the panoramic roof - add to the C43’s appearance. The coordination of the black roof, black side mirrors, and black rims almost make me look as if I planned the tuxedo look. Alas, I didn’t - I took what I could find on the lot at the best price.

The Interior

The interior is classy with the absence of a shifter in the center stack and lines that flow all the way to the center compartment console. The shifter is mounted to the steering column, which sounds much more old school “Buick” than it really is. An 8.7in iPad center screen is mounted to the top of the dashboard and displays the latest COMAND system. I’d love to say the system is improved over prior iterations, but it has quite the learning curve with poor user design.

Fake leather is used throughout the cabin but the untrained eye will never notice the difference. The seats are plush and comfortable over long hauls and internal materials are generally quite good and luxurious feeling. Some materials do miss the mark: I’m looking at you, seat heater buttons and center compartment.

Performance

Performance is where the C43 AMG really shines. Equipped with a 3.0L V6 twin turbo engine putting out 362 hp and 384 ft-lb, the C43 hit 60mph from a stop in 4.6 seconds. Even in the most aggressive “Sport Plus” setting, I didn’t hear a peep of tires losing grip due to the AWD system which fixes a 31% front / 69% rear power delivery. The system is no !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , but grip feels quite plentiful and the rear bias is noticed on the track. Road noise is present over 50mph thanks to the Continental run flat tires.

The C43 AMG electronic steering is well implemented with a lighter feel at slower speeds and increasingly heavier feel at faster speeds. Mercedes thankfully doesn’t overdo the heavy steering, even in more aggressive settings, and road feel remains throughout the speeds.

Speaking of the settings, the C43 AMG comes standard with Dynamic Select. This system allows the driver to choose settings for the steering, engine, suspension, and other parts of the car. You can save chosen selections under the “individual” mode. Dynamic Select also 4 built in modes: Eco, Comfort, Sport, and Sport Plus.

Car personality changes to a meaningful degree in Sport and Sport Plus, with the latter defaulting to the most aggressive settings for the engine and suspension. The suspension is firm without being overbearing in this mode, and engine response is magical. In Sport, steering and engine responses are improved over Comfort but still pleasant enough to be used in light traffic.

It’s a Wrap... For Now

As of now, the C43 AMG has less than a thousand miles on it. I’ll continue to report back on interesting components of the car and reactions as I drive it more. I’ll also continue to cross my fingers that this gem of a car continues to be ignored by most of the press.

!!! UNKNOWN HEADER TYPE (MULTI-LINE BREAK?) !!!

DISCUSSION (30)

Matsayz > Adrian
05/14/2017 at 21:46

Total sleeper, I seriously thought it was a C300 even though you told me it isn’t. What are the power numbers?

Adrian > Matsayz
05/14/2017 at 22:00

I cannot believe I forgot to include - just updated text.

362 hp and 384 ft-lb are the figures, though I wouldn’t be surprised if they are underrated. This car definitely pulls.

Rico > Adrian
05/14/2017 at 22:01

Congrats! I love this car a lot. Especially that Performance Exhaust which can be turned on and off that wasn’t available on the 450.

AestheticsInMotion > Adrian
05/14/2017 at 22:10

Good review, but you spent a while talking up certain interior aspects—like the column shifter—and then didn’t include a good interior picture! Detail shots are always good for standout/unique features, just my two cents

WilliamsSW > Adrian
05/14/2017 at 22:12

Very nice!

You got the dealer down $11k off of sticker? I’m surprised it was that much - are they moving slowly right now?

Great car, enjoy!

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Adrian
05/14/2017 at 22:16

Nice buy! You might want to look into this for the future (wink wink, nudge nudge).

Adrian > AestheticsInMotion
05/14/2017 at 22:28

Excellent feedback. Just updated. Thank you!

Adrian > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3
05/14/2017 at 22:29

Those are some massive gains from a tune. Nice find.

Adrian > Rico
05/14/2017 at 22:30

Thanks! So true - I didn’t want to write too much on it yet, but it sounds so good.

Adrian > WilliamsSW
05/14/2017 at 22:32

Thank you! I believe I rounded down on the $52k and up on the $63k, because I wanted to exaggerate my negotiation skills (ha). Total discount was about 13% after I pitted a few dealers against each other.
To be fair, I haven’t seen many other C43(s) on the road yet...

WilliamsSW > Adrian
05/14/2017 at 22:38

Well, 13% seems pretty good on a Merc, good job!

Yeah, it’s strange, I think I’ve seen more E43s them C43s around me. The C300 is everywhere, though—

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Adrian
05/14/2017 at 22:39

To put this tune into perspective, a non-S C63 has only 9 more horsepower, but 49 fewer lb-ft and is RWD only so it definitely doesn’t launch as well.

Adrian > WilliamsSW
05/14/2017 at 22:42

Thanks a bunch.

That’s a good point. And yes, seeing C300 everywhere near me too. It’s weird because I think I see a higher percentage of BMW 335i/340i relative to 328i/330i than C450/C43 to C300. Maybe Merc needs to work on their marketing.

fintail > Adrian
05/14/2017 at 22:49

63 to 52, 17% off, I read that and knew it had to be California. Dealers there are the most competitive in the nation.

I still haven’t seen but one or two of these. The naming still makes me give a funny look, as I had a C43 many years ago, the V8 W202.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Adrian
05/15/2017 at 00:01

Interesting. I see way more C’s than 3's where I am, and I don’t mean right in front of work.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > fintail
05/15/2017 at 00:15

It’s gotten confusing in the shop too.

“we’ve got a C43 coming in tomorrow morning for some work”

“sweet! Those things are pretty cool! What’s it coming in for?”

“rattles, and setting the clock forward for daylight savings”

“oh hell it’s a new one”

Don’t get me wrong, they’re pretty sweet. But their owners tend to be pricks and complain about the stupidest little noises that only happen over this one bump at exactly 53mph every third winter solstice. They don’t understand that we have terrible roads with craters and canyons all over them and that they bought a performance car (the budget performance C-class no less) with stiff suspension and stiffer tires. So they want their rattles fixed but they don’t want us to take the interior all apart to fix them “because it will never be the same again!”

Sorry. Rant over. Nothing against OP, some customers just drive me nuts.

fintail > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/15/2017 at 09:35

I am not sure MB made the best decision with the new naming convention - but it will probably only irk existing enthusiasts, a group the brand doesn’t always recognize when trying to win the sales war.

The noise thing is funny, I took my first 212 in three times for noises in the rear deck area. The guys at the local dealer did a lot, and it was never completely solved - the rear deck in these cars seems to suffer from expansion-related creaks in direct sunlight, a design flaw. It drove me nuts, but was able to live with it, as the problem isn’t really solvable. It’s the same in WA, which is also good for rattles, given some of the lunar craters and empty swimming pools on local roads. I can imagine some customers are picky, given the cost of the car, esp if their first new car, first MB, etc. The DST thing is alarming, that should be automatic, right? I fear what some buyers do when playing in the menus. These are the same people with microwaves and VCRs that blinked 12:00 all day in 1985.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > fintail
05/15/2017 at 10:05

I completely agree and thought the 450 sport line was the better way to go.

I totally get being picky about an expensive car, I would be too. I’m mostly annoyed it’s a problem at all (looking at you MB). And wasn’t entirely exaggerating about the ones who complain about the one little rattle that happens over one specific bump every once in a while. I just finished one where I had to drive twenty minutes each way just to get to this bump and I never even heard the noise, so I just disassembled half the interior and did what I could.

The clock thing was hyperbole, but it wasn’t a few years ago. There are plenty of other stupid complaints though. One real complaint we just had “my sunglasses don’t fit in the sunglass compartment”. The compartment is actually a reasonable size, the sunglasses would’ve put some Kardashian shit to shame. I wouldn’t be surprised if they bought the largest sunglasses they could find just to have something to complain about. This same customer had 15 (not exaggerating) other complaints, more than half of which were no problem found or working as designed and could’ve been resolved by reading his owner’s manual and not generally being a prick. The people who come in with complaints like this are generally mean and combative right from the start. I also get being annoyed that your expensive new car has some rattles or little things to complain about. But it happens to any and all production cars and the dealership people didn’t build it, we just want to help, attacking us personally won’t get you anywhere.

Rico > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/15/2017 at 10:17

To be fair MB holds the blame for making the W205 a rattle trap. They cheaped out on felt and the different materials that rub together. My W204 was super solid and had exactly 1 rattle which was a loose heat shield under the car when I took delivery, fixed in 30 seconds.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Rico
05/15/2017 at 10:28

I agree. But on the flipside, the vast majority of 205's are dead quiet inside. My main issue with the customers is the way they come in attacking us. Not all of them are that way of course and I’m perfectly happy to help those people out. One of my customers, 212 E63 owner, nicest guy in the world, almost only ever comes in for rattles, and he’s completely reasonable and understanding about everything every single time. We all go way out of our way to help him. Come in attacking us, and it probably won’t go that way. I’m not saying we’re in the right here by not bending over backwards like with E63 guy, but we still do what we have to when trying to address concerns. While we’re not cutting corners, we just might not go around the track two or three times.

Rico > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/15/2017 at 10:46

Oh yeah definitely, I treat my service people like I treat my waiters/waitresses GOOD. Don’t fuck with the people who prepare your food or your car. And I almost always brought them a case of beer because warranty pay rates isn’t all that great!

fintail > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/15/2017 at 10:52

If I ran a place and experienced personal attacks, I would be along the lines of “if you don’t like it, there’s a Lexus dealer down the street - oh, you’ll have the same rattle” - however, Lexus does have more of a rep for kissing customer butt than European brands.

I see you mention a 212 in another post, is it a rear deck rattle or a pano rattle? I’ve driven several 212s with the rear deck expansion creak, but haven’t experienced the notorious pano noise. I need to examine a 213 up close and see if they didn’t improve the rear deck design - the hard plastic needs a soft coating to be silent when dealing with direct sunlight.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > fintail
05/15/2017 at 11:26

Half of those people are Daimler employees!

I’ve never experienced the deck noise you’re talking about. Some pano noises, doors, and center console stuff mostly. I’ve heard tons of deck noises on facelift 204's though.

fintail > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/15/2017 at 13:14

Salespeople or suits? Kind of surprising.

My current 212 has occasional rear deck noise (seems less severe than the first), and a faint wind whistle around 65 mph, and of course a noise here and there on our less developed world quality roads, but nothing too bad. No pano noise, which makes me thankful, that would irritate me (although is an apparent easy fix). My 210 E55 had occasional sunroof/headliner rattle, I “fixed” it by placing a few thin towels in the headliner at the sunroof opening.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > fintail
05/15/2017 at 15:41

Suits. Engineers mostly.

The pano noise is as easy as just tightening up a few screws. My 55 has the same rattle, very quiet and very intermittent. I fix it by sliding the sunroof shade forward or backward, then it’s usually good for a few more months.

fintail > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/15/2017 at 17:21

Engineers, that would explain it :)

I think I remember the 210 rattle being just behind the sunroof opening, yeah.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > fintail
05/15/2017 at 19:37

Some friends of mine are engineers and they pretty much all agree that engineers are the worst.

fintail > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/15/2017 at 21:12

Posts around here sometimes confirm that :)

Adrian > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/16/2017 at 00:06

Interesting.. where are you located?

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Adrian
05/16/2017 at 03:53

Oregon