2023 Mercedes-AMG C43 Australian pricing and features

The 2023 Mercedes-AMG C43 has arrived in Australia, with the sporty C-Class sedan set to cost $20,000 more than the model it replaces.

Pricing for the W206 C43 starts at $134,900 before on-road costs with the fresh model ushering in a substantial shift in powertrain performance that brings fewer cylinders, more power and cutting-edge ‘electric turbo’ tech.

Where the previous C43 was powered by a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6, the 2023 C43 utilises AMG’s highly strung M139 2.0-litre turbocharged four pot. It’s largely the same hand-built engine found in the Mercedes-AMG A45 hyper hatch, only it’s mounted longitudinally in the C43 rather than east-west and it features an innovative electric exhaust gas turbo.

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Built by supplier Garrett, the new turbo has a 6kW brushless electric motor on the shaft between the compressor and turbine wheels. The small motor is fed by the C43’s 48V mild-hybrid system, which can spin up the turbo virtually instantaneously, offering improved engine response compared with conventional designs that need to wait for exhaust gases to build.

Total outputs for the 2023 Mercedes-AMG C43 are 300kW @ 6750rpm and 500Nm @ 5000rpm, while its 0-100km/h claim is 4.6 seconds with launch control engaged.

Those figures represent only marginal gains over the outgoing C43. Power is up by 13kW, but torque is actually down 20Nm – while the 0-100km/h time is just 0.1sec quicker.

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Fuel consumption is rated at 9.4L/100km on the combined cycle, which is almost identical to the previous V6-powered model.

And as the below table shows, the new C43 also only holds a slight on-paper advantage compared to its key competitors in the Audi S4 sedan and BMW M340i xDrive despite costing considerably more.

MINI MATCH-UP

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A significant change for this generation of C43 is that it will be offered only as a sedan. Mercedes-AMG is dropping the coupe and cabriolet body styles from the C43 model range, with those variants instead set to morph into a new model, likely to be badged as the CLE, that will sit between the C- and E-Class for size and price.

Helping to justify the new C43’s price increase is an impressive list of standard equipment.

Every Aussie delivered car includes: Rear-wheel steering, which can turn the rear wheels by 2.5 degrees for greater agility and stability, a rear-biased four-wheel-drive system with a 31:69 front-to-rear split, and a fresh 9-speed automatic gearbox that’s claimed to be lighter, offer faster shifts and also launch control.

Three-stage adaptive dampers that have been tuned by AMG are also standard, as is a sports exhaust.

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Australian cars roll on large 20-inch alloy wheels as standard (18s and 19s are available internationally) and lurking within the wheels is an upgraded steel braking system. Front discs measure 370 millimetres and are clamped by four piston callipers, while rear discs are 320mm with single piston callipers.

Inside, the 2023 C43 boasts the same high-tech cabin as the rest of the W206 C-Class range, which includes digital instruments and an impressive 11.9-inch ‘waterfall’ central touchscreen.

AMG-specific additions include a flat bottom performance steering wheel trimmed in Nappa leather, while aluminium shift paddles also feature.

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Optional extras are limited, although buyers do have the choice of two packs. For $5200 the Performance Ergonomic Package adds performance seats with red stitching and AMG Track Pace – which is AMG’s onboard data logger and provides real-time telemetry while the car is being driven on a circuit.

Digital Light is the other option pack and for $2400 it adds matrix LED technology to the headlights, which can mask out oncoming traffic.

The 2023 Mercedes-AMG C43 is currently available to order.