Electric turbo instead of six-cylinder: is the new Mercedes C 43 still a real AMG?

2022-07-04T14:23:50.505Z

Electric turbo instead of six-cylinder: is the new Mercedes C 43 still a real AMG? Created: 07/04/2022, 16:16 By: Rudolf Boegel The new C 43 from Mercedes-AMG wants to be a street racer with 408 hp and a consumption of less than nine liters. © Mercedes-Benz AG AMG does away with the fat engines. The new C 43 only comes as a four-cylinder. Can the electric turbo fill the power gap? First test d

Electric turbo instead of six-cylinder: is the new Mercedes C 43 still a real AMG?

Created: 07/04/2022, 16:16

By: Rudolf Boegel

The new C 43 from Mercedes-AMG wants to be a street racer with 408 hp and a consumption of less than nine liters.

AMG does away with the fat engines.

The new C 43 only comes as a four-cylinder.

Can the electric turbo fill the power gap?

First test drive.

Downsizing has begun: AMG fans have to adjust to smaller drives.
The four-cylinder has a displacement of two liters and is partially electrified.
But AMG has upgraded the turbo: Formula 1 technology is being used for the first time – the Mercedes C 43 in the driving report.

His nickname comes straight from above, from the Vatican.

The AMG variant of the Mercedes C-Class is often affectionately mocked as a popemobile.

But of course the AMG C 43 has little to do with the fully glazed company car of earlier popes.

There are other reasons for that.

As a station wagon, the Mercedes offers plenty of space for children and cones.

So quite dad.

And if dad wants to test the limits of the automobile - preferably without a family - then AMG has the horsepower to match.

However, fans of large displacements and many cylinders have to be strong with the new model generation.

The Popemobile was shrunk in the engine compartment - but it gets racing technology, directly from

Formula 1

More spaceship than car.

The speedometer graphics have been completely revised and tailored to AMG needs.

Electric motor as an additional booster

Two liters of displacement and only four instead of six cylinders -

that's supposed to be an AMG

Even before the first exit, the team of experts tries to curb skepticism with various exhibits and superlatives.

So: The turbo petrol engine is the

world's most powerful two-liter four-cylinder

ever installed in a production car.

A similar unit is already at work in the A 45 AMG.

And then the combustion engine is fired by a small electric motor, a belt starter generator.

In the short term, the booster delivers another 14 additional horsepower to the already existing 408. Power 500 Newton meters (Nm) of torque.

Stately for only four combustion chambers and the small displacement of 1,991 cubic centimetres.

A lot fits into the T-model of the C 43.

Whether it's a case or two of wine or holiday luggage for the whole family.

This turbo is actually two turbos

In addition to this engine duo, there is also

the electric turbo

, which is supposed to plug all performance gaps.

This technology was derived

directly from Formula 1

Put simply, this turbo consists of two turbos.

A small electric motor sits directly on the shaft between the turbine wheel and the

compressor

the compressor wheel is already accelerating before the exhaust gas flow takes over the drive.

This e-turbo has many advantages.

First of all, the response behavior of the engine is faster as a result.

Secondly, high torque is available even at low engine speeds.

And thirdly, the electronic turbo always maintains the charge pressure, so that full power is available even when you have just braked or taken your foot off the accelerator.

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There is still an exhaust with four tailpipes and the typical AMG sound on the C 43. The question is, for how long?

Acoustic live transmission from the engine compartment

A lot of effort - but ultimately the character of an AMG has to be preserved even in times of downsizing, fuel savings and CO₂ reduction.

We are looking forward to the first exit.

After pressing the start button, there is almost reverential silence in the popemobile.

Hardly any babbling, hardly any bubbling!

Whether that pleases the AMG clientele, who are already concerned about a certain external effect when sprinting down the magnificent boulevard?

Don't worry,

the AMG can also be loud

In the gears Sport or Sport + it roars and trumpets as before.

And if you need an additional set of sound for your ears - you should use the

AMG Real Performance Sound

option .

Because then there is a direct acoustic transmission from the engine compartment via the loudspeakers via the sensor

If desired, the dashboard can also be equipped with the wide hyperscreen, the surcharge is just under 9,000 euros.

Can the inflated four-cylinder be a replacement?

Sport and Sport+ are the settings that AMG fans love.

Not only because of the volume - but because the C 43 then unpacks the tiger.

The four cylinders chase the popemobile

from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds

and are extremely easy to run .

There are no turbo lags - there is no stopping.

And yet something is missing.

The new C 43 rushes briskly over the asphalt.

However, the sovereignty of a six-cylinder with a decent displacement cannot be replaced, at least on the emotional side.

The

nine-speed gearbox

shifts smoothly but snaps and brings the power to all four wheels.

In contrast to other sports car manufacturers, however, the driving forces are not flexibly shifted between the axles depending on the requirements.

Here it always stays at 31 percent at the front and 69 percent at the rear - this means you always have a powerful rear swing, but also the stability of a front-wheel drive vehicle.

AMG offers a three-stage setting for the Electronic Stability Program (ESP) for those who want to prance around corners a little.

Higher drift angles are already allowed in Sport, but you can also switch off the system.

Only recommended on closed racetracks.

The sedan and estate get the characteristic Panamericana radiator grille with the vertical chrome bars.

Rear-axle steering already in the standard equipment

As far as handling is concerned, the C 43 also satisfies ambitious demands.

Thanks to small electronic gimmicks such as the driving dynamics control AMG Dynamics, for example, in which the wheel on the inside of the curve is braked slightly in order to be able to turn in spontaneously but precisely.

That's where chasing curves is really fun.

Speaking of steering.

The rear axle of the C 43

also takes part in this process as standard

The rear wheels turn at an angle of no more than 2.5 degrees.

Up to 100 km/h you do this in the opposite way to the front tyres.

This shortens the turning circle to almost 12 meters and increases the handling of the car.

Parking with the 4.80 meter part is almost child's play.

Above 100 km/h, the rear wheels behave parallel to the front tires.

This then contributes to the stability of the vehicle.

You notice it especially when changing lanes quickly.

The steel spring chassis is also sporty or optionally comfortable.

Thanks to the adaptive damper adjustment, each wheel can be controlled individually in order to be able to react to the current road conditions at lightning speed.

Hard but warm - or cuddly like a sedan chair!

Four tailpipes tell those in the know that this is indeed a Mercedes station wagon, but one with that extra punch.