David Linklater.

The performance flagship of the E-class range (for now) impresses as much for its comfort as its speed, reports

The new $166,900 Mercedesamg E 43 is notable for a number of reasons. First, it marks the debut of a genuine Mercedes-amg (as opposed to Mercedes-benz) variant of the latest E-class.

We could sit and debate the authenticity of an AMG vehicle whose engine is not actually handbuilt at Affalterbach, but at the end of the day this car has the factory stamp and the powerplant is still bespoke for 43-series models, in all its Nanosliding glory (it’s an F1-derived coating in the cylinders, by the way).

Ah yes, the 43-series. This newe is also important because it’s another member of a rapidly expanding family: there are already Mercedes-amg-43 versions of the C-class, GLC and GLE. As with its siblings, the E 43 is supposed to be a step up from a standard Benz rather than a rival to any of AMG’S hard-charging V8 stuff.

Which seems an apt time to mention the impending Mercedesamg E 63, drifting towards a showroom near you in the third quarter of this year.

The E 43 is a bit special even among the AMG-43 family because it has more power and torque than its siblings. It makes 295kw/ 520Nm, compared with 270kw/ 520Nm for every other model with the same engine.

It’s just a few kilowatts, but they’re up top where they should be in an AMG and the extra grunt does help the E 43 maintain the proper pecking order against the smaller, lighter and less expensive C 43: it’s a whole 0.1sec faster to 100kmh. No, it’s not much, but it matters. At least on paper.

On the road, I’d argue you’re not going to be obsessed by tenths of a second. The E-class is arguably the most refined and