Driven

MERCEDES-AMG E43

The middle management Meister

- Report by BERNIE HELLBERG | Images © MERCEDES-BENZ SOUTH AFRICA

YOU’RE IN THE MARKET FOR A FULL-SIZE LUXURY SEDAN. ONE THAT’S BOTH ENJOYABLE TO DRIVE AND HAS MORE INDIVIDUAL­ITY THAN AN AUDI S6, FOR EXAMPLE, AND IT CAN’T BE EXOTIC LIKE A JAGUAR XF S, EITHER, THEN A GOOD, BALANCED-BUT-NOT-DOZY MERCEDES-AMG E43 SHOULD DO THE TRICK. BERNIE HELLBERG SPENT A SATISFYING WEEK DRIVING THE MIDDLE MANAGEMENT MEISTER.

“YOU’VE MADE IT IN LIFE AND THE TIME HAS COME FOR YOU TO PICK A MORE CLASS APPROPRIAT­E CAR. BUT THE TIME HAS ALSO ARRIVED FOR YOU TO DITCH WHATEVER FOUR-CYLINDER OPTIONS YOU MAY HAVE CONSIDERED BEFORE, AND GO FOR THE ULTIMATE PRIZE – THE EFFORTLESS MERCEDES-AMG E43.”

You’ve made it in life and the time has come for you to pick a more class appropriat­e car. But the time has also arrived for you to ditch whatever fourcylind­er options you may have considered before, and go for the ultimate prize – the effortless Mercedes-AMG E43.

In this scenario, you leave behind the E350, Merc’s top turbo-four option that, if we’re honest, betrays the idea of driving a Mercedes E-Class, somewhat, with its engine that strains just a tad too much under a relentless right foot.

The E43 delivers the smooth power and effortless accelerati­on that one expects from an E-Class. Combined with a delectable nine-speed automatic ‘box and a rear-biased (to the tune of 69%) 4Matic all-wheel-drive system, the result is sublime, if not inspiratio­nal.

ANGRY FROM EVERY ANGLE

Looking at the E43, it is clear that the exterior design is the product of restraint. As it should be with this class of car. Tempted, as they must have been to go all-out in styling terms, the engineers responsibl­e for keeping the classic E-Class lines at the front of the car, have done a fantastic job.

It was a stroke of genius to opt for the slicker silhouette of the standard E-Class, rather than the bulging hulk of the E63’s bonnet and GT-like grille design. At the rear too, the bellicose diffuser on the bigger AMG makes way for a more subtle rear bumper design on the E43.

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