Brendan Seery
AS I pulled into the driveway at home after a short run from Rosebank, I was flicking through the trip computer memories on the Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG and I had my “Catholic moment”.
There, glaring at me from the middle of the instrument panel was the “economy” gauge, which shows you how much extra distance you have “won” through driving sensibly.
It read 0.0km. And I felt as though I had to head to some environmental confessional.
“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.”
For me it was a strange moment because, even in the most powerful test cars we have, I use a light foot on the throttle most of the time, maybe because I am just geekily fascinated about how low I can get the fuel consumption, maybe just because I am slowing down a bit as I mature.
Behind the wheel of Merc’s newest sports saloon, supposedly the weaker sibling of the mighty C63 and C63S (the latter of the two makes 375kW), it is impossible not to sin. Why? Because there is a twin-turbo 3.0 litre V6 petrol engine under the bonnet which, despite the presence of forced induction (which often mutes the natural engine noise), still sounds as wonderful as any six-cylinder engine can sound.
It has that howl in the upper rev range which makes a V6 so special.
And, there is plenty of go to match the aural show: the Merc motor puts out 270kW and the company claims the C43AMG will hit 100km/h from rest in under five seconds. Testing by motoring hacks has shown it is only fractions slower to that benchmark than the C63.
If it was just the engine, then perhaps you could say it was merely V6 nostalgia that got me going.
But, this sedan Merc has been matched with the company’s excellent 4Matic all-wheel-drive system and as a fan of AWD, I know this makes ultra-fast cars like this much safer in the hands of ordinary drivers. Yes, like me. But what really puts the icing on a spectacular piece of automotive performance confectionery is the nine-speed (yes, that’s correct) auto gearbox.
With its electronics tuned for the sports application in AMG models, the gears are shifted with lightning smoothness.
It is one of the fastest-changing autos out there, outside of supercars and Formula One.
So, even if you are more of a laid-back cruiser than robot racer (and I am the former), you will find it impossible to resist putting the adjustable suspension into “Sport+” mode, the gearshift into manual (activated by perfectly sited and weighted paddles on the steering wheel) and then giving it a bit of boot.
On our suburban roads, you will only be able to do it where there is space, but you won’t even have to apply full throttle to get that adrenalin rush.
The upshifts (particularly from first to second) happen in fractions of a heartbeat and done with vigour, are accompanied by a brutal thump.
Down-shifting produces a bark from the exhausts as the system blips the throttle, automatically detonating unburnt fuel on simulated double-declutching.
Even at slow speeds, when Sport+ should be twitchy and nervous, the C43 AMG feels relaxed, just waiting for the starter’s pistol under your right foot.
And, another surprise: even in the most extreme suspension setting, the car still handles road imperfections with little fuss. The suspension (and accompanying throttle and steering parameters) can be set in “Economy” mode. I did it once or twice and the Benz performed like any soft, laid-back limo.
As you’d expect from any MB