GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Mercedes-AMG upgrades C 43 4MATIC

No premium car in the world is crunching its opposition like the C-Class and now Mercedes-AMG has moved to make its entry-level version of the big-selling Benz even quicker.

The 2019 C 43 4MATIC sedan and Estate are due on sale in Australia alongside the rest of the upgraded C-Class range in October, and pricing is yet to be revealed.

Both models come with more power from their twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre petrol V6, quicker acceleration times, a new-generation steering wheel and cosmetic upgrades.

The C 43 now scores another 17kW of power to lift it to 287kW at 6100rpm, while it still delivers 520Nm of torque from 2500-5000rpm.

AMG claims the sedan version will hit 100km/h in 4.7 seconds, with the extra metal and glass of the wagon adding just 0.1 seconds, while both of them top out at 250km/h.

It has eked out its extra power claims largely through a pair of bigger turbochargers, now capable of a maximum of 1.1 bar of pressure.

While the AMG versions of this engine have unique red aluminium inserts and an AMG badge on the engine cover, it’s still built on a Mercedes-Benz production line and sidesteps around the Affalterbach concern’s one-person-one-engine philosophy.

Mercedes-AMG also claims the shift times from the TCE 9G nine-speed automatic transmission are now quicker, thanks mostly to software upgrades. But it gets better than that for hard-core drivers.

The transmission now scores a multiple-downshift function, allowing it to change down more than one gear if the driver holds the steering wheel-mounted downshift paddle.

Even better, the AMG team has delivered a driver’s package heaven by making the C 43 start in first gear all the time (the old one often moved off in second) for better punch and it now takes Manual mode more literally.

The transmission now holds each selected gear in Manual mode even if the engine hits its rev-limiter, refusing to shift up like so many other cars do.

"As the most successful model series for Mercedes-AMG, the C-Class family in all its facets has made a major contribution to our corporate success,” said Mercedes-AMG Chairman Tobias Moers.

“One major component in this success story was the implementation of the 43-series models, which have thrilled our customers worldwide since the market launch in 2015.

“The high demand and positive feedback have encouraged us to sharpen up not only the appearance of the facelift, but also its performance, efficiency and dynamism in true AMG style.”

The C 43 retains its all-wheel drive system, with a strong bias towards punching as much drive as it can towards the rear axle, with a standard split of 69 per cent to the rear.

It rides on AMG’s ride control suspension, which is effectively a set of steel springs supported by active dampers, controlling the four-link front and five-link rear suspension systems.

There are 225/45 R18 front tyres with 245/40 R18s supporting the rear, though AMG can grow that out to 225/40 R19 and 255/35 R19 for a fee.

The driving mode buttons have been augmented with a new, fifth mode: Slippery, for snow and ice, while there’s a single-touch manual button to switch into manual mode.

There is a variable-ratio electromechanical power steering system to aim it all, lowering its power assistance as the speeds rise.

For performance-minded drivers, the C 43 uses the AMG Track Pace data logger to collate their racetrack efforts, acting as a “virtual race engineer” and recording speed and acceleration data 10 times a second, plus lap and sector times.

It also lights up green or red to show drivers quickly whether they are faster or slower than their own best times, while it can record a driver’s preferred circuits to add to the maps it already knows (like the Nurburgring Nordschleife).

With more power and bigger turbos, the C 43 AMG uses a claimed 9.1L/100km and emits 209g/km of CO2 in its sedan form (plus 0.3L/100km and 8g/km for the wagon).

It’s also fronted by a new two-louvre AMG grille, finished by two round exhaust tips and in the middle its interior is highlighted by the C-Class’s top-end fully digital instrument cluster.

The 12.3-inch screen of the optional fully digital cockpit can switch between Classic, Sport or Supersport designs, while it now uses touchpads on the flat-bottomed steering wheel to navigate around the instrument cluster.

The standard multimedia screen remains 7.0-inch, though a 10.25-inch optional unit also delivers almost twice the resolution (1920x720 pixels versus the stock 960x540 pixels).