Mercedes C 43 to be most popular AMG

Equipped with the performance and style to match its Mercedes-AMG badge and loads of high-end luxury features, the new C 43 sedan, wagon and coupe range displays all the hallmarks of top-seller.

Priced from just over $100,000, AMG's latest crop of C-Class luxo-rockets deliver big-bang power at a price that won't make your eyes water – at least not compared to the previous 'entry-level' C-Class AMGs, the $150K-plus C 63 S sedan, wagon and coupe.

"The C 43 could easily be our number one selling AMG, without a doubt," said Jerry Stamoulis, Mercedes-Benz Product Communications Manager.

Mercedes-Benz hot shop, AMG, sells a huge number of high-performance cars here, with around 5000 of the German performance cars expected to find Aussie homes in 2016, potentially outselling Porsche.

The hard-hitting C 63 S line-up is the best-selling AMG model Down Under at present, outselling the smaller and cheaper A 45 hot hatch and CLA 45 sports sedan, with the coupe being the most popular variant.

That said, Stamoulis reckons the new C 43 AMG – which goes on sale this month (October 2016) in sedan, coupe and wagon body styles – could become the new AMG king in Australia thanks to its AWD set-up, lower price point and a less "intimidating" standing than the 375kW/700Nm twin-turbo V8 rear-drive sledgehammer that is the C 63.

"A C 43 buyer is someone who wants something a little more discreet. It still has power but it adds 4MATIC AWD," he said.

The new C 43 models are still packing serious heat – twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 engines that belt out 270kW and a stump-pulling 520Nm. The rev-happy engines are combined with AMG-tuned AWD systems, enabling the cars to sprint to 100km/h from standstill in around 4.7 seconds, with top speeds electronically regulated to a 250km/h maximum.

Lump an AMG-tuned nine-speed automatic gearbox, 19-inch alloy wheels, AMG-tuned adaptive suspension plus strong 360mm front and 320mm rear brake rotors and the new era of AMG 'light' models will pique the interest of buyers that hadn't previously considered an AMG, says Stamoulis.

"These cars are around $50,000 cheaper than a V8-powered AMG C 63, so an AMG C-Class is now open to a different market.

"It's about talking to a new customer base. That's the key benefit here."

All AMG C 43 models are fitted as standard with 19-inch alloy wheels, intelligent LED headlights, head-up display, AMG Night Package, a panoramic glass sliding sunroof, a premium Burmester surround sound system a fully-packed sat-nav and infotainment system.

Naturally a range of safety systems are gratis too, with automatic lane-keeping (steering), a 360-degree camera, tyre pressure monitor, collision prevention system and nine airbags.

All three Mercedes-AMG C 43 models are competitively priced against their rivals too. Starting at $101,900 for the sedan, $104,400 for the wagon and $105,615 for the slinky new coupe, they compare well against the likes of the Audi S5 Coupe, which costs around $14,000 more than the latter.

Stamoulis said rivals will include the likes of the "BMW 440i and Audi S5, it's that type of market", but added that customers were also "jumping out of sports cars, two-door sports cars" and into AMGs.

"So we don’t know [the real competitors] yet. One thing we do know is it will be successful," he said of the new AMG C 43 range.

Although purists will insist the new models are not proper, full-blooded AMG sports cars – because they no longer adhere to the "one man – one engine" philosophy, most customers are unlikely to care.

The new AMG 43 models and their punchy turbo V6 engines are offered on the likes of the SLC roadster and also SUVs such as GLC Coupe and GLE, and soon the E-Class too. But the C-Class will continue to be the big seller for Benz – and AMG.

"The AMG brand is so strong in our market for very good reason. We're offering AMG on a lot of different models too, but from a volume perspective it's all about C-Class," said Stamoulis.

Stay tuned for our first Aussie drive of the Mercedes-AMG C 43 Coupe (pictured) next Thursday, October 27.

Mercedes-AMG C 43 pricing (plus ORCs):
Sedan — $101,900
Estate — $104,400
Coupe — $105,615