A few years ago, at a launch event for one of its hot-rodded sedans, an engineer for Mercedes-AMG spoke about the naming convention of its cars. This engineer suggested that engine displacement did not correlate to a given car's name any longer because, well, the bigger number is always the better number.
For example, the current E 63 S AMG is powered by a twin-turbo 5.5-litre V-8, but it's still "equal to" the older version, which featured a 6.2-litre V-8.
It might seem strange, then, that the forthcoming high-performance variant of the all-new E-Class is dubbed the Mercedes-AMG E 43 – clearly, this is "20 less" than before. But here's the rub: This car will actually slot in above the more pedestrian offerings in the E line (the new E 300 4MATIC and E 400 4MATIC) and below the big-ticket hand-built AMG models – the next E 63, presumably.
The 2017 Mercedes-AMG E 43 4MATIC, like the previously introduced C 43, is powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V-6, but here it develops 401 hp and 384 lb-ft of torque from 2,500 rpm on up. This engine is linked to a full-time AWD system via a nine-speed automatic transmission. A good deal of the available power, 69 per cent of it, is directed to the rear wheels, so a suitably aggressive nature should be assured.
When can we buy it, and for how much?
The E 43 AMG 4MATIC will be available this September; pricing has yet to be revealed.
Cool quotient
4 stars (out of 5)
Hey, it's a budget-minded AMG sedan.
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