---
title: "Mercedes-AMG C43 Coupe Is AMG’s Half-Caf Sports Coupe"
description: "Enough zing to make it fun, not so much as to give you the jitters."
date: "2016-02-24"
modified: "2016-02-24"
authors:
  - name: "Will Sabel Courtney"
    job_title: "Contributor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/will-sabel-courtney"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/2326/mercedes-amg-c43-coupe-is-amgs-half-caf-sports-coupe"
categories:
  - "Car Reviews"
  - "Mercedes-Benz Reviews"
tags:
  - "C-Class Coupe"
  - "Mercedes-AMG"
  - "Mercedes-Benz"
---

# Mercedes-AMG C43 Coupe Is AMG’s Half-Caf Sports Coupe

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/archive-images/mercedes-amg-c43-hero.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

Mercedes-Benz’s latest addition to the lineup, the 2017 Mercedes-AMG C43 Coupe, serves as the less-caffeinated sports coupe in the souped-up C-Class family. It’s less intense than the C63 AMG, the driving equivalent of brewing *doppio* espresso with a lighter and spoon and injecting it into your veins.

Like the Mercedes-AMG C43 sedan (which, confusingly, [is currently called the C450 AMG](<https://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/vehicles/model/class-C/model-C450W4>)) the C43 coupe gets its pep from a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 tuned to crank out 362 horsepower and 384 lb.-ft. of torque. (The name is strictly nostalgia for [the AMG version of the W202 C-Class](<https://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/mercedes-benz-c43-amg-page-2>), which actually was powered by a 4.3-liter V8.) [Using the traditional definition of “one man, one engine,” this mass-produced motor isn’t technically an AMG mill](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/1694/mercedes-amg-to-use-mass-produced-v-6-engines>). Still, while not as special as the engine beneath the hood of the big-bore 63s, according to Mercedes it’s still strong enough to kick the C43 coupe from 0–60 in 4.6 seconds—a full 1.5 seconds faster than the old C43, which did feature a hand-made motor.

![mercedes-amg-c43-art-1.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content/archive-images/mercedes-amg-c43-art-1.jpg>)

Of course, some of the credit for that rapid acceleration has to go to the engine’s partners in crime: the AMG-tuned all-wheel-drive system and nine-speed automatic transmission. The AWD defaults to a 31 percent front/69 percent rear torque bias, ensuring the car feels at least somewhat rear-wheel-drive. The 9G-TRONIC transmission was tweaked to provide rev-matching downshifts, and like many of today’s transmissions it can leap down multiple gears in a single bound. It also offers a manual mode, but with so many gears to choose from shuffling between cogs yourself goes from “involving fun” to “busy work.”

![mercedes-amg-c43-art-2.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content/archive-images/mercedes-amg-c43-art-2.jpg>)

The C43 should handle turns like the mid-level AMG it is thanks to a revised suspension that utilizes negative camber on both axles, special steering knuckles and load-bearing joints up front, and a suspension that switches between Comfort, Sport, and Sport Plus modes with the touch of a button. Guess which part of that sentence C43 buyers will think about most?

The “C63 lite” treatment extends to the car’s styling. Quad tailpipes, aggressive front air intakes, a chrome front splitter and a bright rear diffuser give it the visual panache the average buyer expects from an AMG. Cognoscenti will know it’s not a full-blown C63—the single-bar grille and lack of flared haunches give it away—but the overall look is bold enough to show up those basic bitches in their A5s and 4 Series.

![mercedes-amg-c43-art-47.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content/archive-images/mercedes-amg-c43-art-47.jpg>)

Sure, it’s no C63. But for the large number of buyers out there mostly interested in looking good and winning the occasional streetlight drag race, the C43 is just right.

## Author
Will is the former managing editor of *RIDES Magazine* and the former online editor for *0-60 Magazine*. He has worked for *Time Out New York* and *Rolling Stone*, and was the creator of *College Cars Online*, the first automotive blog specifically targeted at college students and young professionals.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/willsabelcourtney>)  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/willscourtney>)