By: IOL Motoring Staff
Mercedes-AMG has revealed the most powerful version of its new E-Class to date, but the new E43 is destined to be something of an "AMG Lite" as the forthcoming E63 will slot above it in the performance hierarchy.
While the latter is almost certain to sport a variant of AMG's latest twin-turbo V8 family, the new E43 4Matic bridges the gap to 'civilian' models with a 3-litre twin-turbo V6 rated at 295kW and 520Nm. Yet it's practically a super-saloon in its own right, with Mercedes claiming it'll sprint from 0-100km/h in just 4.6 seconds.
Expect it to be a much calmer beast than those tail-happy AMG sedans that have power-slid their way out of Affalterbach in recent years. For starters, the E43 has all-wheel drive. A 9-speed 9G-Tronic automatic gearbox sends power to all four wheels through a 4Matic system that still caters for oversteer enthusiasts by sending 69 percent of the power to the rear wheels.
Other sporty bits separating it from regular E sedans are a retuned sports chassis based on the Air Body Control air suspension system (meaning it'll still be comfy when you want it to be) and a more direct steering ratio.
Setting it apart on the outside are a set of five-spoke, 19-inch alloys in high-gloss black, a diamond grille and gloss black louvre up front and a silver-chrome diffuser and spoiler lip at the back end. The cabin is AMG-ified with sports seats with Dinamica microfiber inserts, black roof lining, red seatbelts, flat-bottomed steering wheel, AMG instrument cluster with race-timer and exclusive AMG-style pedals.