first video I've seen. Embargo lifts June 29th. certainly does not sound super impressive. I think I'll be adding spacers, doing and intake and some sort of exhaust mod. would also consider lowering the car when options come available.
and some better shots of the full rear studio package. Valance splitter, spats and spoiler
Hey all - thanks for posting all of this information. I came across it as I was considering a C43, and it helped me get an order in with my dealer. Had a couple of questions that was curious if anyone here had any additional information on.
I built out a Pinnacle / Graphite Grey Metallic / 19" RSW build but left off the DIGITAL LIGHT package as I was not sure the benefit of it. Wanted to get thoughts on if you think this is a mistake to leave out (nearly everything else is spec'd on, studio, seats, night II). I also left off the carbon fiber.
With that being said, I do have a PO that was given to me but was not sure if there is an upcoming lock period if I decided to add them to the build. I do plan on calling the dealer but am trying to keep that to a minimum at this point (as I am sure I will be a pain in the *** in the coming months). Outside of the configuration build sheet that I have and the PO# (just emailed), is there anything else I can request from the dealer to send to me related to the PO (print out, etc)
Hey all - thanks for posting all of this information. I came across it as I was considering a C43, and it helped me get an order in with my dealer. Had a couple of questions that was curious if anyone here had any additional information on.
I built out a Pinnacle / Graphite Grey Metallic / 19" RSW build but left off the DIGITAL LIGHT package as I was not sure the benefit of it. Wanted to get thoughts on if you think this is a mistake to leave out (nearly everything else is spec'd on, studio, seats, night II). I also left off the carbon fiber.
With that being said, I do have a PO that was given to me but was not sure if there is an upcoming lock period if I decided to add them to the build. I do plan on calling the dealer but am trying to keep that to a minimum at this point (as I am sure I will be a pain in the *** in the coming months). Outside of the configuration build sheet that I have and the PO# (just emailed), is there anything else I can request from the dealer to send to me related to the PO (print out, etc)
Appreciate it.
You can make some changes late into the production period (at least I have on previous builds). I would 100% spec the digital lights just from an aesthetic POV.
Standard LED shown below - notice the half hexa shape chrome bits
And below are the digital lights:
once you see the difference it's hard to unsee. the digital lights are just much cleaner in design. Apparently they have the ability to project specific images but that is not approved in the US.
Quote:
Originally Posted by W205C43PFL
Did you download the video by any chance? I guess they took it down already, link no longer valid. Thanks : )
search wheelsaustralia on Instagram if you want to view the video! IG links are garbage unfortunately.
You can make some changes late into the production period (at least I have on previous builds). I would 100% spec the digital lights just from an aesthetic POV.
Standard LED shown below - notice the half hexa shape chrome bits
And below are the digital lights:
once you see the difference it's hard to unsee. the digital lights are just much cleaner in design. Apparently they have the ability to project specific images but that is not approved in the US.
search wheelsaustralia on Instagram if you want to view the video! IG links are garbage unfortunately.
Video was taken down, but just found it on wheelsaustralia. Thanks for the insight on the lights.
probably cause I'm not logged in on this device. Thank you!
Idle sounds good, the rest kind of falls apart. Although not a great indication - has less character than the CLA45 though IMO. Can probably sound plenty rowdy with a simple exhaust or downpipe (although the downpipe looks beefy from what you can see of it).
Quote: If you didn’t know about the C43’s clever new turbo, it would be hard to detect its presence from the driver’s seat. At low speeds, there’s a hint of enhanced induction noise and the new system quickly proves to deliver on AMG’s claim for lag-free responses and ability to maintain boost, even when you lift and then rapidly reapply the throttle.
Engine response is linear throughout the broad power band, although our test car didn’t seem quite capable of reaching the marked 7000rpm redline. Even with manual gear selection, the limiter arrived barely after the 6750rpm where peak power comes.
Yet it’s certainly effective, feeling more than quick enough to bear out the claimed 4.6sec 0-100km/h time (that’s for the sedan, with the wagon only a 0.1sec slower) and with a race-start mode allowing consistent brutal launches.
The C43 lacks the aural savagery that almost all previous AMG models have had as standard. The engine has a pleasing enough note for a potent four-cylinder and with the exhaust in its louder switchable mode still makes some of the pops and gurgles on a lifted throttle, with at least some of these being digitally enhanced through the speakers. But even under full fang, it never grows especially loud in the cabin, and at cruising speeds it fades to near silence.
The ride feels firm at low speeds, regardless of which of the damper-altering dynamic modes the C43 is in – although our test car was riding on the largest available (20-inch) alloys.
Higher speeds and bigger loadings made it feel suppler, handling lumps and bumps with impressive poise, with even the firmest Sport Plus mode not too harsh for road use.
The gearbox is disappointing, though: refined in Drive but pausing for half a second when you request manual downshifts through the steering wheel-mounted paddles. Mercedes engineers say this should be sorted by a software upgrade ahead of sales starting in Australia next year.
The steering is good. Some genuine low-level feedback is allowed to get past the electrical assistance to indicate changes in surface texture. Beyond that, responses are proportional and there’s a well-judged amount of resistance to work against.
Traction is huge and grip is tenacious, with no shortage of adhesion at either end – even when we were tackling twisting French mountain roads in wet conditions.
Although very willing to turn and hold a line, thanks in part to the reduced mass of the new engine, carrying too much speed into the slowest and tightest of corners does provoke the front tyres into surrendering first, the C43 transitioning into gentle understeer.
Yet there’s little sense of the rearward torque bias, even when you deliberately try to provoke a reaction from the back end.
The combination of dynamic virtues feels closer to those you would expect from an S-branded Audi than an AMG from five years ago.
Other comments echo those for lesser versions of the C-Class. The C43’s screen-heavy cabin sometimes feels like it would be better suited to a commercial aircraft’s cockpit than an upmarket sedan and the MBUX operating system often seems excessively complex.
Many functions are duplicated between the wheel-mounted controls and the screen, while others must be dug out of sub-menus. The C43 does get an AMG button as a shortcut to the dynamic functions, at least.
The decision to use identically shaped stalks for both the indicators and wipers combination (on the left) and the gear selector (on the right) is almost guaranteed to cause confusion for anyone coming from a more conventional layout, although one will certainly come accustomed to it.
Overall, the cleaner and greener C43 doesn’t lose out on performance through the transition to four-cylinder power, but the emotional experience is a little diminished from its charismatic six-pot predecessor.
Certainly, plenty of head room has been left for the doubtless more exciting 500kW C63. Given that potential C43 buyers will still be able to choose a hugely talented six-cylinder alternative in the form of the significantly cheaper BMW M340i xDrive, the AMG is facing a potential uphill struggle.
Nice found, I still remember there was a certain German YouTube channel I forgot which one that leaked the EQS SUV a day before the official world premiere, not sure why journalists posting reviews before the embargo kept happening lately.
I'm not sure why they would invite press to review a car that still needs transmission software - that's kind of disappointing - and following the AMG GT crashing at goodwood. It all seems a bit sloppy which makes me concerned being an early adopter.
I'm not sure why they would invite press to review a car that still needs transmission software - that's kind of disappointing - and following the AMG GT crashing at goodwood. It all seems a bit sloppy which makes me concerned being an early adopter.
Hmmm, I think your car will be fine. In the case of the W206 C 43, they want to rush it and let reviewers test it first and then refine it later when customers receive it so they can continue to work on finalizing the C 63. The C 43 W206 as far as I heard should had been revealed in IAA 2021 and then postponed numerous times till recently so they don't want to delay it any further especially how that they still need to focus on the C 63. As for if this was a good strategy, I'll let you be the judge.
Hmmm, is it just me or this review seems similar to the other one just worded slightly different?
Edit: Nevermind, I figured out why, same journalist (Mike Duff) writing the review for Autocar.co.uk and Autodaily.com.au
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
Thanks for posting, alexasa.
