Hi guys,

I wanted to ask your opinion on the Mercedes E43\E450 2016-2018 W213, my plan is to have stage 1 on the care. The purpose of the purchase is to have a comfortable sedan with decent power and somehow dynamic(not as real AMG i am aware) which should come from the 31/69 all-wheel drive and potential suspension(dampers vs arimatic). Currently, i'm driving W212 E350 4matic 306hp.
-> Motor - two types, which one should be more reliable?
- Inline at E43
- V6 on E450
-> Box - 9G tronic - I suppose this is a good gearbox even if the car tuned up to 460-480 hp
-> Drivetrain - do all comes with default 31/69 distribution
-> Suspension - dampers vs airmatic
-> Other expected problems

Thanks in advance!

 

The E 43 and E 450 (before E-Class facelift) shares the exact same engine, M276 the tuning is different, the E 43 might have bigger turbos (can't remember correctly)
You might had confused with the inline 6 in the E 53

 

I bought an e43 after owning several e63s and more.
I have to say I was amazed at how much I have enjoyed it. Really peppy and fun, surprising power with Renntech box, also has 20" wheels and Renntech lowering module
It has not been in the shop for one repair. Some will give you a little pushback about it not being a real AMG, but I can tell you, it goes, turns and stops with great precision..And I don't have to back down inntraffic at least to 100 mph or so. Just drop it down a gear and you're in the game. Also, I get super fuel economy for a car with this kind of performance.
Sadly, due to sickness, I'm not going to be able to drive for a while and going to sell it. If you find a "right" one, snap it up. It is more lively and sporty than the e450 (which I have also owned), you will have a great time.
Hope that helps, just my experience.

 

I didn’t know renntech made an air box for the e43. It’s not on their website.

 

I too was recently shopping for either an E450 or E43. I was close to committing on a 2019 E450 when a 2018 E43 popped up within the budget I had set and after living with the E43 for a couple of months, I'm SO glad I got the E43 over the E450.

Of course, this comes down to your budget, but if you can afford the E43, I would recommend spending the extra to get the E43.

As W205C43PFL said, both the E450 and E43 share the same M276 V6 engine, however, the E43 has more aggressive ECU/TCU tuning and higher capacity turbos compared to the E450. Since you mention tunes and HP, obviously performance is important to you and an E43 you're starting with 396 HP compared to 362 HP for the E450.

Additionally with the E43, you get quite a few extras that don't come standard on a E450, like on the AMG car such as everything being tuned for performance (engine, suspension (performance airmatic), drivetrain, exhaust, etc.) and a lot of little things like standard digital instrument cluster, AMG-specific items and menus in COMAND, AMG door sill plates, etc.

Don't get me wrong, the E450 is a capable and respectable car but the E43 takes it a step up and focuses on performance.

If a man could love a transmission, I am in love with the 9G, IMO it does everything well and in Sport+ the shifts are delicious. From what I've seen, the 9G mated to the V6 is rated to ~520 ft/lbs TQ, so Stage 1 is no problem, beyond that I would think it will still hold strong but will most likely increase wear over time above the rated TQ but this has not been proven AFAIK.

As it turns out for me, the E43 is the perfect car for my needs. I was considering an E63 (as it's an amazing beast of a car IMO) but I couldn't justify the additional cost for me as I do more street cruising and interstate riding so I appreciate the great MPG for the amount of power available in the E43 and it can still get when I need to get.

Best of luck to you and I don't think you can lose going with either model, the E is a great platform!

 

Thank you W205C43PFL and Keith66 for the answers.

Can you tell me more about the suspension - is it only AirMatic and what Airmatic performance means?

 

You're welcome!

From what I understand, the airmatic system is the same mechanically but software tuned differently for AMG models for performance driving.

I'm not sure, but the E43 may have larger/better sway bars than the E450, again I'm not sure about that but wouldn't be surprised.

 

Thanks, is the airmatic only option with E43?

 

And yes, all E43's are on airmatic standard.

I can't remember if the E450's are all airmatic standard (they may be?)

 

I've come to realize that modern AMG badged cars have hundreds, if not thousands of software changes, so there appears to be a lot more to it than meets the eye.

 

To add, it will certainly help to have the 396 horsepower over 362 for example (362 is the same exact amount as the C 43 pre-facelift but then the transmission in the E 450 isn't tuned as aggressively) given the increased weight of the E-Class over the C-Class.

Good info on the transmission tuning potential.

 

My pleasure.

 

Market dependent I would say, Here in Canada, there is Dynamic Body Control and Air Body Control of which both are not standard, the standard suspension is still pretty soft if equipped with the right tires. It is an E-Class after all.

 

I believe that is correct.

 

It does not come standard, my 2019 E450 has conventional suspension

 

Yup only the E 43 has it standard.