STUTTGART – Mercedes-Benz reveals the first of two planned AMG variants of the new sixth-generation E-Class – the V6-powered E43 4Matic sedan.
Set to get its first public airing at next week’s New York auto show, the 396-hp 4-door is the fourth in what Mercedes says will be an extended range of second-tier AMG models to rival similar offerings from Audi’s S and BMW’s M performance lineups.
Like the recently revealed SLC43, C43 Coupe 4Matic and C43 Convertible 4Matic, the new E43 4Matic sedan is powered by reworked version of the automaker’s twin-turbocharged 3.0L gasoline V-6 boasting added turbocharger boost pressure, revised software mapping and a 2-stage exhaust.
Yet while the AMG-tweaked engine delivers 362 hp at 5,500 rpm in the SLC43, C43 Coupe 4Matic and C43 Convertible 4Matic, the new unit receives a further series of power enhancing changes, including larger turbochargers running 16 psi (1.1 bar) of boost pressure, for use in the E43 4Matic.
As a result, output jumps 33 hp to 395 hp at a higher 6,100 rpm. Significantly, the revised engine delivers a higher specific output than the 503-hp version of AMG’s dedicated twin-turbocharged 4.0LV-8 at 132 hp/L vs. 126 hp/L.
With an official 3,891-lb. (1,765-kg) curb weight, AMG’s latest model boasts a power-to-weight ratio of 224 hp/ton. Torque, meanwhile, remains the same as other new AMG models fitted with its new V-6 engine, at 383 lb.-ft. (519 Nm) at 2,500-5,000 rpm.
By comparison, the Audi S6 sedan’s twin-turbocharged 4.0L V-8 delivers 444 hp and 406 lb.-ft. (550 Nm) of torque.
As on the C43 Coupe 4Matic and C43 Convertible 4Matic revealed at the Geneva auto show earlier this month, the E43 4Matic channels its reserves through a standard 9-speed automatic transmission and specially developed version of Mercedes-Benz’s 4Matic 4-wheel drive system boasting a nominal 31:69 front-to-rear split.
The gearbox has been given AMG specific software mapping, providing it with a claimed reduction in shift time over the standard unit used by other new E-Class models, as well as the ability to hold gears at the redline rather than upshifting. It also provides a multiple downshifting and a double-declutching function in Sport and Sport Plus modes – two of a total of six modes that also include Eco, Comfort, Individual and Manual.
Official performance claims put the E43 4Matic’s 0-62 mph (100 km/h) time at 4.6 seconds, the same figure Audi quotes for the S6. As with its closest 4-door rival, top speed is limited to 155 mph (249 km/h). Mercedes-AMG also claims combined European-cycle consumption equivalent to 28.3 mpg (8.3 L/100 km) U.S.
The car’s Air Body Control suspension is tweaked with stiffer springs and damper rates, and the variable-ratio electric steering also is retuned. Brakes have been upsized from the standard E-Class.
An AMG styling package helps to distinguish the E43 4Matic from other new E-Class models, with a more heavily structured front bumper with larger air ducts, an altered diamond-themed grille insert, wider sills underneath the doors, a revised rear bumper with integrated diffuser element and quad trapezoidal shaped tailpipes.
Inside, the initial range-topping E-Class model receives sport seats, a flat-bottom multifunction steering wheel and AMG-specific instruments.
Together with the sedan variant, AMG also plans a wagon version of the V6-powered E43. Pricing is yet to be announced, though officials suggest the new 4-door will start above $70,000 in the U.S., with deliveries beginning in early 2017.
The E43 4Matic proceeds a successor to the E63 set to be unveiled later this year. In keeping with other recent first-tier AMG models, it eschews the twin-turbocharged 5.5L V-8 of its predecessor for Mercedes’ newer twin-turbocharged 4.0L V-8.
