Every so often, an automaker will drop a product that’s mildly perplexing. The Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet and the BMW 3 Series GT immediately spring to mind, and now there’s another one. Mercedes-AMG has dropped a four-cylinder engine into its GT sports coupe to create the Mercedes-AMG GT 43, and although it sounds like a lease special, the spec sheet tells a slightly different story.
If you’re wondering what the hell happened here, let me catch you up to speed. The AMG GT is no longer a Glasgow-smiling spine-snapping axe murderer of a sports car. It’s now based on the SL cabriolet, as a second-generation model seeks broader appeal. In this transformation, AMG’s coupe becomes less GT (racing car class prefix) and more GT (coupe for golfists). That’s not necessarily a bad thing, because even though we all loved the old AMG GT, the sort of people who can afford a six-figure Mercedes coupe might not want something so ruthless. However, don’t confuse softer with slow.
With 416 horsepower and 369 lb.-ft. of torque on tap, the Mercedes-AMG GT 43 promises genuine performance. With a claimed zero-to-60 mph dash time of 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 174 mph, it’s able to put down some properly impressive figures that make it competitive against the Lexus LC 500 in a straight-line grudge match. Not bad for what should be the least expensive AMG GT in the range. Make no mistake, a debadged AMG GT 43 can still be flexed for the ‘gram, except the M139 isn’t some tax break special.
This two-liter four-banger is the same engine found in the AMG CLA 45 S, a peaky unit reminiscent of old boosted tuner cars. Instead of adopting the modern turbocharged four-cylinder engine way of making grunt down low, torque in this thing peaks between 3,250 rpm and 5,000 rpm, meaning this engine should reward being kept on the boil. I’ve driven a CLA 45 with this mill and found that you do need to work to extract the most out of this engine because it’s completely asleep when off boost. If that characteristic carries over to the AMG GT 43, it will definitely be a car for people who know what they’re doing.[/caption]
Oh, and then there’s the weight reduction. This four-banger takes 250 pounds off of the car compared to the V8 models, dropping curb weight below 4,000 pounds and likely shifting the weight bias rearward due to the bulk of that weight coming off the nose of the vehicle. What’s more, the AMG GT 43 is rear-wheel-drive, a departure from V8 models’ all-wheel-drive traction. The stats are promising for involvement, but will buyers accept the four-banger’s tradeoffs?
Who is the Mercedes-AMG GT 43 for? On the face of it, this four-cylinder coupe seems like it may have too few cylinders for AMG diehards and Jaguar F-Type owners, while also having a peakier powerband than many sports car dilettantes are used to.
It’s a little heavy for current Porsche 911 owners, and not as promising of a total sensory experience as a Lexus LC 500. While there’s likely a market for the AMG GT 43 in markets taxed by carbon dioxide emissions or displacement or the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow, what would an American buyer look like? Answers on a postcard, please.
(Photo credits: Mercedes-AMG)
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IRS examiner : “There is an error in your unladen swallow airspeed calculation”.
Me: “No so fast. You are using African whereas I used European”.
Examiner: “AHHHHHHH”.
We need more Monty Python references.
Rather sounds like it’s aimed at the buyer who fondly reminisces about the power delivery of the new wrx they got for graduation two decades back—but wants twice the torque
and half the seatsIf you look at what just a tune does on this engine you would be surprised.
Most of the lag vanishes and the charts Im looking at are 400wtq before 3000rpm with 450whp easily attainable on the stock turbo.
Personally I think it is a great engine going back to closed deck. I was expecting it to be more maxed out from the factory but it isnt.
I look on the bright side. Less to break. Just simply having only one valve cover and head gasket is great.
Optimistically, there’s a growing realization that there’s a place for stupid, dramatic, entertaining cars without needing to be capable of ludicrous speeds (the Jag F-Type effect), because unless you’re tracking it, there’s a lot of modern cars where you’ll just never appreciate its capabilities without monumentally breaking the law. Granted, it’d be a lot better if they went full Miata, but still.
But no, it’s probably a tax-dodge special.
Poor 4 cylinder screaming HELP ME
This is the type of car you get for 90% off MSRP from it’s 3 owner after less than 10 years
lol, so true, but maybe more like 5. 10 years is the pick-n-pull era of the Mercedes lifecycle.
Ad from 2030: “Ball like it’s 2025 in this immaculate AMG GT43. Non smoker, fourth owner, only 43k miles, fresh engine!!! It won’t last long!!! Call for price!!! Will also trade for ’77 Caprice coupe.”
It is for the wildly courageous among us. The true patriots of the country of giving no s****. Buyer (ahem, lessee), I may not understand you, but I do admire you, you bravest of souls.
Well, the 2014 CLA45 AMG is my favorite Merc I’ve ever driven, so I’m a bit of a fan of a turbo 4 AMG…
Do I think this looks cool, especially in that awesome yellow? Yes. Would I trade my Cayman with the 2.0 making 300 HP that weighs in just a tick under 3,000 lbs? No.
It’s definitely a tax and emissions special aimed more at Europe than America (Jaguar still offers a four cylinder F Type in Europe for the same reason). Having said that the reduced price, it is RWD, and quite a bit lighter that the 55 and 63 has quite a lot of appeal to me. This or the forthcoming CLE53 AMG is an interesting choice from Mercedes.
Doesn’t matter till they get jarjar off the dash
Wow, you’re right – ugh.
As far as modern Benz’s go it’s great looking, especially in yellow. I couldn’t care less that it’s only a four banger.
It’s for the people who buy “the badge” and aren’t going to worry about a production, emissions compliant engine making 104hp per cylinder. (Yes, that’s something I’m more worried about. Call it what you want, that figure, not a as hybrid, kinda worries me)
104 turbocharged, German horsepower per cylinder no less. I’d be shocked if this engine can even hit 60k before it grenades…
“Rookie numbers”
-Dodge Demon
I mean, true, but I hanker an iron block might handle all that power better than an aluminum block. Or, rather, I’d hope it would.
100% agreed.
Hot damn, 105 HP per cylinder. Absolute madlad of a car.
Heyyyyyy… I like my 3 GT. But yeah I don’t know who’s gonna pay that kind of money for a 2.0T.
The 3 GT did not deserve to catch any strays. And I’ll take it one step further-I think the brief lived 6 series GT was a super compelling car that didn’t get enough love.
I can tell you who it’s for: People who aren’t buying an AMG GT. It’s a halo car for the 4-banger, the same way that the MC20 is a halo car for the V6, they don’t need the MC-20 or AMG GT 43 to sell itself, they need someone to read a Road & Track article on how sexy the MC-20 is and buy a Grecale because it has “the MC-20 engine”, or see a CarWow video where the Mercedes-AMG GT 43 beats a similarly-priced 911 in a drag race and run out buy any of the entry-level Something-L-Something-43-AMG models because they have “the Mercedes-AMG GT 43 engine”.
It’s all about association. The IS300 would just be a poor man’s 3-series if the Supra didn’t exist to make the 2JZ famous and nobody would care about Skylines if there wasn’t a GT-R, but they’re all inflated far beyond the prices of other comparable sedans because they’re “almost a GT-R” and “basically a 4-door Supra”.
Every surgeon in the Continental Untied States. It’s bright, flashy and expensive enough to keep out the poors, but not expensive enough to require selling the boat. Just know that your surgery is gonna be delayed by 30 minutes because your surgeon is busy parking their bright green AMG in the very back of the hospital lot.
These states sure feel untied
That car is sexy. Legitimately beautiful. I’m full on smitten with it. I for sure can’t afford it 🙁
Who’s it for? Youtubers in 10 years to make a video like “I Bought This 100k AMG for $5k…How Bad Could It Be?”
Hoovie and Tavarish are going to have field days with this stupid AMG 4 popper in a couple years….
I do really like that it’s RWD. More companies should be ditching the scourge of standard AWD in their performance cars. And that yellow is sweet, make more yellow cars. Beyond that I don’t have anything nice to say, so I’ll just be done.
I cannot even begin to fathom dropping 100 grand on a 4 cylinder. This is an engine that belongs in a hot hatch. Not a luxury GT. Hell if for some reason you specifically want a raucous 4 popper just buy a Hyundai N of your choice and spend the $65,000 you have left over on a C8…
I do not get it either, but German automakers seem to think we want them. The 911 will have the Boxster 4 cylinder before we know it.
I actually don’t think it will. There’s a hybrid 911 that’s going to debut soon and I imagine that that’s how they’ll keep the flat 6 alive. I’ll keep the faith for now…also Porsche decided to give us the V8 back in the Cayenne S for the new generation.
I have no idea what it took/what drove them to be like “after taking the V8 away we will now give it back to you because V8s rule” but I’m grateful for it.
When even AMG is downsizing to four cylinders, I don’t think anything is held as sacred. I wouldn’t be surprised.
That’s the precise reason Tobias Moers walked. The board wanted 4 cylinders in the 63s and he said no or he’s gone.
Tobias was right, as we’ve seen with the most recent C63.
But also, Porsche is much smarter (nowadays). They’re rumored to be developing a new NA flat 6, and are getting rid of the 3.0T. They also claimed the hybrid is going to use a very small battery, and possibly supercapacitors to keep the weight as low as possible.
If that ends up coming to pass, I’ll be delighted, even more so if the powertrain finds its way into the Boxster/Cayman as well.
And even more; the automakers themselves conditioned us to associate the 6/8 cyl cars as the premium and higher performing vehicles while the 4cyl models were seen as the entry level, sporty-ish versions. Like the MB SL and MB SLK.
I can’t and won’t pay the full price for it. Sell it at $60-70K as a “gateway” to the new SL experience or something but not six figures.
Signed: Porsche Boxster 981 owner with no interest in the 718 even though I recognize they are superior in almost every measurable way.
The RamCharger makes more power than my Viper from a V6+hybrid but that doesn’t mean I’d buy a new ViperCharger or whatever. Same idea.
TBH I’m shocked that we haven’t had a decontented 912. I assume Porsche is just happy with their profits and sales numbers and have no need to make a 912/cheaper 911, because those people just buy Caymans anyway?
Porsche even has the historical easy way to do it with the 912 name.
BMW and Mercedes chasing Audi’s A/S/RS naming structure has led to some real puzzling combos: a 330 with a 2.0! The 43AMG = 2.0, 53AMG = 3.0? 63AMG = 4.0? I guess the 63 used to be a 6.2L… close enough?
Correct take
It’s for the same type of people who built their Fieros into Diablos and F40s and for the same reasons.
I saw this on another site this morning and couldn’t stop laughing. I agree…who the fuck is this for? And who the fuck is the SL43 for, for that matter? This will almost assuredly cost six figures, and at that point who in their right mind would choose a time bomb of an overboosted 4 cylinder over a flat 6 in a 911 or a V8 in an LC500, F Type, Z06, etc?
Hell you can get a used V10 R8 for around what this will probably cost. Mercedes seems weirdly into this engine for some reason and I don’t think it’s just emissions, because they make enough EVs that they probably have wiggle room…not to mention they have a straight 6 in house that makes similar power.
Is it the “most powerful production 4 cylinder” thing? Does this still have that title? I haven’t driven a car with this mill yet and likely never will, but on paper it makes no sense to me. It’s boosted to over 200 horsepower per liter so you know it’s going to blow up as soon as the warranty is up. It doesn’t get good fuel economy either, and it sounds like shit.
I should clarify: it sounds like shit in the context of the cars it’s in. If it was in a $40,000 hot hatch it would be a cool motor that sounds comparably good. But it isn’t! It’s exclusively in $60,000+ AMGs where it goes against 6 and 8 cylinder engines. I’ve also heard complaints that it’s not torquey enough for the 9 speed transmission, which is built to handle the bigger (and better!) AMG mills.
Apparently it’s clunky and bad when paired with the 4 popper as a result and only functions well once it’s brought up to temperature, which takes a significant amount of time due to how beefy it is. The C43 is apparently dogshit for this reason specifically…and the fact that it sounds like an angry Dyson while getting fuel economy that’s essentially the same as the old turbo V6.
I could keep going but I’ll stop. This is dumb as hell. Mercedes has become incredible and shooting themselves in the dick with their performance cars. Between this dumb 4 popper and the E53/C63 hybrid sedans that weigh 5,000 pounds they are just completely lost right now.
Another correct take. The sound alone is just not right.
Like I said, if it was the sound a hot hatch was making it would be great. Hell, the engine would be fantastic in a hot hatch and very much the norm. The problem is in the hot sedans the engine is going up against stuff like GM’s twin turbo V6, God’s own engine the B58 and its maniacal S58 cousin, the V8 in the IS500, etc.
And in this application it’s going up against the screaming V8 in the Z06, Porsche flat 6s, the same Lexus V8 but more uncorked in the LC500, etc. In case it’s not apparent by the fact that I daily’d a GTI then bought a Kona N, I thoroughly appreciate a rowdy turbo 4 cylinder. But I don’t want one in a damn performance luxury car, and especially not in a GT car.
“It’s the AutoX special of the AMG GT range” -people who willing chose the turbo 4 Camaro over the SS
It’s for supercar rental companies. More specifically, for the people who will rent it to show off on social media. Well that and also for people who live in places where emissions taxes are based off engine displacement or power so they end up with a 4 cylinder model.
$100,000 four banger, eh?
What a world