Mercedes imports the all-wheel-drive C43 for homologation

Mercedes-Benz has imported the C43 4matic to India for homologation purposes. The petrol engined performance sedan is expected to launch within this calendar year as a part of the six launches Mercedes has planned more for the year.

Mercedes has been realigning the AMG Sport cars into their AMG portfolio under which the 450 AMG Sport are being renamed as the 43 AMGs. This C-Class is powered by a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 petrol mill that churns out 362bhp of power at 5500rpm and 520Nm of torque from 2000rpm. It is mated to a nine-speed automatic gearbox and gets all-wheel-drive. The 4matic has been tuned for a torque split of 31/69 biased towards the rear wheels. It does zero to 100kmph in less than five seconds and is limited at a top speed of 250kmph.

The C43 gets AMG-style bumpers with a three-part air dam and an aero lip. It may also get the diamond grille that is offered with the US-spec car. The side skirts and the aggressive rear bumper with the blacked out splitter completes the sporty look along with the distinct design of the alloy wheels. On the inside, the white interior of the C-Class is replaced with an all-black theme with a highlighting contrast coloured stitch. The brushed metal inlays on the door trims and on the dash look premium while the flat-bottom steering wheel adds a dash of sportiness to the cabin. The equipment and feature list is similar to the top-spec C250d except for the racing style bucket seats in the front.

The C43 4matic will be the first rear-biased all-wheel-drive sedan offered by the German car maker to India and will sit below the C63 S AMG and above the C200, C220d and the C250d in the C-Class line-up. We expect the C43 to be priced around Rs 65 lakh to 75 lakh and compete with the Audi S4 in the Indian market.