The Mercedes-AMG GT 43 gets a small 4-cylinder
There Mercedes-AMG GT is offered a third engine. We already know the 63 with 577 horsepower and the 55 with 469 horsepower, both from a 4-liter twin-turbo V8. Here we cut the pear in two with the introduction of a base 43 version.
Contents
The pear is cut in half
The crux of this version is the recovery of the engine 4 cylinders of the CLA 45 S. Indeed, we are not dreaming, it is indeed a 4-cylinder in a GT. However, it’s not just any 4-cylinder, it’s the M139, the most powerful production 2-liter on the market. So, even if we cut the displacement in half compared to the V8, it only develops 50 horsepower less than the 55 version. We are therefore at a power of 416 horsepower and a torque of 369 pound-feet. According to Mercedes-AMG, this is enough to go from 0 to 100 kilometers/hour in just 4.6 seconds. Like other AMG engines, we are talking about high technology, therefore an electric exhaust gas turbocharger which allows greater responsiveness of the engine over a wider range of revs. This innovation comes directly from F1.
Back to basics
Many have criticized that the new GT is now more bourgeois with its all-wheel drive, its 4 directional wheels and its adaptive suspensions. All this leaves the ship for a return to the sources of sportsmanship. The 43 is strictly rear-wheel drive without directional rear wheels and comes with AMG-designed suspensions, certainly, but less complex. The gearbox, however, remains an AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 9G, therefore a 9-speed automatic with wet double clutch instead of a torque converter.
More modest design
With the 43, the GT lost a little of its extravagance with a simplified design. The entire front part has been revised. The layout of the grille is more sober with the removal of the black applique in the lower part. The bumper takes a similar approach. What is also striking is that the car is quite narrower than the 55 and 63. The fenders are less flared, and the oblique applique for the flow of air from the front wheels is removed. We opt instead for a more compact air outlet placed higher on the wing. At the rear, apart from the narrower tracks, the main difference is the shape of the exhaust tips. On the 55 and 63, they are rectangular, on the 43, they are round.
This third AMG GT will arrive later this year in Canadian dealerships as a 2025 model. For the moment, the base price is not yet known.
Our opinion
A 4-cylinder in a coupe that borders on the exotic? We are there. There are certainly the V8 versions that still sound great, but for those who value style over performance, the 43 makes a certain amount of sense. However, if we cry heresy in the Toyota Supra with a 2.0T, what can we say when we are talking about a car that flirts with a Porsche 911. At 416 horsepower, the power is not lacking, but delivered in this price range, I doubt that the buyer would not spend a few thousand dollars more to get at least the 55.
