Locally Assembled. German Heart. Mercedes-AMG C43 & GLC43 launched in Malaysia!

April 29, 2018 benautobahn Off Mercedes-Benz,

What makes a Mercedes-Benz AMG high-performance vehicle? Lot’s of horsepower sure, but also combining its Motorsports heritage with every day practicality through pioneering technologies. Mention the AMG brand and people tend to see them as German muscle cars.

Recently Mercedes-Benz Malaysia proudly launched the locally assembled AMG models at the Sepang International Circuit with the Mercedes-AMG C 43 4MATIC along with Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 4MATIC with a more attractive price tag. The C 43 is priced at RM408,888 while the GLC 43 will be priced at RM468,888.

Under the hood both cars comes with a 3.0 litre V6 biturbo engine which produces a total of 367 horsepower and 520 Nm of torque at 2000-4200 rpm. A 9-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel-drive system translates all the grunt into a sprint from 0 to 100km/h in just 4.1 seconds for the C 43 while the GLC 43 takes 4.9 seconds.

The Mercedes-AMG C 43 4MATIC comes with standard-fit AMG Ride Control sport suspension in addition with the five AMG Dynamic Select transmission modes: Eco, Comfort, Sport, Sport Plus and Individual which the driver could select according to the driving conditions.

Moving inside, you’ll see a flat-bottomed steering wheel, sport seats with enhanced lateral support and exclusive AMG instrument cluster with AMG menu. The seat covers, door center panels and also upper part of the dashboard and beltlines are finished with Dinamica microfiber with red top stitching, a feature which can only be found in AMG 43 models.

Exterior features of the C 43 4MATIC is based on the AMG Line exterior and has specific features and include the usual AMG diamond grille detachable body parts and trim in high gloss black as well as the two tailpipe trim elements. The AMG spoiler lip on the boot is the same as the one on the AMG performance model. Rounding it all off are 19-inch AMG 5 spoke light-alloy wheels painted in two-tone gloss black and polished look.

The GLC 43 on the other hand is equipped with Air Body Control air suspension. The adaptive damping system ADS PLUS can be adjusted in the three stages: Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus.

Exterior wise GLC 43s are fitted out in pretty much identical fashion with AMG Line exterior, and elements include the signature AMG diamond radiator grille featuring chrome-plated pins, a high-gloss black with inserts in high-gloss chrome and AMG lettering as well as an AMG front apron and splitter dressed in silver chrome.

Sure, some might argue that the AMG 43 models are not “real” AMG models as the engines are not built by one person in Affalterbach. While I tend to agree with that statement, there’s no denying the generous performance on tap, and local assembly (and the lower prices that comes with it) would not have been possible should one demand it to be an “authentic” AMG.