Sincerely unreasonable

Mercedes-Benz C43 4matic tested with Habby

Quickly find the right C-Class? Not easy. Sedan, station wagon, convertible and coupe compete for the favor as well as numerous modern engines and drive trains. With the "Mopf" they are finally certified for the future! Particle filter now on the gasoline and thus free of concerns. But what to choose? Reason? Heart? Meaningful or capricious offender? The choice is not easy. After a first trip in the C43, the problem quickly clears up in a pleasant way.

habby has decided. It's time to be unreasonable again.

That here a new model in front of the hotel waiting for the test drive is hard to see. Anyone who does not constantly flatten his legs at Mercedes-Benz in the showroom will not recognize the gentle changes. Speak for a good design right from the start of the W205 series. The rear of the C43 is particularly noticeable. Here, four round exhaust pipes suddenly splurge in black lacquer dress. From the details around the bumpers or the new multi-beam LED lights, there is hardly anything left in the perception.

You may ponder the new twin-blade grille in the front for a second, you've seen it somewhere before. You got it, right? Well - AMG design is AMG design and it remains eye-catching!

Let it rock - V6 Bi-Turbo

It is also striking how naughty the three-liter V6 converts the first turns in noises during a cold start. Its flap exhaust system leaves the first few seconds anyone in the dark about what they have decided. Should the others be reasonable?

With 390 PS, the V6 is now, thanks to larger turbochargers and 1.1 bar boost pressure, 23 PS stronger than the pre-Mopf variant and brings between 2.500 and 5.000 revolutions with 520 Newtonmeter force. That the C43 already since 2015 the formerly iron principle "one man, one engine“Breaks, may not be an obstacle for buyers, but for petrol nerds it is a detail that should be considered for at least a second. This doesn't detract from the fascination, that's clear 4.8 seconds later. That's how long it takes the Bi-turbo V6 to catapult the practical station wagon to 9 km / h using the 100-speed automatic and the rear-wheel-drive all-wheel drive. Congratulations - it can be so easy to feel like a "hero of speed".  The "little AMG" does not quite play the finesse of the V8 models. So the C43 relies on a torque converter, while the "big AMGs" use the 9-gear machine and a Own starting coupling.

While you get used to the rush of speed, the transformation of the being at the push of a button is always surprising. AMG DYNAMIC SELECT is the name given to the ability to change the character at the touch of a button. The basic AMG can be switched from comfort to sport, sport + and individual and every time you reap a new driving experience thanks to adapted damping, steering wheel and drive characteristics. The balancing act between “Comfort” and “Sport +” is immense. On the one hand the long-range Pampers bombers, on the other hand the disguised Nordschleife hero.

In order to manifest your own hero status via numbers, the C43 gets the AMG-RACE Timer, which recognizes the starting line at the Nürburgring via GPS help and stops the BTG time at the push of a button.

BTG in the C-Class station wagon? AMG is serious. AMG-Track Pace and Engine-Livedata on board the new C43

To ensure that the C43 does not drive boring despite the safety of its 4matic all-wheel drive, AMG has designed the power distribution with a high load capacity. 69 percent walk towards the stern. While the "normal" colleagues of the series, which is unique in the segment, are also available with air suspension, the Affalterbacher rely on the combination of electronically controlled dampers with steel springs. The four-link front axle and the rear suspension link were provided by AMG with its own kinematics, more downfall makes the cornering dynamic stable.

Dominant dynamic - collegial communicative

In the interior, the driver can expect the new steering wheel, known from the E-Class and S-Class MOPF. Thanks to the “swipe-push buttons” on both sides, the display and information overkill in the cockpit is mastered. The central media display was, optionally, even larger and sticks as a 16: 9 widescreen a little lower over the edge of the dashboard - so it blends in more pleasantly with the surroundings. In the meantime, the tablet integration seems coherent. Behind the steering wheel, the dashboard, also optionally, becomes a wide monitor housing. The new instrument cluster is 12.3 inches tall and can be used in three different graphic styles. Classic, sporty or in super sports design.

From Apple-CarPlay and AndroidAuto it goes now to the Microsoft Office suite, if you just enough check mark in the surcharge catalog in the new car configuration makes. The fact that the C-Class now has a "cheap" "high-tech LED light" in addition to the assistance systems on the S-Class level, is also optionally available with 84 LED Multibeam headlamps and, as usual, the driver in everyday life Track and spacer actively supported, smooth would be worth a separate article.

It lacks the answer to the question of what to choose, when offering the C-class. Should it be reasonable? Or warmly? Or both? As a T-model 390 PS but somehow synonymous reasonable, right?

And finally ... Sporty heroism, digital age and power from the basement - the C43 plays the role of the AMG entry-level drug in a convincing form!

(No photos of the vehicle being driven? Yes. Unfortunately, Mercedes-Benz took photos of all vehicles, but not the test car that AUTOHUB was driving.) 🙁