Some of you may recall that in August I test drove a 2019 Mercedes-AMG C43; I found it to be a nice car but not all that exciting. Well, I ended up buying a 2020 CPO C43 with 21K miles on it.
Why, you may ask, did I buy a C43 after driving one and finding it less than enticing? Well, a couple of friends told me that I needed to drive one and make sure everything was set to Sport+- of course I hadn't done that. Then I watched the Throttle House YouTube review of the A4, M340i, and C43; what struck me were their comments concerning the M340i- they thought that it was a nice car, but aside from the added hp it felt just like a 330i. That's not a knock on the 330i- it's a great car, but the consensus was that it wasn't sufficiently differentiated from the 330i. I'd had a 330i loaner for over a week while the X1 and Clubman were being serviced and while it was a nice car, but it never made me want to get in and drive it. And I felt the same way in retrospect after driving a G42 M240i. Nice, fast, but not very involving- I guess I shouldn't be surprised, as the 2er and 3er are built on the same CLAR platform. And the TH guys really liked the C43- as did my lovely bride.
And so I decided to audition the C43 a second time. This car turned up at the dealer a few weeks ago. I couldn't go look at it last week due to work and other commitments, but on Saturday the price dropped by $2,500. Monday morning I called my salesperson and put a deposit on it. After an extended test drive the deal was done. They gave me $2,500 over the CarMax offer for my M235i and installed a new of Continental MOE(Mercedes-speak for runflats. Sorta.) tires on the C43. I hope to pay it off in a year or so.
Once I started looking I soon found out that virtually no two C43 sedans are ever optioned alike. That said, this car was as close to perfect as I could want- my only change would be to swap the panoramic sunroof for the HUD, but you can't win 'em all.
What does it have?
AMG Performance Exhaust- A true hoot. It's switchable- much like the Mustang GT active valve exhaust. It is loud on start-up and when put in "Powerful" mode. It pops, crackles and burbles. I absolutely love it.
LED Intelligent Light System- The best headlights I have experienced. To my 65 year-old eyes just as good as the BMW Laserlights.
Digital Instrument Cluster- Easy to read and configure- with real engine and transmission oil temperature readings available. I'm still less than impressed with BMW's digital IP cluster with it's "wrong-way" tachometer and limited configurability.
AMG Track Pace- You have to ask?
Top speed derestricted from 130 mph to 155 mph- Ditto.
On the road this car feels more stiffly sprung than the other C43 I drove; in comfort mode it feels stiffer than my M235i felt in Sport mode- which is just fine with me. It's just a tick faster than my M235i, but I won't complain about a 12.6 second 1/4 mile. The AWD front/rear torque split is 31/69 so the the C43 feels more rear biased than than the M240i xDrive. I could take or leave the Driver Assistance and Parking Assistance Packages, but they are fun to play with. The seats are very comfortable; a bit better than my old 2er and clearly better than the G42 M240i. The Burmester Surround Sound needs a bit of dialing-in, but I think it sounds a little better than the H-K in the M340i. And did I mention the C43 is only 13 pounds heavier than the M240i xDrive?
Not many nits to pick; I haven't managed to get the audio system to stream music from my iPhone via BT, and you have to disable stop/start after every startup- but that's about it.
I hope to take it to the strip and a road course next year just to see what it will do. I'm almost guaranteed to be the only M-B at either venue...
Why, you may ask, did I buy a C43 after driving one and finding it less than enticing? Well, a couple of friends told me that I needed to drive one and make sure everything was set to Sport+- of course I hadn't done that. Then I watched the Throttle House YouTube review of the A4, M340i, and C43; what struck me were their comments concerning the M340i- they thought that it was a nice car, but aside from the added hp it felt just like a 330i. That's not a knock on the 330i- it's a great car, but the consensus was that it wasn't sufficiently differentiated from the 330i. I'd had a 330i loaner for over a week while the X1 and Clubman were being serviced and while it was a nice car, but it never made me want to get in and drive it. And I felt the same way in retrospect after driving a G42 M240i. Nice, fast, but not very involving- I guess I shouldn't be surprised, as the 2er and 3er are built on the same CLAR platform. And the TH guys really liked the C43- as did my lovely bride.
And so I decided to audition the C43 a second time. This car turned up at the dealer a few weeks ago. I couldn't go look at it last week due to work and other commitments, but on Saturday the price dropped by $2,500. Monday morning I called my salesperson and put a deposit on it. After an extended test drive the deal was done. They gave me $2,500 over the CarMax offer for my M235i and installed a new of Continental MOE(Mercedes-speak for runflats. Sorta.) tires on the C43. I hope to pay it off in a year or so.
Once I started looking I soon found out that virtually no two C43 sedans are ever optioned alike. That said, this car was as close to perfect as I could want- my only change would be to swap the panoramic sunroof for the HUD, but you can't win 'em all.
What does it have?
AMG Performance Exhaust- A true hoot. It's switchable- much like the Mustang GT active valve exhaust. It is loud on start-up and when put in "Powerful" mode. It pops, crackles and burbles. I absolutely love it.
LED Intelligent Light System- The best headlights I have experienced. To my 65 year-old eyes just as good as the BMW Laserlights.
Digital Instrument Cluster- Easy to read and configure- with real engine and transmission oil temperature readings available. I'm still less than impressed with BMW's digital IP cluster with it's "wrong-way" tachometer and limited configurability.
AMG Track Pace- You have to ask?
Top speed derestricted from 130 mph to 155 mph- Ditto.
On the road this car feels more stiffly sprung than the other C43 I drove; in comfort mode it feels stiffer than my M235i felt in Sport mode- which is just fine with me. It's just a tick faster than my M235i, but I won't complain about a 12.6 second 1/4 mile. The AWD front/rear torque split is 31/69 so the the C43 feels more rear biased than than the M240i xDrive. I could take or leave the Driver Assistance and Parking Assistance Packages, but they are fun to play with. The seats are very comfortable; a bit better than my old 2er and clearly better than the G42 M240i. The Burmester Surround Sound needs a bit of dialing-in, but I think it sounds a little better than the H-K in the M340i. And did I mention the C43 is only 13 pounds heavier than the M240i xDrive?
Not many nits to pick; I haven't managed to get the audio system to stream music from my iPhone via BT, and you have to disable stop/start after every startup- but that's about it.
I hope to take it to the strip and a road course next year just to see what it will do. I'm almost guaranteed to be the only M-B at either venue...
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