It’s a well known fact that Mercedes-Benz is the oldest car company in the world. They made the first motorised vehicle way back in the 19th century. They’ve progressed a long way from there and made some iconic cars that have stood the test of time. Along the way also came AMG the company’s performance division. AMG models typically have more aggressive looks, higher performance and better handling and stability amongst other things. They are also the most expensive and highest-performing variant of each class of Mercedes-Benz. The year 2017 is when the German car maker is celebrating 50 years of the formation of AMG and to celebrate that they’ve launched the AMG GLC 43 Coupe in India. The company says this SUV Coupé embodies superlative driving performance, agility and stays true to the legacy of the three powerful letters—AMG. The car is priced at Rs. 74.8 lakh (ex-showroom).
Looks
AMG GLC 43 Coupe is a product without any predecessor in India and has got some alluring design elements. These include black exterior mirror housing, contoured power domes on the bonnet, front splitter in silver chrome in the AMG front apron and AMG diamond radiator grille with centrally positioned 3-pointed star, typical of a coupé with single Louvre. The car also comes with LED high performance headlamps with iconic “eyebrow” styled daytime running lamps. For the best possible visibility on country roads and motorways, when cornering and on bends, the LED Intelligent Light System automatically adapts to the lighting and driving conditions. The car also has an electric sunroof with rain closing feature where if it starts to rain, the sliding sunroof automatically moves to the raised position. And if the system detects an obstruction, it automatically stops the closing process and moves the roof back a little individual ventilation of the interior with fresh air due to a variety of opening positions.
Interiors
The interior design is pretty sporty as well. The car has a 3-spoke multifunction sports steering wheel in black nappa leather, with flattened bottom section. The Instrument cluster with dial in chequered flag look is another highlight. The cluster with multifunction display has 2 large round dials with speedometer on the left and rev counter on the right. Then there are brushed stainless steel sports pedals with rubber studs which are very typical AMG. There’s also a central colour multifunction display with 21.3 cm screen diagonal and despite being an AMG there’s an ECO display to encourage a fuel-efficient driving style. The AMG traits continue with the seat upholstery layout with the use of ARTICO man-made leather.
Roland Folger, Managing Director and CEO, Mercedes Benz India said, “Personally, I feel one of Mercedes-AMG’s key contributions to the world of performance motoring has been the incessant transfer of technology from race-track to series production cars, resulting in developing some of the most emotionally appealing and performance oriented vehicles. With the launch of the Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 Coupe, we further cement our strong AMG portfolio in the performance segment.”
Driving
The GLC 43 4MATIC Coupé features a powerful AMG-enhanced 3.0-liter V6 biturbo engine, churning out an output of 367 hp with 520 Nm of Torque. The car sprints from 0-100 km/hr in just 4.9 seconds. There’s the 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission that enables efficiency, comfort and dynamism of an entirely new dimension. Mercedes also says its high efficiency helps to reduce fuel consumption and enhances performance. The AMG dynamic select variable dynamic control system that assigns fundamentally different characteristics to the five transmission modes of Individual, Comfort, Slippery, Sport and Sport+ which the driver is able to select using a rotary control on the center console. The system networks all the control systems, generating different driving experience parameters. The car can also boast of AMG speed-sensitive sports steering 2-stage which promises precise, agile handling thanks to direct ratio and optimised response time. Also reduced steering angle required improves both precision when cornering and comfort, e.g. when cornering in city traffic. Finally the car also gets AMG sports suspension based on air body control.
AMG legacy
In the last 50 years Mercedes-AMG has further consolidated its position as an extremely successful sports car and performance brand with numerous successes in motorsport and the development of unique road-going vehicles. Its first major success came in the year 1971 with the red-painted AMG 300 SEL 6.8. Post collaboration with Mercedes-Benz that began in 1990, the first big car was C 63 AMG that came in 1993. Unveiled in 2009, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG was the first vehicle to be developed entirely in-house by the sports car and performance brand. AMG started into the anniversary year with record figures under its belt, delivering almost 100,000 vehicles in 2016.
Shams Naqvi is an anchor/producer for the News X motor show Living Cars