- for 2021, the amg gt43 four-door will bring buyers into the amg high-performance fold with slightly less cash outlay—it starts just over $90,000.
- the amg gt43 has many of the features of the four-door gt, including 4matic, a nine-speed transmission with amg dynamic select drive modes, the amg sport suspension, and an electronically deployable rear spoiler.
- u.s. buyers will start to get the 2021 amg gt43 in late 2020, according to mercedes.
amg's four-door gt is a stroke of genius. the dramatically styled hatchback sedan looks like a stretched amg gt, even though it is in fact a masterfully rebodied e-class. and there's a very good reason for that. "if we had stretched the gt, we would have ended up with a package like the aston martin rapide," a daimler engineer once told this writer with a grin on his face. and that, quite clearly, would have been an unacceptable compromise.
all the glamour and glory of the amg gt, but a spacious platform and cutting-edge infotainment and telematics: what's not to like? perhaps the price of admission: the least expensive amg gt is the 53 model, powered by a 429-hp straight-six and priced at a lofty $101,000. but with the new amg gt43, getting into a four-door gt will soon be significantly more easy—by $10,050, to be exact, since the future entry-level model is priced at $90,950.
that money buys essentially the same car, but with a slightly detuned version of the same silky-smooth, mild-hybrid 3.0-liter straight-six. compared to the gt53, power drops from 429 to 362 horsepower, while maximum torque falls from 384 to 369 lb-ft. those numbers are not exactly feeble, and indeed, the gt43 still manages to charge from zero to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds according to mercedes's estimate, only 0.7 behind the gt53, which, in our testing, got to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds. top speed is undisclosed and will likely depend on tires, but we know that the largely identical europe-market version can easily attain an electronically limited 155 mph.
unlike in europe, u.s.-bound models come with a standard all-wheel-drive system, and a nine-speed automatic transmission is obligatory. and since it is a 2021 model, every gt43 is fitted with the latest mbux user interface and a new center touchscreen that makes data entry far easier than using the fussy touchpad on the center console. a burmester stereo system is standard as well.
with its large hatch, trunk, and rear seats, the amg gt43 is a veritable long-distance cruiser that is suitable for the entire family, and while the upper part of the dashboard is similar to that in the e-class, the lower part—imitating a naca duct—is taken directly from the two-door gt sports car. this way, no one will mistake it for an e-class—or a cls, yet another derivative of benz's volume executive sedan.
while the lower entry-level price will undoubtedly endear the four-door amg gt to more buyers, there are alternatives. the amg cls53, for example, is priced at $82,195, and it offers the more powerful 53-level engine. outside the mercedes-amg brand, there are the $88,795 bmw 840i xdrive gran coupe or the $93,150 porsche panamera 4. equally glamorous, they are both less powerful than this new amg. shopping the segment has just become more difficult . . . and more fun.