Mercedes is giving its respectable E-Class some extra bite

Mercedes-Benz unveiled its latest E-Class sedan in January at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show.

Now the company has given its bread-and-butter midsize luxury sedan an edgy alter ego.

This week, the Stuttgart, Germany-based auto maker introduced the performance-oriented E43 AMG sedan.

With the E43, customers of the three-pointed star will get a 3.0-liter, 396-horsepower, twin-turbocharged V6 engine paired with Mercedes’ nine-speed automatic transmission.

In addition to the twin-turbo engine, the E43 carries other go-fast goodies, such as AMG’s Airmatic adjustable air suspension, speed-sensitive sports-steering system, and dynamic driving modes.

According to Mercedes-AMG — the high-performance division of Mercedes — the E43 can make the run to 60 mph from a standstill in just 4.5 seconds and reach an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph.

“The new AMG E43 offers impressive driving dynamics coupled with cutting-edge efficiency,” Mercedes-AMG CEO Tobias Moers said in a statement. “Twin turbocharging, features adopted from motorsport immediately indicate to our customers that the [E43] offers pure Driving Performance coupled with cutting-edge technology and intense emotion.”

Mercedes-AMG

Although it carries the AMG badge, the E43 is not the full-blown, hardcore, track monster that you would expect. Instead, Mercedes-AMG ratcheted up the insanity only incrementally for the E43. With “just” 396 ponies under the hood, this sedan is destined to serve as the middle of the lineup variant in the same vein as the Audi S6 and BMW 550i.

It won’t be Mercedes’ BMW M5 and Audi RS6 fighter. That’s because the steroid-infused E63 AMG is likely to be on the way.

The Mercedes-AMG E43 will make its world debut later this month at the 2016 New York International Auto Show and hit US showrooms early next year.

Mercedes-AMG