2025 Mercedes-AMG GT43 | UK Review

How do you feel about fusion food? Your desire to try spaghetti tacos or a ramen burger could cast useful light on how open-minded you are to this slender black coupe. You’re looking at the new Mercedes-AMG GT43, a car that sells its 1,991 cubic capacity for a six-figure price tag. We’ve tried this wilfully different recipe already, broadly appreciating its SL43 roadster cousin, though the concept of a sub-V8 soft-top doesn’t feel anywhere near as disruptive as a baby supercar with just four cylinders beneath its suggestively long bonnet.

The engine is a 421hp and 369lb ft tune of the M139 2.0-litre turbo four that’s familiar from a wealth of Mercedes-AMG hatches and SUVs. Not to mention the Lotus Emira. When it’s amidship in a lightweight coupe descended from the Esprit, no one’s putting pen to placard and getting ready to protest. But in the snout of a gnarly AMG coupe we’ve only previously seen occupied by V8 power? You may already be lost to the comments section…

The GT43 has more power than the SL43 we initially drove (that model now has parity) and costs several grand less, which helps edge it higher up the PHometer before we’ve even opened a door. It shifts its 1,974kg to 62mph in 4.6 seconds and onto a 174mph top speed (versus 3.9 and 183 in the Merc-AMG GT55) while claiming 27.4mpg (against 20.2). Perhaps the most interesting number on its spec sheet, though, concerns its peak torque delivery. Where the burlier V8 above it dishes out 516lb ft from 2,250–4,500, the GT43 delivers its thinner figure at 5,000rpm. Which means you’ll be revving it.

Via a snappy nine-speed transmission too; second gear is done long before the UK limit while third tops out just short of 80mph. Assuming you don’t rev the car until breaking point every shift, you can be flick-flacking up and down its gears repeatedly on a good section of road – and thus really squeezing the best from the lighter, more reactive chassis beneath you.

It’s a much less complex car than other gen2, ‘C192’ GTs, forgoing drive on the front axle and steering at the rear for a purer, lighter and (engine aside) more traditional take on a front-engined GT car. There’s lots to like about that, and you feel the benefit right from the off. I sunk into the seat of this GT43 immediately after driving an Alpine A110 R – the other £100k 4cyl coupe – and despite being nearly double the kerbweight, the big Merc didn’t feel embarrassed. They both possess the same bassy soundtrack and hard-edged redline, the curiously appealing sound of a hard-working hot hatch motor buried in a place you may least expect it.

Of course, the A110 ethos revolves around lightweight, hardworking components and the psychological jump to 4cyl power in a luxe GT is unmistakably larger. But the Merc’s interior is unchanged and on appearances alone it drips with no less exotica than its pricier, more potent siblings.

And this 43 offers something feistier than the more senior GTs manage to muster at road speed. It’s very easy to take by the scuff of its neck, and you’re newly encouraged to think of this as a sporting car. It’s quick, alert steering snaps a more eager front end into corners, while the rear axle – bearing sole responsibility for putting the power down – doesn’t mind playing the hooligan when asked, especially if the tyres aren’t fully warmed through. 

It’s immediately a more interactive car, and while neither 55 nor 63 are lacking in fun, you’ll uncover it here with much less commitment. Just watch out for your upshifts into third – the engine boosts so quickly, and second is so short, you must have rapid right trigger fingers if you’ve locked the car in manual mode. Leaving it in auto while still doing most of the shifts yourself is undoubtedly the best way to avoid dopily bumping into the limiter.

On this brief first impression, its ride is less stressed by typical road surfacing, too. The 43 reacts amiably to big compression changes, and its flow is rarely perturbed by undulations. There’s tension to its reactions – it’s still a two-tonne bruiser despite its blockbuster act of downsizing – it just breathes with the road a mite less fussily than before. It also cruises at motorway speeds at a hushed 1,500rpm and promises another 100 miles of grand touring between fills over a V8 GT, given it shares the same 70-litre fuel tank. So while it may not ultimately charm you as much as a 55 or 63, it has the potential to slip into your life with fewer excuses. 

More difficult to forecast is its future classic potential. Will it be as covetable as those V8s? I’d say almost certainly not, and it shares their 37% BIK rate – 235g/km of CO2 won’t ever be deemed innocent by European regulations – ruling out much tangible benefit to choosing one beyond its £37,000 saving over a base GT55 and its less frequent fuel stops.

Plus, it’s extra agile. There’s a sense many Mercedes-AMG GT buyers are angling to try something truly different, having perhaps exhausted the plethora of trims and attitudes offered by Stuttgart’s other 2+2. Plenty of foodies flock to Heston Blumenthal’s pricey tasting menus, after all. Many of them are partial to a scoop of bacon ‘n’ egg ice cream; the GT43’s curious fusion of hot hatch power and glamorous GT style might yet prove similarly tempting.

Engine: 1,991cc, four-cyl turbo, plus 48v ISG
Transmission: 9-speed auto, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 421@6,750rpm
Torque (lb ft): 369@5,000rpm
0-62mph: 4.6 seconds
Top speed: 174mph
Weight: 1,974kg
MPG: 27.4 (WLTP)
CO2: 235g/km (WLTP)
Price: £105,435