Entry-level Mercedes-AMG GT43 4-door Coupé revealed

Mercedes-AMG's GT 4-door Coupé has been given a new entry-level 3.0-litre petrol powertrain and badged GT 43 4Matic+ 4-door Coupé. It joins its GT53 and GT63 siblings to rival the Porsche Panamera.

The 3.0-litre straight-six engine, shared with the S450 and CLS450 models, produces 367hp and 500Nm of torque, with an additional 22hp and 250Nm of torque available from the EQ boost mild-hybrid function. Power is transmitted to all four wheels from Mercedes' 4Matic system, contributing to a 0-100kph time of 4.9sec and a claimed 270kph top speed. The 43 will make come out into the open at the Paris motor show next month and will have a lower price tag than the hybrid-powered, 53-badged model.

The GT 4-door Coupé made its UK debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed as the top-of-the-line GT63 S. After it goes on sale a limited-run launch variant called Edition 1 will be on offer for a period of 12 months only. This top model will use the same 639hp, 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 petrol engine seen in the top-of-the-line GT63 S 4Matic+. It has a 0-100kph time of 3.2sec and a top speed of 315kph.

Like the first version of the two-door GT sports car, the Edition 1 will get more standard features, including the sportiest aerodynamics package, 21-inch AMG wheels and a bespoke grey-and-black scheme. It will kick-start the arrival of AMG's all-new and division-specific GT 4-door Coupé model, which follows the SLS Coupé and Roadster and the GT Coupé and Roadster as the fifth dedicated model from Mercedes-AMG.

The ‘4-door Coupé’ component of the GT43's name suggests that it is a sedan-cum-coupé model in the mould of the mechanically similar Mercedes CLS. In fact, it does take some inspiration from the existing GT Coupé by featuring a fastback-style tailgate. That design is integral to providing the new AMG model with the sort of practicality that the company’s chairman, Tobias Moers, says allows it to deliver a “high level of day-to-day suitability”.

The GT43 4Matic+ 4-door Coupé will be offered with the choice of two petrol engines from the outset. One is Mercedes’ new 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder unit with a mild-hybrid system in the GT53 4Matic+. The other is AMG’s 4.0-litre V8, seen in two separate states of tune in the GT63 4Matic+ and GT63 S 4Matic+. As their names suggest, all three models in the launch line-up feature a fully variable four-wheel-drive system as standard – as revealed on the latest E63 4Matic+; to be mated to a 9-speed automatic gearbox.

The basis for the first ever 4-door fastback from AMG is Mercedes-Benz’s MRA platform. A large proportion of its underpinnings, including its chassis, as well as its electrical architecture, is shared directly with the recently unveiled third-generation CLS and the latest E-Class.

Despite its mechanical similarities to the CLS and E-class, the GT43 features AMG's own unique touches. For instance, it has a longer front end with a larger engine bay to house a range of different powerplants – including the company’s signature V8 petrol unit, denied the new CLS due to what AMG’s engineers cite as packaging reasons.

In a reflection of their common platform and similar underpinnings, the GT 4-door Coupé and CLS share the same 2,939mm wheelbase. However, the new AMG model is longer, lower and wider than the CLS.

The well-received styling of the GT 4-door concept car revealed at last year’s Geneva motor show has been brought over to the production version of the new GT 4-door Coupé with only minor changes. Certain cues are borrowed from the GT Coupé and Roadster in order to establish an AMG family look, most notably around the front and rear ends. However, the body of the new car is described as being unique, sharing no panel or element with any another existing Mercedes-AMG model.

Design boss Gordon Wagener says that it “embodies the most extreme expression” of Mercedes-AMG's design idiom and “underlines the autonomous profile of AMG as a performance brand.” The car’s silhouette is dominated by a long bonnet that’s set low and extends well aft of prominent front wheel housings in what Wagner calls the “most aggressive dashboard-to-wheel” treatment yet seen on a four-seat Mercedes model.

The interior has its own unique styling touches and four-seat layout. Among its main features is a new interpretation of Mercedes’ Widescreen Cockpit, with dual high-definition displays for the instruments and infotainment functions housed within a single panel set in a high-positioned dashboard. In a move that provides clear links to the GT Coupé and Roadster, the GT 4-door Coupé also receives a wide centre console and high-set central tunnel that runs back through its luxuriously trimmed cabin. Occupants in the front sit on heavily padded sport seats similar to those used by the E63 but set significantly lower for a sportier feel. The low rear seats, meanwhile, are claimed to offer greater head room than the E63’s.