Another five high-performance Mercedes-Benz cars have been launched today, all with the brand’s latest 4Matic all-wheel drive tech.
GT53/63S 4-Door Coupe
The GT 4-Door Coupe now joins the two-door hard-top and roadster models in Thai showrooms. There are two engine variants to choose from, both with nine-speed automatic: GT53 featuring 435hp 3.0-litre inline-six with 48V mild hybrid and G63S starring 639hp 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8. They are priced at 9.99 million and 14.99 million baht accordingly undercutting the equivalents from the Porsche Panamera in terms of price and performance.
G63
Mercedes’ classic off-roader has gone on steroids boasting the brand’s not-so-new-now 5.5-litre bi-turbo V8 and seven-speed automatic. With 571hp of power and 2.5 tonnes of metal, the G63 goes from 0-100kph in 5.4sec. At the moment, the 14.79 million baht G63 remains in a class of its own as Audi and BMW have no off-roading icons. This would make it interesting to see if Land Rover dares to build a racy version of next year’s confirmed Defender replacement.
C43
After selling the C43 initially in coupe form and building it in the country, Mercedes is now offering a second body style in the guise of a traditional sedan. There’s the same 390hp 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 (the pre-facelift saw 367hp due to smaller turbos) and nine-speed automatic, but the four-door costs 90k more, at 4.31 million baht. Both Audi and BMW have yet to offer the S4 and M340i to Thai customers as alternatives to the locally finished C43 sedan.
E53
The E53 sedan sees the same petrol engine, auto gearbox, mild hybrid tech and acceleration time as in the GT53 4-Door Coupe. But because it’s assembled locally and positioned lower down the luxury car ranks, the 5.26 million baht E53 is a good 4.73 million baht cheaper than the imported GT53 4-Door Coupe. As well, the E53 in coupe form is 1.73 million baht dearer since it isn’t built here. As in the case of the smaller C-Class, the S6 and M550i aren’t sold in Thailand to challenge the E53.
