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While it's always hard being the younger sibling to a more prestigious family relative, somehow we can't quite see the new €93,365 Mercedes-AMG E 43 getting beat up in the playground. It's bigger, badder brother might well be the significantly more insane E 63, but this super-saloon is till packing a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 engine with 401hp that'll do the 0-100km/h sprint in just 4.6 seconds.
Pretty brisk, but pretty grippy too thanks to standard-fit 4Matic all-wheel drive. Mercedes claims that it arrives "offering pure driving performance with everyday practicality."
You'll spot it from the outside thanks to three big air intakes in the bumper, and the 'pinhead' radiator grille. There are also 19-inch AMG alloys, chrome-plated quad exhaust pipes, and a boot spoiler.
Inside, there are sports seats, black rooflining, red seatbelts, and a sports steering wheel with red stitching in the leather. Somewhat surprisingly for an AMG, but a true sign of the times, is that the car also has fuel-saving systems, including stop-start and a 'gliding' function - when the driver releases the accelerator in a speed range between 60 and 160km/h, the gliding feature works to disengage the clutch and decouple the engine from the powertrain, thus saving a smidge of fuel.
Mercedes Ireland's sales director Ciaran Allen admits that this is an E-Class that will sell only in limited numbers, but that it will "appeal to those searching for a car that combines everyday practicality with unparalleled performance."