Best valved exhaust for Mercedes-AMG C43 W206 / S206

Your vehicle.

All our exhausts for this generation, version by version, are brought together on one page: Mercedes C-Class W206 Valved Exhaust.

With the W206 generation, the C43 changed its heart: it swaps its predecessor's V6 for a 2.0-liter four-cylinder, boosted by an electrically assisted turbo that comes from Formula 1. More than 200 hp per liter, and yet a very restrained voice. Here is what you need to know about this car before choosing its exhaust.

Body styles

W206 sedan and S206 wagon (T-Modell)

Years covered by the product page

2022 to 2026

Engine

M139l: 1,991 cc four-cylinder, electric turbo, 48 V on-board network

Factory output

408 hp (300 kW) at 6,750 rpm; 500 Nm

Transmission

AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 9G, with wet starting clutch

Drivetrain

AMG Performance 4MATIC, 31% front and 69% rear split

Factory exhaust

One valve, controlled according to revs, load and drive program

An all-new C43

Mercedes-AMG presented the new C43 4MATIC in spring 2022, as a W206 sedan and an S206 wagon, and opened it for orders in Germany on 19 May of the same year. It has almost nothing left in common with the C43 W205, which was based on a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6: engine, transmission and rear-axle steering are all new.

The sedan and the wagon share the same mechanics and the same Rog exhaust. The wagon quotes 0 to 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds, against 4.6 for the sedan; top speed is limited to 250 km/h, or 265 km/h with the AMG Driver's Package option. The S206 wagon adds a trunk of 490 to 1,510 liters depending on the position of the rear seat, making it an AMG that can leave on holiday fully loaded, then drive fast on the road back.

The M139l and its electric turbo

The M139l is the longitudinal version of AMG's 2.0-liter four-cylinder; the letter l denotes this fore-and-aft mounting. It displaces 1,991 cc and delivers 408 hp at 6,750 rpm, with 500 Nm of torque. To this are added, for a few moments, 14 hp supplied by the belt-driven starter-generator of the 48 V network.

Its great particularity lies in the turbo. An electric motor, integrated directly on the shaft between the turbine and the compressor, spins it before the exhaust gases even drive it, up to 175,000 rpm. Throttle response becomes immediate from low revs, and the usual lag of a large turbo largely disappears. Mercedes-AMG presents this technology as coming directly from its Formula 1 experience. It makes it possible to use a small, heavily boosted engine, at more than 200 hp per liter of displacement, without the dead time such a turbo would usually impose when exiting a corner or accelerating again.

This engine is from the same family as that of the A45 S, mounted transversely in the compact. On the C43, it is mounted longitudinally.

MCT 9G transmission, 4MATIC and rear-axle steering

The M139l sends its power to an AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT nine-speed transmission, where a wet starting clutch replaces the torque converter: shifts are faster and the car more direct. The AMG Performance 4MATIC all-wheel drive sends 31% of the torque to the front and 69% to the rear, which gives the C43 a balance clearly biased towards the rear.

Rear-axle steering is standard. Up to 100 km/h, the rear wheels steer opposite to the front wheels, by up to 2.5 degrees, to make the car more agile; above that, they steer in the same direction, by up to 0.7 degrees, to stabilize it. None of this affects the exhaust: the Rog exhaust follows the same route under the body.

The AMG DYNAMIC SELECT programs

The driver chooses between five programs: Slippery, Comfort, Sport, Sport+ and Individual. Each sets the engine response, the transmission shifts, the steering, the damping and the sound of the exhaust. In Comfort, the C43 behaves like a very well-mannered C-Class; in Sport+, it quickens its gearchanges and opens its exhaust further.

Even in Sport+, however, the car remains far from what its four-cylinder could offer the ear.

What holds back the voice of the M139l

A 408 hp four-cylinder has a tense, dry voice that climbs quickly into the high notes. On the C43 W206, the factory exhaust keeps it to itself: mufflers cut for an executive sedan and for noise limits, and a turbo mounted against the engine that already dampens part of the pulsations.

The standard AMG exhaust has a valve, controlled according to revs, load and the chosen program: its sound moves from a discreet register to a sportier one. At launch, Mercedes-AMG also offered the AMG Real Performance Sound as an option, which enriches the sound perceived on board. Outside, however, the C43 remains clearly behind what its engine can do.

Factory valve or Rog remote

The Rog product page offers two routes. With the Factory option, the exhaust arrives with the mount for the factory valve: your garage refits it there, and AMG DYNAMIC SELECT continues to decide, from Comfort to Sport+. With the Rog option, the exhaust receives our valves, controlled by a remote and a control box stowed in the trunk: the position you choose no longer changes, whatever program is engaged.

The first route suits those who like the car to manage everything; the second, those who want a C43 that is loud in Comfort, or discreet in Sport+ when passing through a village.

The sound with the Rog exhaust

With the valves open, the gases bypass the muffler: the M139l takes on a full, biting tone, is heard on every acceleration, and crackles clearly when you lift off. Once they are closed again, the C43 recovers the sound of a stock C-Class, in town as on a long stretch of expressway.

Two characters are offered, at no extra cost. With a straight pipe, the four-cylinder keeps its dry grain, just as it is. The resonator gives it a rounder and slightly softer voice, while keeping the energy of an AMG.

Material, front section and what the product page does

The exhaust is built in 304 stainless steel, robust and insensitive to salt, or in titanium, about 40% lighter for the same design and a little more metallic in the revs. The titanium is chosen in brushed, gold or purple, with no change in price.

The product page also sells, under the "Manifold" option, the M139l's downpipe with its catalytic converter, in three versions: 200 cells, 100 cells, or catalyst-free for track use. On a C43 driven every day, the 200-cell version maintains the emissions control intended by Mercedes-AMG.

If you keep the factory front section, Mercedes-AMG's mapping does not change, and neither do the 408 hp: the exhaust changes the sound, not the power. To gain horsepower, you need the downpipe and an ECU remap entrusted to a tuner. Once built from your VIN, it is fitted at your garage, with no welding and nothing cut.

Configure your exhaust.

How the exhaust is put together

On the C43 W206 as on the S206 wagon, the Rog cat-back follows on from the downpipe and runs to the rear of the C-Class: pipes, mufflers and valves. This downpipe, attached to the outlet of the electric turbo and carrying the catalytic converter, constitutes the front section; it is added as an option, under the "Manifold" name on the product page.

Each choice explained in detail, from sound to material: How to configure your exhaust.

Three recommended configurations.

• Weekday sedan

  • Stainless steel
  • No manifold
  • Resonator
  • Factory valves

  For a C43 that does the commute to the office: the front section stays factory, the four-cylinder gains a round, present voice, and AMG DYNAMIC SELECT continues to manage the valve.

  View this configuration

• S206 wagon and weekend drives

  • Stainless steel
  • 200-cell sports catalytic converter
  • Straight pipe
  • Rog remote

  For a wagon that serves the family during the week and small roads on Sundays: more breath and bite with the 200-cell downpipe, and a button to close on the way home.

  View this configuration

• Track sessions

  • Gold titanium
  • Decat
  • Straight pipe
  • Rog remote

  For a C43 that runs on the circuit: titanium lightens the exhaust, the catalyst-free downpipe frees up the flow of the M139l, and the valves do not close for the whole session.

  View this configuration

From order to fitting.

VIN, manufacture, delivery, fitting and warranty, step by step

Questions.

Further reading.

• All our exhausts for the Mercedes C-Class W206
• Guide to the Mercedes-AMG C43 W205
• Guide to the Mercedes-AMG A45 S W177