F1-Inspired 2023 Mercedes-AMG SL43 Is Headed to the United States

• After first revealing the Mercedes-AMG SL43 last year, the German brand has now decided to bring the four-cylinder variant of its grand tourer to the United States.

• The SL43 uses the same innovative setup as the AMG C43 sedan, with an electric motor integrated into the turbocharger, reducing lag.

• The 2023 Mercedes-AMG SL43 will cost $111,050 when it goes on sale this summer.

The Mercedes-AMG SL43 debuted for Europe last year, sporting a 375-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine with electrical assistance and technology borrowed from Formula 1 racing. At the time, Mercedes was still weighing whether it would bring the SL43 stateside, but now the German automaker has confirmed that the SL43 will reach the American market as a 2023 model, with sales set to kick off this summer.

The SL43 serves as the entry-level model for the SL lineup, with four fewer cylinders under the hood than its V-8–powered SL55 and SL63 siblings. Although the SL43 can't match the potent outputs of the V-8 models, the M139 inline-four—the same engine found in the CLA45 and GLA45 AMG—still churns out an impressive 354 pound-feet of torque to go along with the 375 ponies.

The SL43 makes that power in an unusual way. The turbocharger strapped to the 2.0-liter engine includes an electric motor along with the usual exhaust-gas plumbing. The motor—a 1.6-inch-wide unit slotted onto the shaft between the turbine and compressor wheel—can spin the compressor wheel before the exhaust gases do. This promises to minimize turbo lag, and the e-motor can also maintain boost pressure under braking or when the car is coasting so the turbo is always ready to go when the driver gets back on the throttle. The Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 team uses the same technology in its turbocharged 1.6-liter V-6 hybrid race cars, and the C43 AMG sedan that debuted last spring features the same powertrain with an extra 27 horsepower.