The verdict
up a corner like a Cayenne Turbo S will, because it isn’t designed for that, but there’s enough grip here, not to mention stability, when you feel naughty. And with 503bhp, chances are you’ll be mischievous a lot of the time. Good job it has a claimed efficiency of 13.8 litres per 100km.
Once you’ve had some fun, other things become glaringly obvious such as a quicker ratio steering and a delightfully supple ride. There’s still noticeable body roll but the adaptive damping and dynamic anti-roll bars try their best to minimise that.
The interior is a giant step forward and gigantic in terms of size, especially when compared to the surprisingly tight interior of the G63. Instead of a back seat, calling it a lounging area would be better.
The quality of the materials is far better than before; particularly good is the thin rim of the steering wheel with its leather-wrapped centre and aluminium trim; it wouldn’t look out of place on an Aston. You also get yards of supple leather, wood and aluminium all over the place. For the amount of whizbangery on board, the centre console doesn’t resemble the inner workings of a space shuttle; it’s uncluttered and the switch count has been cut by half.
The large central touchscreen is intuitive even though it controls a lot of complex systems. The iPhone generation will have no problems. As you’d expect, the view from the driver’s chair is as commanding as always and the only criticism you could level is on the glove box, which falls open on to your passenger’s knee when you push a button to unlock it.
Outward visibility is almost perfect but even still, it features blind spot indicators that have been integrated into its side view mirrors while the Park Assist system has been upgraded and shows you cars coming from both sides while you reverse out of a parking space.
Even though there’s a rip-roaring V8 inches away from you, you wouldn’t know it; the cabin cossets you from the outside world. Luxury So, the choice is between a jetpropelled T-Rex and a highly evolved Mammoth in sneakers. The Merc is scary to drive at speed. It might be the last breathing dinosaur in a world of lighter, quicker and nimbler rivals. But the fact it carries glorious trails from another age makes it tower imperiously over its more advanced foes, including the Range Rover.
However, if crude dynamics are not your cup of tea, then the Range Rover with its wider body, luxurious interior, mod-cons, and ride quality should be your drive of choice. It is definitely the better everyday car.
Regardless of which you go for, you’ll be fit to survive in the urban jungle and well beyond.