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as the GT coupe. You can buy your GT 4-door in standard spec with a 577bhp version of the engine, or as an S with 631bhp.

Neither are cheap but you pay a big premium for the more powerful version: they are £121,000 and respectively.

All GT 4-doors come with Merc’s 4MATIC four-wheel drive system and, in the S version, you can disconnect the front driveshafts so the car is rear-wheel drive only. Mercedes calls it ‘Drift £135,000 Mode’ which just shows how ridiculous car industry marketing people are. Are we likely to see the owners of £135k GT cars tyre smoking around their local Lidl car park? I don’t think so. Snow had dusted the roads in Scotland where we tested this car, so switching off four-wheel drive would have been lunacy.

It’s amazing how sure-footed the car felt in those conditions. Actually, the whole motor surprised me. I remember testing the GT coupe and being disappointed when it didn’t drive as well as it looked. It felt too wide and its steering was nervous.

But I liked the GT 4-door right out of the packet. At more than five metres long it’s a big car but doesn’t feel like an aircraft carrier when you’re driving it.

That’s helped by the rear-wheel steering system that’s also standard. The ride is more comfortable than the GT coupe, unless you go sporty in the Dynamic Select drive settings.

Four seats are standard, but you can add an optional fifth. There’s adequate rear legroom and the boot is very big. Inside you’ll find Nothing like as powerful (only 350bhp) but elegant and classy with a great badge. Brilliant to drive but not so good on the eye. A big fast car. If the Merc is too cheap then try this Aston. Over 600bhp and 203mph. Stylish and rare. the usual very high quality Merc cabin furniture and digital luxuries. On a freezing but sunny day in Scotland, the MercedesAMG GT 63 S 4MATIC 4-door coupe – to give it its full name – is a nice place to be.

Pity you have to be so rich to join the club.

In Europe you can buy less extravagant GT 53 and 43 versions powered by Merc’s new in-line sixcylinder engine with 423bhp and 357bhp – but they won’t be coming to the UK.

We are, however, likely to get a hybrid version – but it certainly won’t be a bargain. Audi has a new version of its high-performance SQ5 SUV on the way and it sounds rather interesting from a techy point of view. The engine that powers this beast – which does 0-62mph in 5.1sec – is a 3.0-litre V6 diesel featuring a conventional turbocharger and also an electrically powered compressor. The motor produces 345bhp and a huge 700Nm of torque. Also, the car uses a 48v primary electrical system combined with a mild hybrid system. No prices have been announced but you’ll be able to buy a standard SQ5, and also a special SQ5 ‘Vorsprung’ edition. Seat are about to throw the covers off this concept car at the Geneva show. It’s called the Cupra Formentor and it’s a hybrid vehicle.

That much is easily learned from the waffle-heavy and cliché-ridden press release on the Formentor that Seat sent us. It’s full of phrases like “inspiring pure emotion” and “rear infinite light concept”.

Tell you what, I’ll have a look at the car next week and tell you whether it looks nice or not.

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It’s big but doesn’t feel like an aircraft carrier when you drive it