Mercedes-AMG GT 63 4dr
REPORT 5 £ 135,550 OTR/£146,625 as tested/£2,090pcm WHY IT’ S HERE
Because the TG Garage must have an AMG V8 at all times DRIVER
Rowan Horncastle
MY FRIENDS ARE CATEGORICALLY NOT CAR PEOPLE. THEY’RE THE TYPE
who think a pound-foot of torque is the latest cold cut at Whole Foods’ deli counter. That’s why it’s fascinating to plop them in a car and get their opinion. On a weekend in the Peak District, I got them to muse over the AMG GT 4dr, and it had them stumped and impressed in equal measure.
They loved the two tablet-sized hi-res 12.3in screens that dominate the cabin. They cooed with intrigue as the ambient lighting changed with the car’s temperature. And were convinced the way the adaptive high-beam system masks out oncoming traffic and fans out at start-up was magic.
What had them stumped was simpler: what was it, and what was it for? I told them Merc’s go-faster needed a competitor to the Porsche Panamera. At this point they switched off and became fascinated by the onboard perfumery. So, to get their attention, I put it on full lock and did a slow-speed manoeuvre. That woke them up. Actually, it made them swear. See, the AMG suffers from a dreadful front-axle hop where the front tyres judder violently. It really is quite unpleasant – like the centre diff is too tight – but Merc claims it’s the tyres struggling for grip in low ambient temperatures. Either way, my mates believed a wheel had fallen off.
I thought flooring it on to the motorway was a good distraction. They’d never felt torque like it. And the way the 4dr takes a deep breath and accelerates on a wave of unrelenting shove is deeply impressive. Especially four-up with a boot full of luggage.
Talking of the boot, it looks cavernous. But with 456 litres – 40 litres or so less than a Panamera – and an awkward tailgate, it’s not easy to pack. But, even with that chopped roofline, no one complained about rear space. However, the ride is far too harsh and busy. And it’s a big old lozenge to hustle around the Peak’s narrow lanes. But fast? There’s no denying that.
REPORT 3 £ 85,865 OTR/£103,815 as tested/£1,086pcm WHY IT’ S HERE
It’s one of the world’s cleverest PHEVs. But will it stay relevant? DRIVER
Charlie Turner
MONTH THREE OF LIFE WITH THE BIG PORSCHE PHEV AND IT
continues to impress. I love the fact that every control and switch feels like it will outlast my time on this planet. The more miles we accumulate, the more the unparalleled build quality is affirmed in the way the Panam tackles any journey. It oozes solidity and dependability, and manages one of the most complex powertrains with a mass of processing power that makes it one of the most broadly talented and fascinating cars I’ve ever driven.
But, despite its brilliance, try as we might, we simply can’t get the Panamera beyond 38mpg in normal driving conditions with the car set to Hybrid Auto – that’s half of the claimed 76.3–80mpg.
This isn’t surprising, the complex maths used to calculate PHEV economy is a minefield and has always led to ambitious claims never delivered in the real world. The advantage of the PHEV is that it provides the owner with a vehicle that changes depending on your needs. 1) Pure EV for the everincreasing number of urban low emissions zones in major metropolises. 2) Hybrid ‘efficiency’ for regular journeys further afield with full deployment of the combined 456bhp of the V6 and e-motor for warp-speed performance.
I love choosing which frame of mind I’m in every day and activating the appropriate mode. This diversity also future-proofs the vehicle against shifting legislation, a good thing when you’re dropping £100k on a car.
It’s not the Panamera’s fault that the system still hasn’t found a reliable way of providing a meaningful measurement of the combined economy of a PHEV, and Porsche’s figures are far more realistic than those claimed by others (I’m looking at you Vauxhall and your 204mpg Grandland X Hybrid4, see p59). But despite this, in the real world, a PHEV provides a diverse one-device-serves-all solution to future transport... accurate economy figures will come soon enough.