11 minute read
Cars
2021 MERCEDES SUV BEASTS AMG GLS & GLE
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AMG’ continues to produce what we fondly call BEASTS. Consider Mercedes’ most family focused SUVs with a ton of grunt, notably the Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 and GLE 63 S proper performance-car fast, yet no less practical. Yes we think a family SUV can almost double as a family sports car!
The 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S and GLS 63, AMG continues with their monster family focused vehicles. The electrified bi-turbo V8 launches these super-sized SUVs sprinting to 60mph so furiously, they will leave Porsche 911s in their wake.
If you’re one of those people who thinks cars need to make some sort of sense, then there’s a question to be answered on just who needs this much power in an SUV. But needing something and wanting something are two very different things.
The first time you find yourself behind the suede leather wrapped wheel of the seven-seat Mercedes-AMG GLS 63, there will come a moment that will legitimately bend your mind. And that moment will arrive the first time you bury your right foot into the carpet.
That a vehicle, even an SUV, fitted with AMG’s 4.0-litre bi-turbo V8 (and with Mercedes-Benz’ EQ Boost mild-hybrid system adding even more grunt) is fast isn’t overly surprising. But the sheer size of the Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 makes the way it rockets to 60mph, and beyond, properly head-spinning. We’re talking a SUV, tipping the scales at north of 5000 lbs, and yet it launches forwards like it’s been shot out of a very large cannon.
But its out-and-out speed isn’t the only party trick here. It might be frighteningly fast, but the AMG-tuned GLS genuinely remains a family focused vehicle, and as such, there are acres of space inside --even in the third row. Yes, a luxurious third row of seats.
Mercedes-Benz pitches its flagship SUV GLS as being truly capable of carrying seven adults, and the Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 does exactly that, too.
The second row slide forwards then up at the push of a button, ensuring the pathway to the third row doesn’t require Cirque du Soleil acrobatics to navigate. Once in, and with the second row back in position, I found ample room for my 6’ 4” frame -- with clear air between my head and the roof, and without my knees pressing into the seat in front, either. Arguments over who’s riding in the back might well be a thing of the past with the GLS.
The five-seat Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S might look comparatively tiny when parked alongside its bigger brother, but it also serves up enough space for the family, and their luggage (with the second row folded flat).
Speed doesn’t come with much sacrifice here, with both the GLE 63 S and GLS 63 every bit as capable of shifting the family as their regular Benz brothers.
The big Mercedes-AMG SUV siblings are powered with AMG’s cracking bi-turbo 4.0-litre V8 sending 603 HP and 627 LBS TQ towards the tires via a nine-speed automatic. Mercedes’ 4MATIC+ all-wheel-drive system is standard fit, too, defaulting to a 50:50 power split between the front and rear axle, but that can be hijacked, with 100 per cent of the power able to be sent entirely to the rear tires, too.
The engine fitted to the Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S and GLS 63 is the first AMG V8 to get Benz’s EQ Boost 48-volt mild hybrid setup, with a tiny battery and motor. Now, it must be pointed out here that the electric motor can’t just be added to the HP totals. Instead, the electricity is intended to essentially run auxiliary systems, but it will also use its power to plug any soft spots when accelerating, ensuring 0-60MPH sprint is even more brisk. Try 4.1sec in the seven-seater, and a staggering 3.8sec in the GLE 63 S.
Other AMG treats include active engine mounts, a booming performance exhaust, air suspension and adaptive dampers, Active Ride Control with Active Road Stabilisation and an adjustable ride height that will increase ground clearance in off-road modes, and drop it in Sport or Sport+.
It’s difficult to make something massive look good, but weirdly, I think the MercedesAMG GLS 63 is actually the more eye-catching of this super-SUV duo. Yes, there’s a lot of metal to play with, and it can look a little slabsided from the wrong angle, but the huge AMG-designed grille, 22-inch wheels, quad exhaust tips -- and sheer size -- lends it a dominant road presence that’s hard to ignore.
Inside, expect Nappa leather seats, an impressive Widescreen Cockpit (essentially two 12.3-inch screens butted up against each other, one in the driver’s dash, the other in the center dash), as well as AMG peddles, steering wheel, and ample badging throughout.
The Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S, on the other hand, doesn’t wear its new-found sportiness quite so well -- at least from certain angles. The front and front three-quarter views work just fine, where the new AMG grille, flared guards and 22-inch alloys look plenty tough. But from the rear, and there’s really no easy way to say this, it looks a little like a pear. Skinny at the top, wide at the bottom, and the fact that it’s an SUV and not a sports car is exceedingly obvious.
We’ve talked power and torque figures already, and they are big numbers, but if you’ve ever climbed aboard an A380, or a bullet train, you’ll know that making something massive travel fast in a straight line is no new achievement.
The real magic is in making something this big corner with some sort of athleticism. And it’s here that the Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S especially shines. AMG’s engineers make a big deal out of their efforts in reducing both of the big SUVs’ body roll, with two electrically operated stabilising bars (one essentially at each axle) that actively counter body roll as you turn into corners.
It might well sound like some kind of dark magic, but it’s also super effective, with the GLE 63 S barreling up and down twisting roads without ever wobbling around like a tall ship in rough seas.
While it might not f eel quite as sharp as a lower-slung and lighter AMG sedan or coupe, it’s also doesn’t feel like an SUV, and you could genuinely spend a day attacking mountain roads without ever feeling like you’ve brought the wrong vehicle.
But if the GLE 63 S is the sharper vehicle, then the Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 is an absolute sledgehammer, demolishing corners instead of dancing through them.
The bigger of the AMG SUV siblings feels exactly that. But linking together a set of sweeping bends, and riding that huge wave of power, it also feels tank-levels of unstoppable. Even AMG concedes the GLS is less a precision tool and more a blunt instrument, better suited to crosscountry jaunts than it is to tighter corners, but it’s undeniable impressive in the way it (mostly) hides its weight.
Aston Martin Vantage V12 Zagato Heritage TWINS by R-REFORGED to Enter Limited Production
So far, the most interesting of Aston Martin’s limited production cars this year is not one car at all—it’s a set.
The name of the duo is lengthy, as it gives credit to all parties involved in the realizing of this English sports-lovers dream. The full name is the Aston Martin Vantage V12 Zagato Heritage TWINS by R-Reforged.
A syllabic mouthful, to be sure, but the name is comprehensive, as the cars are made in R-Reforged’s new facility in Warwick, the design comes by way of coachbuilder Zagato—with whom Aston has a long and storied history—and Aston provides the licensure for, one presumes, a rather sizable slice of the pie. The foundation is the 2011 Aston Martin Vantage V12 Zagato, which Aston revealed at that year’s Villa D’Este Concours, and limited to 150 examples. The car has, in the space of a decade, achieved legendary status. But the Aston-Zagato relationship extends backward another half century, and that fact, too, is highlighted as homage by the TWINS.
Both coupe and roadster boast a tweaked V12 that produces 600 horsepower, and the body of each is made entirely from carbon fiber. The 19” alloy wheels specific to the edition and platinum and gold paint are other features of the cars. Production is limited to 19 sets.
Aston will reveal in-depth details about the cars this summer, when the first set formally debuts.
Zenvo’s $1.6M TSR-S Continues to Make Waves With Tilting Wing
Zenvo Automotive has only been around for about fifteen years, but in that time the Danish supercar designer and builder has established itself as a go-to option for wealthy drivers desiring to commission an ultimate tailored exotic.
Zenvo’s 1,177-horsepower TSR-S model—a street-legal version of the TSR track car—has been around for a couple of years. But, in a sense, every Zenvo is a new model, as the company’s founder and guiding spirit, Troels Vollertsen, is constantly experimenting, altering, tweaking, and occasionally innovating.
Five examples per year roll out of the production facility— more workshop than factory—and each one of them is carefully hand-constructed, and possessed of whatever new
features, tech, and performance alterations Vollertsen has come up with since the last car was completed.
This particular TSR-S boasts weight-saving components that include wheels fabricated from a carbon fiber and resin mix that offers extraordinary strength, and striking visuals to boot. The use of carbon fiber in panel components and hood is also quite beautiful, with a specially-designed fiber weave. And then there’s that dramatic tilting wing.
Vollertsen also tweaked the muscle of this TSR-S by adding a module to the seven-speed gearbox. The module is designed to be used in concert with the electric motor that handles the reverse gear, and also brings a power boost and a little more high-speed stability to the picture.
Apex AP-0 Latest Entry in New Breed of Electric Supercars
Joining the new breed of EV hypercars is this entry from Apex, a young company with big ambitions. The model is called the AP-0, and it follows the company’s AP-1, which was unveiled just last year in Hong Kong.
Like the AP-1, the AP-0 is extremely lightweight. It’s also possessed of a unique sense of style, with unusual massing on the back end, a track-inspired front end, and dihedral doors. It’s built on a new platform, and its carriage and base are carbon fiber, which keeps the AP-0’s curb weight to a paltry 2,645 pounds.
The considerable battery complement needed to provide the AP-0’s impressive speed and range accounts for a sizeable chunk of the total weight. It can hold 90 kWh, enough to give the car a 320-mile range, and powers just a single motor—albeit a large one—at the back axle; the motor delivers up to 649 horsepower and 427 pound-feet of torque, getting the AP-0 to 62 in 2.3 seconds, and all the way to 190 MPH.
Apex—which is apparently headquartered in both Hong Kong and England—is forecasting production in 2022, and a base sticker of ~$200K.
Rolls-Royce Dawn Black Badge Beautifully Rendered in Coral and White
This Rolls-Royce Black Badge Dawn is uniquely Californian in spirit. Those who follow the brand may recall the pastel-colored series that Rolls brought to Pebble Beach in the summer. With the coming of spring, we’re taking the time to reprise the Coral Solid Black Badge Dawn, as a symbol of things to come when warm weather returns.
The car’s drop-top design invites escapism, and its interior color scheme, in Arctic White leather with Sunset accents, augments its West Coast spirit. The Black Badge theme pops up discreetly from time to time, but generally this Dawn is as sunny as the state that inspired it.
The artisans at Goodwood spent nine hours polishing the car’s seven coats of paint. And this Dawn is of course outfitted with the V12 biturbo Rolls is so proud of, which is tuned according to Black Badge specs to deliver nearly 600 horsepower.
