VERDICT ON HYBRID MERCEDES-AMG C63 S

NEW CARS TESTED AND RATED

TESTED 2 5.11. 2 2 , M A L A G A , S PA I N ON SA LE F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 3 PR ICE £ 9 0,0 0 0

All-newsuper-saloonswapsV8forbroad-chestedfour-cylinder hybridpowerandaraftofadvancedtechnology.Fairexchange?

F

The hardest thing of all to accept is how pointless and churlish it is to complain

This car is quick when it throws its electric punch but there isn’t the boisterous handling of its forebear

TESTE R’S NOTE The ‘push to pass’ electric kickdown boost works okay on a circuit, but if you use Race mode on the road, you soon forget that the boost function is there. And without it, the C63 feels notably slower. MS The drive battery in the C63 is Mercedes-AMG’s own development, and while it’s only small by the standards of most luxury PHEVs (6.1kWh), its construction is specially designed for close thermal management, high energy density, and the sort of rapid and intensive supply and storage of energy that’s necessary to prevent a heavy car like this from running out of electrical oomph on track.

It weighs 80kg dry, is carried directly over the rear axle and contains up to 30 litres of coolant, which it distributes around each of the 560 cylindrical cells in the pack. The Mercedes S63 E Performance uses the same technology in a pack of twice the fitted capacity.

Interior does its best to convey the ambience of a high-tech, plush, near-£100k saloon

MATT SAUNDERS @thedarkstormy1

MERCEDES-AMG

C63 S E PERFORMANCE

Hot four-pot hybrid has most of the pace of its V8 forebears, but little of the charm, fury or handling appeal AAACC

Price £90,000 (est) Engine 4 cyls, 1991cc, turbocharged, petrol, plus electric motor Power 671bhp at 6750rpm Torque 752lb ft at 5250-5500rpm Gearbox 9-spd automatic, 4WD Kerb weight 2111kg 0-62mph 3.4sec Top speed 155mph Battery 6.1kWh (total) Economy 40.9mpg Electric range 8 miles CO2, tax band 156g/km, 36% RIVALS Audi RS4 Avant Competition, BMW M3 xDrive Competition

AsaFordRangerindisguise,doestheAmarokremainthemostcar-likeofpick-ups?

Y

Five miles of gruelling bush were dispatched with ease and impressive wheel articulation

Ride impresses on even surfaces in spite of live rear axle

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TESTE R’S NOTE Ford and VW are already looking at an EV derivative and say the T6 platform could be re-engineered to suit. Project members reckon a battery of at least 110kWh would be needed to maintain adequate range and towing capability. RL

New ’box doesn’t always smooth out the turbodiesel V6’s beefy torque delivery

Volkswagen has attractively reskinned Ford’s cabin layout

RICHARD LANE @ _ rlane _

VOLKSWAGEN AMAROK 3.0 TDI AVENTURA

Although lacking the old Amarok’s individuality, this is tough, capable and objectively difficult to fault AAABC

Price £52,000 (est) Engine V6, 2993cc, turbo, diesel Power 237bhp at 3250rpm Torque 443lb ft at 1750-2000rpm Gearbox 10-spd automatic, 4WD Kerb weight 2300kg (est) 0-62mph 7.5sec (est) Top speed 125mph (est) Economy 28mpg (est) CO2, tax band 265g/km (est), flat rate RIVALS Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux

TESTE R’S NOTE A lot of people are colour-blind, but it seems none of them work at Skoda, as they would have noticed that the colours used for the sat-nav make it hard to distinguish the indicated route from any other road. IV

TESTED 6.12 . 2 2 , A N D A L U C I A , S PA I N ON SA LE N O W SKODA ENYAQ iV vRS

OneofourfavouriteelectricSUVshasbeenlitup–butdon ’texpectfireworks

O

ILLYA VERPRAET

SKODA ENYAQ iV vRS

Slightly faster and sharper, but the changes feel more trim level than dedicated performance variant AAABC

Price £52,670 Engine Asynchronous motor (f), permanent magnet synchronous motor (r) Power 295bhp (overboost) Torque 348lb ft Gearbox 1-spd reduction gear, 4WD Kerb weight 2258kg 0-62mph 6.5sec Top speed 112mph Battery 82/77kWh (total/usable) Range, economy 321 miles, 3.5-3.7mpkWh CO2, tax band 0g/km, 2% RIVALS Kia EV6, Tesla Model Y

TESTED 6.12 . 2 2 , B U C K I N G H A M S H I R E ON SA LE N O W MERCEDES-BENZ GLC 300E

ThereplacementforStuttgart’ sbest-sellerarrivesasa565mpgPHEV.Yes,really

MMercedes’ tech revolution continues unabated; it’s surprisingly soft and heavy for an ‘AMG’

MATT SAUNDERS @thedarkstormy1

TESTE R’S NOTE As with the C300e, the GLC 300e’s DC rapid-charging option isn’t offered in the UK, so charging it from empty at the office in the time that it takes to have a couple of meetings probably isn’t realistic. MS

MERCEDES-BENZ GLC 300E AMG LINE PREMIUM PLUS

New PHEV SUV has transformative EV range but at a price that may be hard to swallow for private buyers AAABC

Price £72,210 Engine 4 cyls in line, 1999cc, turbo, petrol, plus electric motor Power 308bhp at 6100rpm Torque 406lb ft at 2000-4000rpm Gearbox 9-spd automatic, 4WD Kerb weight 2280kg 0-62mph 6.7sec Top speed 135mph Battery 31.2kWh (total) Economy 565.0mpg Electric range 80 miles CO2, tax band 12g/km, 5% RIVALS Land Rover Discovery Sport, Volvo XC60

TESTE R’S NOTE It’s a bit scary how the optional 23in wheels with 285/35 front and 325/30 rear tyres look quite normal in the Urus S’s wheel arches. PW

TESTED 7.12 . 2 2 , D O H A , Q ATA R ON SA LE J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 3 LAMBORGHINI URUS S

Thenew,punchierstartingpointtotherangemakesagoodcaseforitself

T

PIERS WARD @piers _ ward

LAMBORGHINI URUS S

A marginally faster Urus is hardly what the world needed, but sheer pace is impressive nonetheless AAAAC

Price £188,000 Engine V8, 3996cc, twinturbocharged, petrol Power 657bhp at 6000rpm Torque 627lb ft at 2300-4500rpm Gearbox 8-spd automatic, 4WD Kerb weight 2197kg 0-62mph 3.5sec Top speed 190mph Economy 20.0mpg CO2, tax band 320g/km, 37% RIVALS Bentley Bentayga Speed, Porsche Cayenne Turbo