First Tests

MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS

Place the magazine to your ear and if you listen carefully, you’ll be able to hear a German Oompah band playing in the distance, as the launch of a new C-Class is something to get very excited about. The C-Class is a big seller for Mercedes-Benz, and a replacement doesn’t come along that often, so it’s certainly time to get the Trollinger corks popping. The fact that it arrives just a matter of months after the flagship S-Class means that it is always packed to the gills with technology that has filtered down from the luxury limousine. In many ways the C-Class is a mini-S-Class, and that’s an easy assumption to make, especially when you climb into the sumptuous cabin.

The latest C-Class is dominated by screens – a sizeable 11.9-inch display sprouts upwards from the centre console and is rather Tesla-like in its dominance of the interior. A second, larger 12.3-inch screen nestles behind the steering wheel, and not only conjures up the instruments, speedometer and rev counter, but acts as a handy repeater for the navigation instructions. It’s all really nicely integrated and we like the dogtooth-effect dashboard appliqués that rise up from the transmission tunnel and fan out across both aspects of the dashboard. Mood lighting is interlaced into the edges, delivering a powerful effect at night. All of the materials used in the cabin are absolutely top notch, with stitched softtouch surfaces on the door cards that match the seats. The latest generation steering wheel has a double row of tactile buttons, while the outer rim is chunky and lovely to hold.

The driving position is snug, low slung and cossetting, with heavily bolstered chairs that hold even the most generously proportioned driver neatly in place, as you catapult the C-Class along the carriageway. While we’ve often bemoaned that too many of the functions are integrated into touchscreens, Mercedes-Benz designers have done a great job of keeping it simple. A row of shortcut buttons at the bottom summarises all of the important functions and sure the touchscreen takes a few minutes of familiarisation, but that’s the case with any dashboard layout that is new to the driver. The MBUX infotainment system is easy to navigate and the “Hey Mercedes” voice control is one of the most intuitive on the market. Headroom up front is plentiful, even with a panoramic roof fitted, while at the rear, the amount of space on offer is comparable with the car’s biggest rivals, the Audi A4 and BMW 3 Series, and much roomier than Jaguar’s XE. A lidded cubby on the centre console conceals lots of storage, including a couple of cupholders, with storage backed up by a compact glovebox, some space underneath the butterfly-like armrest and reasonably proportioned door pockets. Boot space is identical to its predecessor, with 455 litres of carrying capacity on offer. Under the bonnet of our test car is Mercedes-Benz’s latest generation 1,993cc turbodiesel engine with mild hybrid

PORSCHE TAYCAN 4S CROSS TURISMO

Last year there was a new Porsche on the block, a sports car that threatened to outsell all the other models from the Stuttgart brand, aside from the SUVs. Yep, in 2020, Porsche shifted 2,053 911s in the UK, alongside another 1,460 918 Boxsters and Caymans, but its all-new pure electric Taycan managed 3,140 registrations, which is a phenomenal feat and a big thumbs up to zero emissions power. The newcomer, whose name roughly translates as ‘lively young horse’ is a nod to the steed in Stuttgart’s coat of arms on the Porsche crest. We drove the Taycan Turbo during last year and we come back for round two as we test the Shooting Brake edition of the pure electric sports car that adopts a curious crossover appearance for this 4S badged model. It’s a real eye-catcher and with a price tag of £88,325 without any options, and £102,961 as tested, we think it’s actually a bit of a bargain.

No matter how you look at pure electric power, it was never meant to be this much fun. With statistics like 483bhp, maximum torque of 479lb ft and acceleration to 62mph in 4.1 seconds, you can’t fail to be impressed. Of course, Porsche has been serving up delicious delights for decades, but none feel quite as alluring as this Taycan Cross Turismo. It appears to confirm that you really can stuff your face with cake and come back for more. With a range of 277 miles and a charge time of 10.5 hours using a 9.6kW fast charger, the kind that every rich playboy (or playgirl) will have fitted to their luxury home, there’s the capability of recharging at up to 270kW, if you can find one of the latest generation rapid chargers at a motorway service station. Connect your Taycan up to one of those and it’ll be full with electricity in less time than it takes to order and quaff a fancy coffee and convince a date to be seen out with you on Friday night. And if all of that seems too good to be true, we promise we’re not telling any porkies. Yes, this almost five metre Shooting Brake really can carry four passengers in comfort, has space for 446 litres of luggage or an afternoon’s shopping at Harvey Nichols, with additional capacity if you choose to fold the rear seats down at 1,212 litres.

Sliding into the sports chairs of this four plus one seater and you’ve got a cabin that is as special as its stablemates. The black cow-free interior seen here costs a whopping £2,638 extra, but if you believe in the cause, money’s no object, right? A trio of screens encompass the digital dials, infotainment system and car’s functions and work seamlessly with each other, all at the extension of a digit, or via the multi-function steering wheel. The latest Porsche Communication Management system is easy to use, with wireless Apple CarPlay standard, a selection of USB-C ports scattered around the cabin and 10 speakers with a total output