Kia Ev4 vs Mercedes-AMG E43

What's the difference?

Kia admits that, even a handful of years ago, a car like the EV4 likely wouldn't exist in Australia. With a forecast of 70 sales a month, or 840 a year, it won't come close to the brand's biggest all-electric sellers, and senior executives and product planners alike would have been wondering if it was worth the effort.

But times have changed, and so have regulations, and Kia is happy to roll the dice on as many EVs as it can get its hands on to lower its fleet emissions in the wake of the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES).

If you'll forgive the long and rambling intro, I'll now get to the point. Long live the NVES, because the EV4 is a good (if a little bizarre-looking) thing. It's quite lovely to drive, will cross vast distances in its long-range guise, and will undoubtedly make our roads a more visually interesting place.

But would you have one over the Tesla Model 3 or BYD Seal? Read on.

When is an AMG not really an AMG, but still a fitting homage to the models that built the brand?

The new E 43 is the eighth '43 after the SLC 43, GLC 43, GLC 43 Coupe and four C 43s, all of which arrived last year, and plugs a mighty gap between the mainstream E-Class line-up and the upcoming full-house E 63 S, while forming an almost exact philosophical fit with the E 36 and E 55 that helped put AMG on the map in the 90s.

How? Unlike the angry dinosaur V8 growl, supercar-like performance and generally hardcore demeanour we love about the current top-level models, the E 43 is more of a rapid grand tourer than a four-door supercar. Which is kind of what the AMGs of old were, before they sprouted exhausts from both sides and became more menacing than Mercedes.

Explore the 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class range

Mercedes-Benz E-Class E200 and E220d 2016 review

Mercedes-AMG E63 S 2017 review | first drive

Mercedes-Benz E400 2017 review | road test

Mercedes-Benz E350d 2016 review | snapshot

Mercedes-Benz E300 2017 review | road test

Mercedes-Benz E220d 2016 review | snapshot

Mercedes-Benz E200 2016 review | snapshot

The E 43 still boasts a muscular 295kW/520Nm from its twin-turbo V6 and all-wheel drive, but cloaks it all in an air-suspended package that's barely distinguishable from the AMG styling pack available from the base E 200 up.

It's priced $20,000 higher than the E 400 but still around $90,000 less than the E 63 S that arrives in June, and does nothing to dissuade the notion that Mercedes makes a car for almost everyone. And we're glad they do, particularly when the latest addition boasts a 4.6s 0-100km/h claim that would trump most mid-engined supercars of the 90s.

It also promises to be a star-badged alternative to the new BMW 540i, Audi S6 and even the Lexus GS F.