What's the difference?
Once upon a time, people would dream about owning a Mercedes-Benz 450SLC – the C107 sports/luxury coupe flagship of the 1970s.
Sexy, stylish, secure and incredibly solid, it embodied the brand’s ‘Engineered Like No Other Car' mantra of the era.
Today’s all-new, second-generation, C192 AMG GT Coupe is something of an indirect descendant of this sort of thinking, changing tack from its supercar-esque 2014 C190 predecessor, with more space, more seats, more sensibility and, conversely, even more steak and sizzle from its glorious V8.
A modern-day SLC? The Porsche 911, Aston Martin DB12, Maserati GranTurismo and Bentley Continental GT’s worst nightmare? Or something else entirely?
These questions and more are answered below.
The B10 isn’t Leapmotor’s first car in Australia - the C10 has been here for more than a year now - but for many it might bring about the first time they hear about the Chinese brand.
The 2026 Leapmotor B10 lands in Australia promising to be the most European of its Chinese compatriots, with the brand’s connection to Stellantis giving it access to other brands under the company umbrella like Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Peugeot.
At its local launch, we get behind the wheel in scorching south-east Queensland to find out if that holds true for this electric small SUV, and to see if the B10 can bring with it a better first impression than the already-arrived mid-size C10.
The GT63 4Matic+ is a breathtaking example of everything that Mercedes-Benz and AMG are.
Ferociously fast, incredibly agile and superbly sophisticated, it should be on anybody’s shortlist, if that also includes a Porsche, Aston Martin, Maserati or even a Lamborghini. And it’s definitely much more than yesterday’s SLC ever was – for similar money in today’s terms, as it turns out.
But, around Tasmania’s glorious roads at least, the Mercedes-AMG lacks the ride comfort and road noise isolation to be a fully-rounded-out GT, and that’s a disappointment for a brand with such formidable history in making such cars.
I’ll be a shame if the B10 doesn’t sell well, because it doesn’t suffer from many of the downfalls of its compatriots and its price is extremely competitive for what you get.
As a comfortable smallish SUV, it meets par, and it’s on the better side of tech when it comes to cars from China, and it doesn’t have any major on-road red flags.
You really wouldn’t be disappointed with this having paid $40K, just skip the base model and go for the Design.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.