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.
Can you believe Porsche’s Taycan has been on sale in Australia for three and a half years?
Well, it has, which means the mid-life refresh clock has struck 12 for this ground-breaking pure-electric performance sedan and wagon.
Porsche says it’s faster in a straight line… and to charge, with more power and an extended range. It’s also been refreshed cosmetically, the dynamics have been tweaked and the standard features list has been lengthened as prices have gone up.
We’re ready to share our first impressions review, so stay with us to see if the new Taycan keeps the Porsche flame burning in an increasingly electrified automotive world.
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.
Porsche says its Taycan models have always been performance-focused and this updated version is even faster than the car it replaces, in a straight line and point-to-point. It’s better equipped, more efficient, and yes, more expensive but every millimetre a Porsche in the way this EV sedan and wagon package has been executed.
It’s an impressive car likely to appeal to Porsche newcomers rather than traditionalists, although you may already have other Porsches in the garage. But with the Macan EV landing any minute and the pure-electric 718 Boxster and Cayman just around the corner it's a key part of the changing face of this iconic German brand.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.