Mercedes-Benz C350 E vs Mercedes-AMG GLC63

What's the difference?

They're doing it again! Actually they've been doing it again for a bit now. It’s Mercedes-Benz Australia and plug-in hybrid tech.

The Ross and Rachel, or Jim and Pam of the premium automotive world.

It's been a will they, won't they for a while, and in the past Mercedes has dipped its proverbial plug into the electrons a few times and gotten cold feet.

But now it says it’s all in. There are others, the GLA and GLC SUVs, plus there’s the new C63 performance car, but this one feels like a bit of an arrival.

Yeah, the C-Class is no longer the Mercedes-Benz in terms of sales, but it might be the best way to make the most of a bit of battery power.

It doesn't feel like that long ago I spent a day with the brand spanking new Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S when it first arrived in Australia. It's a car that stuck with me, the SpaceX-worthy thrust of AMG's 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 translating into that dirty V8 exhaust note.

Turns out it wasn't that long ago, but time waits for no car - the 2020 GLC 63 S has arrived, with some useful upgrades and a deep suspicion that someone, somewhere thought the car needed some changes.

And they may be right, because in June 2018, the GLC 63 S assumed an empty throne. Now in 2020, it has the Jaguar F-Pace SVR and BMW X3 and X4 M twins to deal with.

So, under a scorching hot Bathurst sun, I examined the box-fresh GLC 63 S for signs of nefarious activity, hoping things have not changed for the worse just because there are a couple of challengers in town.