Nissan GT-R vs Mercedes-Benz C350 E

What's the difference?

Even on its Australian swansong outing, the incredible R35 GT-R continues to perform beyond expectations.

Released in late 2021, the final batch of specials spearheaded by the T-spec in regular GT-R and SV in flagship Nismo guises sold out quickly and are already commanding twice and even thrice their recommended retail prices in private hands.

Nobody ought to be surprised. From its glitzy 2007 Tokyo Motor Show debut (on the eve of a global recession at that), the GT-R has been nothing less than an automotive force of nature, moving with calamitous calm to the beat of its own twin-turbo and all-wheel-drive thrum, like nothing else matters. The R35 has seen off countless assassins in its time, including the Lexus LFA and Honda NSX II.

Some 15 years later, this is what a GT-R in T-spec trim feels like in 2022.

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.