2014 Mercedes-Benz S 63 AMG///

            

                 2014 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG

                                For Chief Execs In One Hell Of A Hurry

We've finally calmed down from thrashing the all-new, front-wheel-drive-biased, 4Matic A45 and CLA45 from Mercedes-Benz's AMG performance division. Our driving experiences were good and, above all, more responsive than any mainline AMG model in memory – both cars took a little getting used to dynamically, but getting comfortable didn't take long.

Now we've thrust ourselves into the driver's seat of AMG's offering at the other end of the spectrum – the new S63 AMG with its decidedly rear-biased 4Matic all-wheel drive and extended wheelbase. You can't fit two A45 AMGs bumper-to-bumper within the footprint of this 17.4-foot long, 5.1-inch-stretched S-Class, but it sure seems possible when you first stare at it. This marks the first time the long-legged power player has been equipped with 4Matic. It's also the only S63 that will make it to the US in this generation – rear-wheel-drive iterations of this extended wheelbase trim are destined only for Right-Hand-Drive markets. If you can justify that logic, give us a call – Mercedes has stated for years that it has been frequently unable to package 4Matic after things have been reoriented for RHD motoring. That this still remains a challenge for the company's engineers seems weird, no?

If you're thinking that we could just say that this thing is a monster and then lights out, end of story, you wouldn't be quite right. The S-Class is, after all, among the most successful model families from any car company on Earth, creating huge profits for Mercedes per unit sold. It is the standard to which all others aspire in the segment, at the very least when it comes to business cases. Speaking of the S63 in particular, it therefore still needs to be able to embrace its passengers in masses of comfort even while strapping on AMG power.

Driving an S-Class AMG always makes us look for a healthy helping of rawness mixed in with all of the refinement.

It is for this reason that we are now more eager than ever to have a go in the next S65 AMG twin-turbo V12, a car that will certainly be fairly hair-brained. Driving an S-Class AMG always makes us look for a healthy helping of rawness mixed in with all of the refinement which we take for granted in an upper-echelon Mercedes. We can't help but expect some Red Pig racing spirit – even at this exorbitant dimension. But the S63 AMG 4Matic is more velvety in character than that, and it retains that central trait to all large AMG models where you're forever driving at higher speeds than you intend because the whole experience is so stealthily effortless.

The stellar M157 biturbo 5.5-liter V8 makes a pretty and low burble from its quad-tip exhaust system at idle in either Sport or Manual mode of the AMG Speedshift 7-MCT transmission. Sadly, with its equally stellar noise-vibration-and-harshness materials hidden within its all-aluminum bodywork, very little of the engine's sonic drama actually penetrates the cabin. To get more muffled noise inside the S63, we had to cross over into Germany from Austria just to floor it some on the Autobahn. It's so worth it, too, because the rumble is simply big. It doesn't holler at the surrounding forests, but it does rumble with awesome authority.



With this executive train incorporating all manner of aluminum and carbon composites wherever thought fit, the 2014 S63 weighs some 220 pounds less than its predecessor, while gaining torsional rigidity and sleeker aerodynamics. Meat-hammer the throttle in Sport mode, and even though the official AMG estimate is 3.9 seconds (0.4 of a second quicker than the rear-drive version), we're certain that this biggie will nail the dash to 60 miles per hour in more like 3.5 seconds. 664 pound-feet of torque channeled through a 33/67 rear-drive bias will do that sort of thing. The S63 works to pound home the message that there is still no performance rival in any lineup anywhere that can compete with what it offers. This car's closest competitor is the Audi S8, but it's not quite on the same playing field in terms of power and available luxuries, even if it can belt out a similar 0-60 time.

We're certain that this biggie will nail the dash to 60 mph in more like 3.5 seconds.

Increased camber to the lightweight, 20-inch, forged wheels and the ESP-based Curve Dynamic Assist acting upon the inside rear wheel ensure greater tractability in hot corners, minimizing understeer as much as can be expected. With all of these super-sized gymnastics, one can't help but appreciate the new optional front ceramic composite brake discs – at an authoritative 16.5-inches in diameter. These latter bits will become available in the spring of 2014 at an as yet undecided – though doubtlessly eye-popping – price.

We understand that Mercedes-Benz still believes in keeping the interior's center console clear of all messy duties like hosting a gear lever. But using the same plasticky stalk on the right side of the steering column is getting a bit tired. What's more, on the AMG versions of the S-Class, Mercedes should have authorized a true sport steering wheel instead of staying with the super casual though comfy two-spoke design of the series car. Something like the unit created for the Alpina B7 would be a nice reference, for starters.



Overall, though, this new S-Class interior is pretty special work. The expansive electrically adjustable AMG sport seats are also much more serious about providing lateral support, and the rearward adjustability of these thrones is just vast, as though engineered to fit the Guinness Book of World Records' tallest living humans.

Adjustability of these thrones is just vast, as though engineered to fit the Guinness Book of World Records' tallest living humans.

Equally vast is the onboard TFT display screen and the entirely new sheaf of selectable menu items primarily present to tune your drive experience to the utmost. Our tester had the optional seat comfort package with "energizing" massage function, and we partook of this rather frequently. Setting your preferred ambient lighting hue is a new trend in the car biz at this level, and we find it cute if a bit overdone here – some select indirect light accents can be soothing, but Mercedes has used it everywhere.

With 4Matic, Benz's new Magic Body Control suspension that proactively detects the road surface using a stereo camera is not yet available, and there is no word as to when it might be. What is available is the existing sport calibration of Airmatic adaptive air suspension, and the feel of the S63's ride is therefore pretty familiar and likeable.

The amount by which this new S63 distinguishes itself from the last S63 is to be commended.

In the end, the amount by which this new S63 distinguishes itself from the last S63 is to be commended. We clocked around 250 miles of driving in all manner of conditions and circumstances, and this is an inspiring vehicle. At nearly 140 mph on the no-limit Autobahn, its sheer stability and isolation from the Level 4 hurricane passing outside are astonishing. And when in less of a hurry, using the Controlled Efficiency "C" setting and the Eco function with Start-Stop, the S63 starts out in second gear as any potentially chauffeured luxury chariot should.

Upon its arrival Stateside in November, the S63 is under the onus to simply improve upon itself since the company still thinks it has no direct competition. Mercedes could have gotten by with the minimal amount of work, but it has gone long and sought to put this model entirely out of reach of contenders like the S8. Speaking of which, Audi has just issued a refresh for its big-dollar bruiser, but it clearly has its work cut out for it – this big Merc is one special sedan.

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2014 Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG/// S

2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG 4MATIC

Bummed that Audi won't sell you an RS6 Avant? Cry on Mercedes' shoulder.

“Almost” rarely feels this good. The 49ers almost turned Super BowlXLVII around. Commissioner Gordon almost saved Batman’s girlfriend. The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG’s S model offers almost 600 horsepower, but we bet few people are terribly disappointed that it’s actually 23 shy. And with 590 lb-ft of torque testing the traction limits on all four tires, it’s hard to feel anything but a giddy sense of awe.

That’s right, four tires. To route that much energy to just the rear 285/35-19s might test not only their traction limits but also the boundaries of good sense. Because near-600-horse executive sedans are nothing if not sensible, all-wheel drive is now standard on base and S versions of the 2014 E63 AMG. Its official name is now E63 AMG 4MATIC. Here, the system defaults to a 33/67-percent front-to-rear torque split, although it can send a maximum of 70 percent to either end. It adds 154 pounds—less than Quattro adds to an A6 or xDrive to a 5-series.

Ensuring a lifetime of punishment for the all-wheel-drive system is AMG’s twin-turbo 5.5-liter V-8. Engine-management tweaks bump the base car’s output from last year’s 518 horsepower and 516 lb-ft to 550 and 531. Mercedes previously offered a $7300 AMG Performance package on the E63 for power brokers. That’s now called the AMG S model, which cranks up the boost from 13.0 psi to 14.5 to yield the previously mentioned 577 horsepower and 590 lb-ft. A limited-slip differential is standard on the S (it’s optional on the E63 AMG), where it was deemed necessary to handle the additional twist. In a masterstroke of customer understanding, Mercedes will offer E63 wagon buyers—i.e., enlightened lunatics—only the higher-output tune.

And remember how the car now has all-wheel drive? Oof. Oureducated guess pegs the involuntary grunting that accompanies full-throttle acceleration as equivalent to three sit-ups per launch. Our tech department’s educated guess predicts that the E63 can hit 60 mph in 3.4 seconds, the S in 3.3, and either version can complete a quarter-mile blitzkrieg in fewer than 12 seconds. If you’re shifting manually, your reflexes had better be quick. Fail to grab the next gear the second the tach flashes an angry red, and the 5.5’s headlong rush for rpm ends abruptly at the rev limiter. Even in the upper gears, the engine’s pull from low rpm very quickly translates into illicit velocity.

Although seeing “4MATIC” appended to the name of one of the most enjoyable hot rods in the business made us wince, in practice, the system is unobtrusive. With its hefty rearward bias, the all-wheel-drive system mostly stays out of the way in corners—except when it’s helping yank the car out of particularly tight ones. It doesn’t noticeably corrupt the steering. Computer programming automatically brakes the inner rear wheel on turn-in, which helps the car to feel remarkably nimble. Oversteer is still an option but now requires significantly greater commitment from the driver to induce. The suspension’s excellent tuning means that, even in the most relaxed of its three modes, it never feels too soft when pushed or too hard over bumps.

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2014 Mercedes CLA45 AMG review

Yet another class has been introduced to the Mercedes-Benz range in Australia. The CLA-Class is a baby brother to the CLS-Class, a model that has changed the landscape in stylish but reasonable practical car and brought on a host of imitators.

Mercedes AMG engineers have given us an amazing 355 horsepower from a 2.0-litre high-pressure petrol turbocharged engine. A powerplant that’s the most powerful four-cylinder mass production engine ever made. Sitting alongside the engine is a seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual gearbox that’s beefed up to provide ultra-fast shifts.ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONS

Putting 265 kilowatts of power and 450 Nm of torque to the road through just two wheels would have resulted in the engine management system detuning the engine far too often. So an all-wheel-drive system was developed. The system normally drives only through the front wheels, with the rears being brought into action in a tenth of a second when required. That’s usually only on harsh takeoffs or during really hard cornering.

STYLING

Though it could be classed as a Mercedes-Benz A-Class sedan, Mercedes has elected to give the ‘A-Class with a boot’ a low-slung style. In doing so it has created a new model called the CLA-class. Like the larger Benz CLS-Class the CLA has four doors, but a sleek coupe body that can easily be mistaken for a two-door at first glance.

The hot version of the CLA is the 45 AMG model. It’s a great looking machine with a neatly integrated body kit to enhance its high-performance credentials. The slope to the roof at the rear is a major factor in this being the most aerodynamic mass production car ever built.

INTERIOR

Though every external panel of the CLA 45 coupe is different from those on the A 45 hatch, inside, the two vehicles share the same overall architecture. It’s attractive, with a strong emphasis on the sporting nature of this machine. Front seats are well shaped and comfortable and there’s good stowage space. However, keep in mind that the CLA is a coupe so the back seat has limited headroom. The boot is a good size and easy to load.

SAFETY

Driven correctly any high-performance car is safer than the standard model on which it’s based. That’s due to its improved chassis and braking dynamics, as well as its ability to accelerate out of trouble if that’s the correct way of doing it.

Mercedes has been one of the leaders in car safety for close to 70 years. Avoiding crashes and/or minimising their dangers is carried out by everything from driver drowsiness warnings to radar detection of potential crashes. There’s automatic lane keeping and blind spot warning systems. A complete suite of occupant protection devices ensured the CLA had no trouble getting a maximum five-star rating in crash tests.

DRIVING

Our introduction to the Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG was done on the road, rather than chiefly at the racetrack as was the case with the Mercedes A 45 AMG hatchback a couple of weeks back. On the road during the Mercedes-Benz organised Australian launch out of Melbourne we were extremely impressed by the road grip and exceptional cornering ability.

When you build a car that can reach 270 km/h on the track you need to be able to promptly pull it up without overheating. The huge brakes on the CLA 45 AMG use cross-drilled and ventilated discs and can stand up to track use, meaning they have huge reserves of safety during road driving. Best of all is the exhaust note, the baby Benz spits, snarls and carries on when thrashed hard; just the way it should be in any high-performance car powered by a small turbo engine.

At Phillip Island we tested the race-start system which electronically makes for the fastest off-the-line figures possible. Simply turn it on, put your left foot hard on the brake pedal, floor the accelerator completely and then let go of the brakes. It feels brutal and won’t do a lot for the longevity of some of the transmission components so should probably be best left for special occasions such as track days.

If need be the Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG double-clutch seven-speed automatic can crawl along at very low speeds, something that’s not always guaranteed with this transmission type, as some others are jerky and can be a hazard in tight parking areas.

VERDICT

Mercedes CLA 45 AMG coupe is a sophisticated hotrod from the high-performance division of the iconic German car maker. It provides immense driving enjoyment, and can even be used as a family car if the kids haven’t yet reached their hulking teenage stage.

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2014 Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG

2014 Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG

Mercedes class meets Porsche dynamics.

We ease out of the pit lane and onto the track. At this point, the car sounds like most of its four-cylinder Mercedes siblings—emitting a rather undistinguished, but not unpleasant, moggy purr. But as Moers dips deeper into the throttle and the 2.0-liter engine revs higher on the approach to the first right turn, the sound segues into a powerful rort. The car has come alive. It storms out of the turn, pulling strongly and without any of the torque steer you’d expect if this were a powerful front-drive car, but AMG wisely chose an AWD configuration for the A45. Body control is excellent; roll, pitch, and dive are virtually nonexistent as the AMG prototype charges around the track. The balance and the lack of torque steer are certainly helped by the fact that the A45 prototype shuttles its prodigious power to all four wheels, one of several forthcoming AMG products that will do so. On this car, the power distribution between the two axles is handled by an electronically activated multiplate clutch. Sending an estimated 353 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque to just the front axle would have been, uh, unwise.

To squeeze this much power out of a 2.0-liter four-cylinder, AMG equips it with a high-pressure turbocharger pumping a race-car-like 26 psi of boost. Special bearings and solid pistons handle high internal pressures akin to those found in a diesel engine. Moers claims this souped-up 2.0-liter is as durable as any other AMG engine, undergoing the same rigorous testing regimen as any other Mercedes product. The A45 we’re in hits more than 124 mph at Hockenheim without any apparent stress.

Like the SLS AMG, a seven-speed AMG Speedshift MCT dual-clutch gearbox is used to handle the enormous power and torque of the A45 AMG engine. (We’re fairly sure they are different part numbers.) As is current AMG fashion, the A45 comes with the so-called AMG Drive Unit that enables the selection of different driving modes. In Normal mode, gearchanges are smooth and seamless; selecting Sport or Sport Plus mode noticeably quickens the swaps. In Sport Plus, it delivers competition-grade downshifts and simultaneously performs matched-rev throttle blips to keep the car composed during serious driving. Aside from the stability benefits, the blip-throttle sounds are entertaining. And for spectacular NHRA-like full acceleration from a stop, the A45 AMG is equipped with launch control.The A45 AMG is the most powerful series production car powered by a 2.0-liter engine. Its specific power output is roughly 173 hp per liter, topping even the Porsche 911 GT2 RS (172.2 hp per liter). That’s a record for roadgoing cars, according to Moers.

Back at the Hockenheim track, Moers is tossing the compact Mercedes A45 AMG through tight corners, demonstrating its sharp steering, crisp throttle response, and neutral balance even at very high cornering speeds. Hard braking, turning the car into the corner, and downshifting all at the same time do nothing to upset the car—or Moers’s smile, for that matter. The A45 is the smallest car ever tuned to an AMG fare-thee-well.

We’ll find out if M-B’s gamble pays off next August when the A45, the most powerful A-class ever, hits European markets. U.S. customers, however, won’t get the chance to buy one. But don’t fret: Mercedes will offer this same high-performance AWD 2.0-liter turbo package to American buyers for about $50,000 via the new CLA45 AMG, a swoopynew sedan that debuts a few months later. We can’t wait.Is there a market for another compact monster like this? Mercedes thinks so and is targeting customers who are currently driving an Audi RS3 or a BMW 1-series M. The way the company’s marketing people see it, this fresh-looking performance car with Mercedes styling and design details could be a winner. In Germany, the equivalent of $64,000 is a lot of money for a Mercedes A-class, but we see it as fair for a compact car that delivers Porsche-like dynamics.

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2013 Audi S3

It's an S3 with an extra pair of doors. So forgive us for starting at the boring end, because, although we'd like to talk about the 296bhp at the front of the car, we must first discuss luggage space. Of which there is 380 litres with the seats up, or 1,200 when they're down. That's 15 litres more than the three-door S3, or about the volume of your average water-cooler bottle. More importantly, it's 20 litres more than its main rival - the BMW 135i, also in five-door flavour.

If these were the three-door versions, we'd care less. They're hot hatches, so fast comes first. But the only reason you may choose five portals on a car like this is because - despite your fast inclinations - you genuinely need the extra room and accessibility, whether it's for stuff in the boot or humans on the back seats. For the same reason it's also worth knowing that the Sportback has a 35mm longer wheelbase, boosting rear legroom. And those few millimetres and litres may mean the difference between nine shopping bags or 10. Or squeezing children through a tiny gap versus throwing them in through a wide open door.

Thankfully, the added usefulness changes nothing about the way the S3 goes. One minute, you're here; the next, you're there... probably early, and with a slight gap in your memory. Because once the turbo breathes out and the quattro hooks up, your only job is to watch the world smudge by. The S tronic 'box boshes through gears with staggering hunger, and the four-wheel drive sorts out any slippage. And before you know it, you're checking your mirror, wondering if the law noticed.

Of course, you may wish to contribute more to the driving experience. So if the Audi's aloofness troubles you, there's always the RWD - but similarly plain-looking - BMW. It's within 0.1 seconds of the Audi to 62mph, and it too will go on to 155mph. And when fitted with an automatic gearbox, it's only 45 quid more than the Sportback. Which is probably what you'll save by filling fewer shopping bags. Alternatively, how about a Ford Focus ST Estate? Yes, it's about 50bhp down but the 1,502-litre boot is enormous, and it's over six thousand pounds cheaper. But the four rings exert a powerful pull, and the Sportback's added practicality is another string to the S3's bow. It's fast and secure and for most buyers, that might just be enough.

Dan Read

The numbers
1984cc, 4cyl petrol, 4WD, 296bhp, 280lb ft, 40.9mpg, 159g/km CO2, 0-62mph in 5.0secs, 155mph, 1445kg, £32,740

The verdict
Audi's superhatch gets roomier and more practical. Fast and flattering to the driver, but still oddly cold.

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2013 Porsche 911 Turbo S

The 911 Turbo S is blindingly fast. I mean that not as afigure of speech, but quite literally. This car blinds you. Human eyes cannot cope with the sheer force of detonating from a standstill past 60mph in three seconds, the Turbo S flinging itself off the line with a lot of noise and just a hint of wheelspin. Clench your jaw, squint, gurn, it's all useless: as launch control bites, the windscreen starts to swim, the scenery closes in around you, and then, for what must be no more than a few milliseconds but feels far longer, all is a blur as the g-force squeezes your eyeballs' vital fluids in directions vital eyeball fluids shouldn't go. It is addictive and unsettling, not acceleration in the traditional sense, but something rawer: thrust, the sensation of a jet aeroplane on take-off, a relentless surge seemingly independent of tarmac and tyres.

Ease off the throttle, and the world wobbles back into view. It's official: the 911 Turbo S is too fast for eyes. Not a bad boast for the machine with a strong claim to the crown of Quickest Car in the Real World. Sure, the record books may herald the Bugatti Veyron and its 267mph top speed, the Pagani Huayra and BAC Mono may sit atop the TGTV Power Laps board. And, true, on an empty track or airstrip in the hands of His Stigness, these three might edge out the Turbo S. But on the road? The Veyron, astonishing achievement though it is, is too large, too heavy, too damn intimidating to use on normal public lanes. The rear-drive Huayra and Mono, meanwhile, require a driver of superhuman skill to exploit their full potential if the tarmac is anything other than bone-dry and perfectly smooth. If we're talking a real, normal driver on a real, normal road, I'm not sure there's anything on earth to touch this rear-engined slot car.

Some numbers. The new Turbo S, with its bi-turbo 3.8-litre flat-six, sends 553bhp and a ludicrous 553 torques to four very large tyres. That's some 30bhp and 37lb ft more than the last-gen 911 Turbo S, which few regarded as underpowered or slow. The new car's 0-62mph time is officially quoted at 3.1 seconds, which is frankly silly for something with at least a nominal set of rear seats and a decent front boot. Yet our unofficial stopwatch tests suggest the Turbo S might even be a couple of tenths quicker than that. Quick enough to cause temporary ocular disability, at least.

To some extent, liberating a lump of extra power and pace with the aid of a couple of turbos is the easy bit. And a company less engineering-obsessed than Porsche might be content with that alone: no doubt the chassis of the standard 911 Carrera 4S is competent enough to deal with 553bhp and whatever treatment any Turbo S owner might throw at it.

But Porsche doesn't think like that. Porsche, being Porsche, has entirely re-engineered the 911 for Turbo duty. For a start, take a look at that big ol' booty. The Turbo S's rear track is some seven centimetres wider than that of the standard rear-drive 911 Carrera, and 15cm wider than its own front track. This is fine news for grip, but means that no matter how neatly you reverse-park your Turbo S in a supermarket space, it'll always look a bit wonky.

Like the new 911 GT3, the Turbo S employs rear-wheel steer, electromechanical actuators angling the rear wheels some 1.5 degrees either way: against the fronts below 31mph to reduce the turning circle and increase agility; or with the fronts over 50mph for better stability. And it works. Unlike rear-steer systems of old, you get no impression of it doing its thing, only of a car with astonishing high-speed poise. Does it increase manoeuvrability under 31mph? Couldn't tell you. The Turbo S rarely spends more than two or three milliseconds below 31mph at any time.

There's clever aero too. As well as that fat rear wing - which pops up at 75mph and, in Sport Plus mode, angles seven degrees forward for extra downforce - the Turbo S boasts the world's first variable front spoiler, a four-inch-deep rubber skirt (stop it) that extends from the bottom lip of the front bumper in three sections. At low speeds, it remains retracted, its side sections only unfurling as you pass 75mph. But in track-attack mode, the spoiler is fully extended, for both maximum downforce and maximum usefulness as a driveway snow shovel, come winter.

Porsche says the rear wing and front splitter add 132kg of downforce, which sounds mighty impressive until you learn you have to hit 186mph to generate that figure. Perhaps more telling is that the rubbery skirt cuts around two seconds from the Turbo S's Nürburgring lap time, which stands at 7m27s on standard production tyres. That's faster than a Carrera GT, a time no doubt aided by the Turbo S's monster, standard, carbon-ceramic brakes, which measure 410mm diameter up front and 390mm at the rear.

What this newness adds up to, predictably, is simply ludicrous speed, everywhere, all of the time. Autobahn, B-road, gravel, rain... no matter - the Turbo S is the sort of car you step from after a drive, even a short one, thankful to still possess your licence. It's the sort of car I'd be scared to own for fear it might rewire my concept of what's physically and socially acceptable on the road. Perhaps ironically, the safety net of that four-wheel-drive system makes it somehow scarier: this isn't a car that'll warn you when it's about to go very, very wrong. The first time you lost it would be very big, and it would be your last. Traction traction traction and oops missed the corner and ah look I'm doing 200mph sideways and now I am on fire.

What a drivetrain, though. No, the turbo six doesn't scream like a Ferrari V8, but has a unique soundtrack all of its own: a bassy, phasing hum at idle, like something from a Seventies sci-fi series, morphing into a barrage of cannon-fire exhaust as you thump up through the gears. Such is the flat-six's flexibility that on any A- or B-road you never need change out of third, a wrecking ball of a gear that carries you from walking pace into triple figures incurring only minor blindness along the way. Not that changing gear is a chore: now Porsche has ditched the daft push-me-pull-you buttons from its double-clutch gearbox - replacing them with conventional right-for-up-left-for-down paddles - this 7spd PDK is just about the best in the business, capable of smooth anonymity or punchy, instant changes, depending on your mien. In the naturally aspirated, rear-drive 911 GT3, we might bemoan the lack of a manual gearbox, but PDK is a perfect fit for the Turbo S's ‘keep it pointing in the right direction, and we'll sort out the rest' philosophy.

That said, if you're thinking the GT3 is the hardcore sports-thing and the Turbo S the loping cruiser, don't be fooled: this is no softie. True, you wouldn't want a car with any hint of vagueness when you're cracking 190mph on the autobahn, and even on Germany's ropiest roads, the ride remains the right side of acceptable, but it's an unyielding bugger nonetheless.

Talking of acceptable, Porsche is extremely keen to highlight the eco credentials of the new Turbo S, pointing to economy of 29mpg and CO2 emissions of 227g/km. These are, indeed, impressive figures for a 553bhp supercar, but the anti-petrolists, we suspect, will find plenty else about the Turbo S to rail against. Like its 198mph top speed.

For us pro-petrolists, however, what is there to complain of? Not much. So the Turbo doesn't offer much in the way of fingertip feedback, but that's not what it's about: the 911 GT3 is there for those who want to explore slip angles and Nomex outerwear. Perhaps the biggest issue is the price: the 911 Turbo S starts at £140,000, which sounds rather a lot for a hopped-up VW Beetle. Or does it? On power, pace and pub stats, the Turbo S looks decent value alongside the supercars it'll match for pace, not least the Ferrari 458 and McLaren 12C, both of which Porsche benchmarked for performance.

Of course, if all you want is fast and four-wheel drive, critics will point out the Turbo S is nigh-on double the price of the 543bhp Nissan GT-R, perhaps the only other car that can really rival it for devastating, everyday pace and immutable traction. But the Turbo S is a more complete, rounded proposition: perhaps the ultimate everyday supercar. Your eyes may disagree.

Sam Philip

The numbers

3800cc, 6cyl, 4WD, 553bhp, 553 lb ft, 29.0mpg, 227g/km CO2, 0-62 in 3.1secs, 198mph, 1605kg, from £140,852

The verdict

Like all the best things in life, likely to turn you blind if you use it too much. New Turbo S is appallingly, brilliantly quick.

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Mercedes-Benz G-Class 6x6

G-Class 6x6  The Monster

Up until now, the best chance you'd have to get to drive this monster 6x6 AMG would be to join the Australian army, which signed a contract with Daimler in 2008 to procure 2,100 of these unstoppable desert chasers. But now Mercedes has decided - rather brilliantly - to make a civilian version, ready to order by millionaires before the end of 2013.

From the original military blueprint, it keeps six driven wheels, an off-road low-range ratio in the transfer case, portal axles, five differential locks and a tyre-inflation control system that allows the pressure in the 37-inch tyres to be adjusted in record time, on the move.

But once you climb into the cabin, there's a much less utilitarian bent. Four heated and ventilated leather armchairs, a leather-finished dash with contrast stitching, carbon-fibre trim and Alcantara slathered on the roof headlining and pillars. Pure AMG opulence. And the weirdness doesn't end there. Once you've got over the sheer size of the 6x6, it's worth noting the gigantic carbon wheelarch extensions and a pickup load area featuring an exclusive bamboo lining. Normal, this thing is not.

Did we mention it was big? At 5.85m long and 2.3m tall, it's positively huge. And fast. With the G63's 540bhp, 5.5-litre bi-turbo V8, the G63 AMG 6x6 can hit 62mph in seven seconds. And it does so with no hesitation, the 561lb ft being split in 30/40/30 (front, mid and rear axles) with the help of the familiar 7spd dual-clutch 'box. It just stomps its power to the road. Or whatever surface you happen to be on.

Ok, so the strangest product AMG has ever engineered was likely never supposed to corner like a sports car, but its relative agility is mind-blowing, especially considering that, at 3.85 tonnes, it's a VW Golf heavier than the already mighty G63 AMG.

More than that, it just will not be stopped. By anything. It has axle articulation that would make a Land Rover wince, manages 460mm of ground clearance and has a diving - sorry, fording - depth of a solid metre, 40cm more than the bodystyle it has been derived from. You can take it as read that absolute traction is never an issue, and even if you do begin to slip, you just drop the tyre pressures - independently for each axle, I might add - via switches mounted on the overhead console.

It's the best big boy's toy ever invented. Not a cheap one, though, at something over €300,000. But be honest, can you think of a better way to get your off-road kicks?

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