Mercedes-Benz E63
AMG S
In spirited driving, it’s a revelation and it’s largely
civilized in most long-road scenarios, but it’s not without its shortcomings.
That sloping roofline robs rear headroom; and the cabin, although meticulously
crafted, wants for a sense of occasion. There’s also the issue of an
adaptive-damper system that’s caught out by small, regularly spaced road
corrugations, regardless of its setting.
But how far can you stretch a niche?
Despite its hand-bitingly handsome styling, the Aston Martin
Rapide S’s R3,2 million pricetag could easily net you a brace of any of the
super saloons, plus change for fuel.
Compared with the others, a more sportscar-oriented leaning
upsets the performance / practicality equilibrium that makes a super saloon.
The Rapide’s cabin, although beautifully crafted, sports a
cluttered facia, the rear quarters are claustrophobic and the boot isn’t
especially commodious.
Mercedes-Benz E63
AMG S’s interior
Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S’s specs
·
Output: 430 kW / 800 N.m
·
0-100 km/h: 4,66 secs
·
Top speed: 250 km/h
·
Laptime: 1:16,9
·
Max speed: 168 km/h
But it’s not a dynamic dullard. That sonorous V12 engine may
require some hard revving to extract its best but, once it peaks, it pulls with
the best of them and the steering is engaging. The ride, though, is too
skittish and a lot of road noise permeates the innards. It may be flawed, but
it possesses a sense of occasion that none of the others can hope to match -
from that gaping Zagato-style grille to the impeccably stitched interior; it
makes you feel special by mere association.
There are few things more annoying in a group test than a
horses-for-courses conclusion, but there is some credence to it here.
Asked about his car of choice, Deon fittingly remarked that,
despite their commonalities, each car occupies its own niche with its resultant
strengths and weaknesses: the Jag is enter-taining but nervous; the Benz is
sledgehammer-powerful but the gearbox is slow; the M6 is dynamically balanced
but, again, the gearbox is a double-edged sword; and the Audi, although
crushingly capable, has a jittery ride and flawed packaging.
Jaguar XFR-S
The super saloon versus four-foor coupé debate is similarly
taxing. Those favoring practicality over aesthetics will take the saloons. For
those after the sense of occasion more closely aligned to that of a sportscar,
but less concerned with packaging, will be drawn to the coupés.
But, ultimately, it’s that defining balance of power and
practicality holding sway in our assessment that saw the majority of the test
team vote for the AMG. Personally, it was a close call between the
involving-yet- comfy M6 and the AMG, but I loved the way in which the Benz
spanned the performance / liveability gap. The duality of its temperament,
especially with all of that power on tap, should render it a schizophrenic
experience, but that’s not the case. The Benz is just as happy comfortably
ferrying family and business lunch-bloated executives as it is turning into a
four-door ballistic missile or slewing sideways. It may possess primeval roots,
but the AMG is no dinosaur.
Jaguar XFR-S’s
interior
Jaguar XFR-S’s specs
·
Output: 405 kW / 680 N.m
·
0-100 km/h: 4,91 secs
·
Top speed: 300 km/h
·
Laptime: 1:17,5
·
Max speed: 164 km/h
