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eddiejpoplar · 6 years

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First Drive: 2018 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S Coupe

The rise of the SUV machines has been a going on for quite a number of years. It is only recently we are seeing the true picture coming to light. In the US, 2017 sales of SUV’s and trucks were up over 350,000 and 100,000 respectively, but sales of sedans were down around 500,000.

The future for SUVs certainly looks bright and there seems to be no going back. I had that in mind, as I looked at the shiny black 2018 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S Coupe, patiently waiting for me outside our Nashville, TN hotel. I was about to embark on a route designed to end back in my home town of Bowling Green, KY.

Mercedes had not allocated a driving partner for me, which I did not take personally as they said I was the odd one out and nothing to do with my racing resume “scaring the straights” as it were. Truth be known, I drive like grandma most of the time on the street these days and enjoy nerding out on seeing real-world mpg numbers.

I have a weird taste in road vehicles. According to my editor and most other rational thinking people. I don’t argue the point, I just live with the affliction. As if to make their case, I always liked the Pontiac Aztec—I honestly thought it was an awesome vehicle in its day.

In fact, back in 2001, I was actually considering whether to buy the Aztec or a Mercedes ML55. What choice you sneer? Have you seen that Aztec picnic table set up in the back? It’s just mega!

At the risk of being excommunicated by my long-suffering friends and during a rare moment of clarity, I bought the ML55. At the time, the ML55 was the fastest accelerating SUV on the streets with a 6.2-second 0-60 mph time and a hefty 342 hp. I parted with the ML55 after about a year. I thought at the time we would probably see more and more performance SUVs like the ML, as long as the buyers were there.

Cue the GLS 63 S Coupe. I sat outside the hotel for about 15 minutes and adjusted everything before setting off. I’m not a fan of using infotainment systems while driving, whether by voice or hand, but I know I need to try them out, so I do, initially while parked. That usually gives me a good idea what I’m comfortable dealing with while on the move.

The GLC 63 S Coupe has a base MSRP of $81,745 (as tested: $97,330). I think the Coupe has a stocky muscular look, with purpose and plenty of bad intent. It has the grunt t back it up, too, its hand-crafted 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 kicking out 503 hp @ 5,500-6,250 and 516 lb-ft @ 1,750-4,500.

Mercedes claims a 3.7-second 0-60 mph time for the GLC 63 S Coupe. I say that’s conservative, especially when using the “RACESTART” launch feature. Having recently tested the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, I’m thinking this Merc would be nipping its heels in a drag race. We are talking about sub-4 second zero to sixty times! Seeing these numbers in a family hauler somehow seems to make the world feel right.

There are several options when setting up drivability for the GLC. The sound of the sport exhaust (Must have $1,250 option!) has a nice racy grumble in the Sport+ driving mode. Off throttle the GLC pops just like the heroically anti-social AMG GT R. These days some manufacturers pipe in additional sound to the occupant cabin to enhance the exhaust note and I’ve read a lot of negative comments about it. I don’t care about the “enhancement” if it sounds good—and the GLC sounds good.

The difference between Comfort, Sport, and Sport+ plus driving modes can be felt in transmission shift speeds, steering weight/feel and ride stiffness. Don’t worry, none of the sporty modes knock your fillings out. I used Comfort and Sport mode most of the time on the road for more suspension compliance, as it gives me a better feel for the chassis. I suspect sporting-minded owners will always have Sport+ programmed into their Individual driver settings.

There is one particular option I came across that needs a mention. It’s called Collision Prevention Assist Plus. It’s um, how shall I say this, rather eager to get involved. Kind of like that friend who is always ready to control a situation that doesn’t actually exist. It is a safety device and is there to help drivers. It applies braking when it thinks braking is needed. The Assist and I agreed to disagree and I switched it off. Most people will probably never notice it until they need it.

The AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT (Multi Clutch Transmission) nine-speed automatic is superb. Changing to Sport+ mode provides lightning fast shifts with accompanying little pops on the upshifts. It rips shifts as fast as some current GT race cars.

Mercedes also fits the GLC 63 S with the AMG Performance 4MATIC+ drive train. This updated system can adjust itself to move torque to different drive wheels, depending on the situation. It used to be very rear biased, but on these models is upgraded to fully variable and can go from all front drive to all rear drive and anything in between; enabling optimum traction in all driving conditions. I could feel it working hard in spirited driving, as it tried to understand why I was using the rear tires to turn the car instead of the front tires.

AMG has certainly been busy developing and refining. The Dynamic Engine Mounts and the AIR BODY CONTROL work well together, giving a more compliant feel in comfort mode and firming things up for performance driving. These two pieces of technology add nicely to the Jekyll and Hyde personality of the GLC 63.

If it smells like leather and looks like leather then it must be leather right? You never know these days as manufacturer’s get much better at faking us out with interior fabrics. That is not the case with the GLC. The interior was indeed real leather, expensive to look at, providing a very comfortable driving office.

I’m going to also credit the AIR BALANCE Cabin Filtration & Fragrance System for the olfactory feast. I’m thinking I could have had a box of wet badgers in the back seat and still been smelling the roses.

The steering was very direct. Wherever I pointed the GLC, it was happy to go. There was certainly more body roll in Comfort mode than Sport, but no more than I expected. Also, the nannies were on full alert in Comfort mode, especially if I started getting quick with steering input’s, which again, is to be expected.

If you want a spirited drive put the GLC in Sport+ mode. The feel is very sporty and connected, but it is still an SUV. SUVs have a higher center of gravity than a sedan and usually weigh more. The heaviest super quick street cars come in around 3,800 pounds, with a Porsche 911 GTS down close to 3,100 pounds; the GLC 63 S Coupe is 4,511 pounds.

Even though it is a bit unrealistic for anyone to expect serious sports car handling in an SUV, the folks at Mercedes have done a great job in giving the GLC a solid sports car “feel”. The Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires certainly with some excellent grip and feel, pulling almost 1g in cornering (Front: 265/40ZR-21, Rear: 295/35ZR-21).

Big power can come with a price as far as gas mileage but I suspect most GLC 63 buyers don’t look at this. Fuel economy is rated at 16 mpg city, 22 mpg highway, and 18 mpg combined. On one 70-mile 25% city/75% highway trip, I got 23.2 mpg, which was not too bad.

Way back when, I used to look at SUVs as totally boring. I bought the ML55 in 2001 because it was “not boring”. I would probably look at buying a minivan today if they put the 503-hp GLC 63 S engine in it.

There are so many reasons why people say they buy SUVs. They’re practical, easier to get the kids in and out, better visibility, they feel safer, etc. All those reasons apply to minivans and the Honda Civic Type R has nearly the same amount of storage room as the GLC Coupe. But, logic be damned, SUV sales are rocketing upward.

As a motorhead, I love the fact more and more performance SUVs are coming to market. The new GLC 63 S Coupe is an excellent vehicle, giving a sporty driving experience in a high-powered and practical package.

I’m still thinking the genesis of GLC 63 came from a Mercedes internal memo directing their engineers to come up with a way for parents to always get the kids to school on time. The GLC certainly fills that role. Keep the memos coming, Mercedes.

2018 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S Coupe Specifications

ON SALE Now PRICE $81,745/$97,330 (base/as tested) ENGINE 4.0L twin-turbo DOHC 32-valve V-8/503 hp @ 5,500-6,250 rpm, 516 lb-ft @ 1,740-4,500 rpm TRANSMISSION 9-speed automatic LAYOUT 4-door, 5-passenger, front-engine, AWD SUV EPA MILEAGE 16/22 mpg (city/hwy) L x W x H 186.8 x 76.0 x 62.4 in WHEELBASE 113.1 in WEIGHT 4,511 lb 0-60 MPH 3.7 sec TOP SPEED 174 mph

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jonathanbelloblog · 6 years

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First Drive: 2018 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S Coupe

In fact, back in 2001, I was actually considering whether to buy the Aztec or a Mercedes ML55. What choice you sneer? Have you seen that Aztec picnic table set up in the back? It’s just mega!

2018 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S Coupe Specifications

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#IFTTT #Performance Junk Blogger Feed 4

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ramialkarmi · 6 years

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I drove the Model 3 for a couple of hours — and it's now my favorite Tesla (TSLA)

We spent several hours taking the Tesla Model 3 on a first drive.

Ben Zhang, Business Insider's senior transportation reporter, and I each took a turn at the wheel and put the car through its paces.

What impressed us most about the Model 3 wasn't its technology — it was how much fun the car is to drive.

I've driven every car Tesla has ever made, from the original Roadster to the Model X SUV. I've sampled Ludicrous Mode acceleration, experimented with Autopilot self-driving tech, and even once "run out of gas" in a Model S.

And while it's true that I'm very much looking forward to the bonkers-fast next-generation Roadster, ever since last July I've been salivating about some more seat time in the Model 3.

The Model 3 is Tesla's car for the masses, with a base price of $35,000 and range of over 200 miles. It has been touted for years, finally arriving in 2017 — and is now roasting in what CEO Elon Musk calls "production hell." Tesla has something like half a million advance orders for the car. Thus far, it has officially delivered about 3,000.

But does being bad at making the Model 3 mean that the car itself has problems?

Well, there have been some complaints about early build quality and some technical glitches. But because Tesla started rolling out the Model 3 without going through a manufacturing prototyping process at its Fremont factory, and has endured battery supply challenges at its factory in Nevada, the Model 3 is clearly something of a beta release. Tesla is building the plane after it has taken off.

When I got my first crack at the Model 3, last July in California at a launch event, I was quite impressed. But I only drove the car for about 15 minutes.

This week, Tesla let us borrow a bright-red Model 3 for a few hours, and my colleague Ben Zhang and I headed west of Manhattan to New Jersey to really put the 3 through its paces. We aren't ready to review the car just yet — that will come later when Tesla gives us a test vehicle that we can live with for a week.

But we are able to offer some first-drive impressions, beyond what I could come up last year. The upshot is that the Model 3 is a dandy little ride, and once Tesla gets the whole carmaking thing figured out (rapidly, if possible), we think owners will be delighted.

OK, here's a caveat. Our tester was a well-equipped $55,700 Model 3. Wait, isn't the car supposed to cost $35,000? Well, yes, but right now Tesla is building only the $44,000 premium version, and for the moment it's rear-wheel-drive only; the dual-motor all-wheel-drive version will follow. On the plus side, the more expensive Model 3 has a range of about 300 miles on a single charge (the cheaper version will serve up over 200).

We managed to chop about 100 miles off a full charge in three hours of driving, but we weren't holding back. So for many Tesla fans and EV enthusiasts, the Model 3 has the range to be a perfect daily driver, especially if the owner can plug into 220-volt level 2 charging at home overnight (Model 3 has access to Tesla Supercharger network, but unlike the Model S and Model X owners, fast-charging for Model 3 owners and leasers isn't free).

Here's how our first drive broke down:

Design

The Model 3 is sharp.

Given the scuttlebutt about build quality, we scrutinized our red Model 3 — which was a press car and accordingly prepared — very closely. Sure, there was some misalignment and panel-gapping here and there. But it actually wasn't bad at all. You'd have to be a true obsessive to have major issues with it.

No rattles, no shakes, no weird noises. The Model 3 is sleek and shapely and it looks dazzling in red. It embodies and extends Tesla design chief Franz von Holzhausen's philosophy, which is elegant and conservative without being boring. The Model 3 isn't supposed to look like some exotic contraption borrowed from the distant future. It's supposed to look good right now.

That it does, from its fine-boned front end to its fastback rear hatch. You could draw a line from the headlight to the tail light, along the Model 3's beltline, and it would be a clean yet expressive line that gives the car a core shape and provides a basis for the smoothly curved roof and the crisp kink of the rear window trim.

The proportions are pretty good — better than the Model S's, as that car now looks, well, big. They aren't perfect: the hood and front fenders, as well as the rear haunches, are stunted, so the middle of the Model 3 appears chunkier in profile than when looked at from a three-quarters perspective.

Also, I hate to say it, but viewed from the rear versus from the front, the Model 3 seems out-of-balance. The hood doesn't adequately counterbalance the hatch. Fastbacks are groovy, but they can make a car appear back-heavy. I'd almost rather have an old-school trunk lid back there.

In the final analysis, I think the Model 3 is the best-looking Tesla: sportier than the Model S, less spaceship-like than the Model X. The new Roadster is, naturally, a sexier machine. But we won't see it in production for at least a couple of years. For me, it's the Model 3 for the win.

And one other thing: as you can see from the photos that BI's Hollis Johnson captured of the Model 3, the car looks magnificent in motion. This is the acid test of a design. A car is meant to move. A great vehicle has to look great from the outside, on the road, when the driver steps on the accelerator and makes it go.

Performance

Electric cars are, no doubt about it, quick. The Model 3 is no exception.

It isn't as fast off the line as the Model S or Model X — but it's plenty fast. The 0-60 mph sprint is accomplished in just over five seconds. That's speedy enough for anybody, and the quality of that speed is very Tesla, and very electric-car. EVs have 100% of their available torque at 1 rpm, and that's means potentially neck-snapping velocity.

A Model S P100D with Ludicrous Mode engaged can do 0-60 mph in under 2.3 seconds.

That's jarring acceleration. The Model 3 is calmer. But not too calm. You are rewarded when you punch it.

On the highway, the Model taps out once you're up around the legal speed limit. It has plenty of passing power, but compared with, say, a Model X P100D SUV, it can't rocket away from traffic like a spaceship spooling up its warp drive.

If that sounds like a negative, it isn't. The Model 3 is a more even-tempered package, performance-wise, than the Model S, which in its more belligerent trims is basically an electric muscle car. I'm one of those guys who likes driving well-proportioned, modestly scaled sport sedans that don't have huge engines. The Model 3 is that in spirit. It's fun in a straight line, but it's more fun going around corners, and in the rear-drive configuration, it offers just enough oversteer and back-end lock-down to be a blast in the twisty parts of the roadways.

The braking can be a bit odd due to the regenerative capability on offer, but you can dial that back. You can also make the steering rather heavy, creating a nice sense of communication with the asphalt, something that Ben enjoyed in his time behind the wheel. Steering can also be set to be more comfortable, for everyday driving.

The battery under the floor isn't a lightweight thing, and although it creates a low center of gravity, it also wants to make the Model 3 go in whatever direction momentum is carrying it. This makes the car feel planted, but it also makes you feel the bulk. We didn't drive the Model 3 irresponsibly, but we did get it leaning into corners, and the car certainly didn't come off as light or tossable.

That said, I prefer RWD Teslas to their AWD counterparts, mainly because they feel more dynamic.

In normal driving, the Model 3 exhibits a nice, solid personality: smooth, relatively quiet — even at higher speeds — and the steel construction (the Model S and X are aluminum) and bulky battery soak up bumps extremely effectively.

Obviously, there's an element of compromise that comes into play: behind the wheel, you can feel isolated from the more visceral aspects of driving. But Tesla designed the Model 3 to appeal to a broad range of customers. For enthusiasts, there's just enough fun on tap. For non-enthusiasts, the Model 3 isn't intimidating.

And with a truck in back and "frunk" in front, the Model 3 is a sedan that offers cargo capacity on par with some compact SUVs.

Interior

The interior is groundbreaking. It's the most minimalist I've ever experienced in a car not intended for racing competition.

I've already offered a take on why the minimalism is magnificent.

But in a nutshell, while the Model 3's interior doesn't wrap you in luxury or exude a spirit of sportiness, it does provide the sense that you're interacting with a piece of made-in-Silicon Valley technology.

Like the front of most iPhones, the Model 3 has just one official button inside: the one for the hazard flashers. Otherwise, the 15-inch touchscreen in the middle of the dash is the star of the show. It controls all vehicle functions and replaces the traditional instrument cluster.

The steering wheel is stripped of adornment: just a Tesla logo two trackballs to manage stuff like audio volume — the in-house stereo system sounds awesome, by the way — and side-view mirrors. There are no visible air vents. A single strip of open-grain wood stretches from the left to right side. Our test car's back synthetic leather upholstery was broken up only by some modest stitching here and there and some brushed metallic trim. The windshield sweeps up as a near-continuous pane of glass, across the roof and down to the rear hatch.

Beautiful to be sure. But also austere. You could say chilly, if it weren't for the strip of wood.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

#Tech Insider #Arab #Entrepreneurship #sillicon alley insider

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