IT POSSIBLY HASN'T ESCAPED YOUR attention that after we first drove the new Mercedes-AMG C63 (in S E Performance Estate form) way back in December 2022 it's not been seen in these pages since. Granted, we didn't think much of the direction AMG had headed down, replacing the growly 4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 with a harsh 2-litre four-cylinder turbo motor attached to a plug-in hybrid electric powertrain.
Heavy, uninvolving and all just a little uninspiring considering all the goodness that we had feasted on previously. But we'd like to try it once more, to spend more time with the 600-plus bhp M3 rival, and Mercedes says we will. Just not yet.
In the meantime there's another new AMG: the CLE 53 4Matic+. The CLE is a new model line that replaces both the C and E-class Coupés. The 53 variant therefore takes over from the C43 and E53 Coupés respectively, and is also where former C63 Coupé customers will need to look for now if they prefer their AMGs with two doors.
Like the new C63, the CLE 53 forgoes a V8 engine, but instead it opts for Mercedes' 3-litre turbocharged straight-six mild-hybrid motor; one of the benefits of the CLE having the front end of the new E-class is that engines with more than four cylinders fit behind its AMG grille.
It's not an especially charismatic engine, certainly not in the vain of its eight-cylinder predecessor, with a rather flat note to its delivery. no induction noise to startle your hairs and a somewhat muted exhaust tone, although that last one is no bad thing in a world where too many think that making their cars sound like a filing cabinet full of spanners falling down a flight of stairs is a good thing.
この記事は Evo UK の June 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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この記事は Evo UK の June 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
BEST BUYS BMW M CARS
THE PERFORMANCE CAR LANDSCAPE WOULD HAVE looked very different over the last five decades without BMW. Its M division, founded in 1972, has produced some of the best driver’s cars ever to hit the road, and in the process has provided a stream of benchmark models for its rivals to chase. In recent years, stricter emissions regulations, downsizing and electrification have seen some of those rival cars falter, yet by and large BMW’s M machines have remained strong. In fact, some rank among the greatest the department has made think of the eCoty-winning M2 CS and M5 CS while others are the only options worth recommending in their respective segments. Price tags have risen with performance, however, putting those latest offerings out of reach for many, but the marque’s popularity means there are numerous earlier M models available on the second-hand market for far more attainable figures. Here are four of our favourites.
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