I can vividly recall the launch of the latter in the Free State. We flew into Bloemfontein where a gaggle of Merc C63s awaited us. The plan was simple — we would drive to Welkom’s Phakisa raceway and race them around the oval track as quickly as possible to our hearts’ content. That remains one of the most memorable media launches in my career. 

Since then, I have driven just about every iteration of the W204 C63 generation — mostly blunt instruments with colossal power — culminating in the hardcore, yet sublime, Black Series (380kW and 630Nm) derivative. 

Yes, indeed, the latter model not only had more power but also had a stiffer chassis setup and a more aggressive differential that allowed lurid sideways-driving antics. 

In 2015 we had the arrival of the W205 C63 S, replete with a downsized four-litre bi-turbo V8 with 375kW and 700Nm. 

This saw a bump up in power, but mostly that torque figure, however, the engineers had one challenge — getting that signature V8 engine note fine-tuned for fans of the model. 

While the exhaust note was fruity enough, it just wasn’t as intoxicatingly guttural as the W204, which remains a firm favourite among C63 aficionados. 

So, the news that the next-generation W206 C63 would be hybridised was met with some choice words, but it was the fact that the combustion engine would go from a V8 to a four-cylinder with a two-litre displacement that caused the most consternation.  

As officially the first publication to get its hands on this latest, locally produced C63 SE Performance, we wanted to answer a few questions. Has the downsizing worked here? Does the vehicle deliver handsomely on the performance front? Moreover, would this model appeal to previous-generation owners? 

To get the answers, we took the vehicle to our test track and put it through its paces. The vehicle had been meticulously run in (for 1 500km) for us so we could exploit the full potential of the powerplant. 

Speaking of which, the model boasts a two-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with 350kW and 545Nm, augmented by a 150kW and 320Nm electric motor powered by a 6.1kWh lithium-ion battery, propelling the rear wheels. 

As a result of this, the total system output is a staggeringly impressive 500kW and 1 020Nm driving all four wheels through a nine-speed automatic transmission. Merc claims it does 0 to 100km/h in 3.4 seconds but we managed a time of 3.34 seconds. That is rapid for a compact sedan (at least as far as its pecking order in the range goes) that weighs 2.1 tonnes. 

A complex car to decipher, the new C63 S E Performance has eight driving modes, five levels of electric battery recuperation, and four functions for the electronic stability control. 

While the battery pack will give you only around 13km of electric drive, it is designed mainly to supplement the combustion engine and give you extra performance, particularly at the bottom of the rev range, where the turbocharged engine is still getting into its stride. 

Dial everything up to Race mode and the ESP to Sport or Off and experience a rocketship-like performance. It bangs through the gears with alacrity and sends you down the road at quite a rate. 

Thankfully, this new C63 is not a one-trick pony as the engineers have done a great deal to the chassis tuning to ensure that it tugs through corners with poise and confidence-inspiring grip levels. There’s a neutral, delicate, yet playful nuance to the handling that runs rings around any C63 that came before. 

So, an impressive piece of kit, right? Yes, there is no discounting the C63’s breadth of talent but there’s an elephant in the room — the lack of a V8 under the bonnet. 

You see, owners of previous-generation C63s and admirers alike were drawn to the model not by its performance but by its thumping V8. But that is gone and I reckon Mercedes will need an altogether different strategy to market this model. 

It remains an impressive feat of engineering that will be spoken of in the hallowed halls of motoring in the future. However, the C63 has its work cut out for it to find its niche.

And at the lofty starting price of R2 476 800 it is R300 000 north of the BMW M3 Competition M xDrive and R100 000 dearer than the Audi RS 6 Performance, which plays in a higher segment of the market. 

We will, in due course, compare the BMW M3 Competition M xDrive to the Mercedes-AMG C63 SE Performance to see if the price difference is justifiable. 

While Japanese offerings have long been the mainstay in the segment, the recent Chinese offerings are something to behold. 

The second-generation VW Tiguan presents a desirable option for buyers who rank attributes such as styling and build quality high, not to mention reputable residual value. 

Scouring through many pre-owned web portals confirms that the current generation Tiguan has great residual value and thus is a good proposition, especially with the third-generation waiting in the wings. 

We recently decided to stretch our long-term loan Tiguan’s legs to see how it fares as a long-haul, family commuter and also how it copes with undulating roads and overtaking manoeuvres. 

So it was that we packed the Tiguan and nosed it towards North West to visit family. 

As soon as we had Gauteng behind us, and had meandered through Hartbeespoort and onto the pristine N4, the fuel consumption dipped considerably from the high 8 litres per 100km to a commendable 7.8l/100km. This, if little else, proves even petrol-powered vehicles can be efficient in the right setting.

The ride quality remains impressive, while road and wind noise are more than acceptable for a vehicle of this disposition. 

Overtaking slower-moving vehicles proved a cinch, requiring only the slightest push on the throttle, with the smooth DSG transmission shifting down a cog or two before leaping forward and past traffic. 

For fans of adaptive cruise control, the Tiguan’s system is reasonably good, if not the most intuitive, but I prefer using manual throttle inputs. Yes, that might sound old-fashioned but I have always got better fuel consumption with this method.

 Having four USB ports on board meant there were enough for my family to charge their phones and gadgets en route, ensuring some semblance of sanity on the long journey. 

The haptic climate control settings remain a bane to operate on the move but Apple CarPlay has made access to my tunes an easy affair. 

The panoramic roof gives the cabin a very airy feel. 

As temperatures begin to dip, early mornings call for the use of the heated seat function, which proved to be an invaluable and welcome item. 

To say the family has grown fond of the Tiguan would be an understatement. From school runs and extramural activities to grocery shopping and, now, long-distance trips, the Tiguan is a consummate medium-family SUV and we will be sad to see it leave our garage.

The pros and cons

GOOD STUFF: Comfort. Convenience. Fuel consumption.

BAD STUFF: Haptic buttons

MILEAGE AT START:  1 594km

MILEAGE NOW: 7 865km

PRICE: R843 000 (R958 749 as tested)

The genesis of this is the i3, which was launched in South Africa in 2015. Since then, a slew of models have followed this trajectory, not least of which are the i4 and i7, based on the 4 Series Gran Coupe and 7 Series, respectively, the caveat being that they are fully electric. 

Now the i5 has joined the line-up and, yes, you guessed it, an electrified 5 Series. 

On test here is the flagship variant of the i5, the M60 — you also get an eDrive40 derivative — and it has a lot of the fundamental executive sedan bases licked. 

Upper-executive sedan proportions, check! Well-appointed cabin, check! Practical cabin and boot space, check! And, in the case of the M60, searing performance, check! All these conspire to make a very competent saloon that should still appease fans of the 5 Series. 

While the design is somewhat contentious when viewed in pictures, in the metal, it all comes together quite eloquently. The long, sloping bonnet, roomy passenger cell and stubby boot lend the model that classic three-box design we have come to appreciate in sedans. 

The i5 is, at worst, interesting to behold, especially the standard M Performance specification that sees 21-inch wheels at each corner, tailored side skirts, a rear diffuser and a liberal sprinkling of M badges. 

Granted, the sedan segment is on the decline in Mzansi but the premium marques remain more buoyant than those outside of this realm, so cars like the i5 need to be a cut above to make absolute sense. 

So, let us deep-dive into the intricacies and leave the exterior aspects for you to pore over. 

Enter the executive lounge-like cabin, and it is here that the Bavarian marque has moved the goalposts, compared to the outgoing fiver. 

Tactility has moved more than a few rungs up the premium ladder. 

The cabin appointments are top-drawer, top-tier levels of loftiness, and one cannot help but sense that the designers got the upper hand during the boardroom negotiations, and all the better for the vehicle. 

Everything has a tactility befitting an executive saloon of this calibre, and even beyond, such is the quality compared to the outgoing model. 

This spills over into the sumptuous seats, which have heating and cooling functions and offer great scope for adjustment. 

The infotainment screen is at the heart of the interior’s functions and you need a fair bit of acquaintance to be able to navigate the labyrinth of apps which, thankfully, once licked, are intuitive enough. 

Powering the i5 M60 is an 81.2kWh battery pack, enough to give you a 512km range on the WLTP (worldwide harmonised light vehicle test procedure) cycle. 

Of course, this depends on various parameters, including driving style and ambient temperature. 

It powers an electric motor on each axle for a combined output of 442kW and 795Nm, enough to hurtle it from 0 to 100km/h in 3.8 seconds, to a top speed of 230km/h. 

As you can see from the numbers, this top-dog i5 is seriously brisk and gets on swiftly with moving the hefty 2.3 tonne sedan. 

Four-wheel traction means immediate and surefooted purchase off the line and on varying surfaces. That inherent immediate acceleration of EVs is truly something to behold, especially in this performance-bent derivative. It feels like a proper kick-in-the-gut acceleration. 

It is devastatingly quick in a straight line but what of corner-tugging duties? Well, let’s just say this is where EVs are still wanting, thanks to those heavy lithium-ion batteries. 

Braking, in particular, is where one feels the penalties. The car overshot a braking point more than once as the pedal, once depressed, simply could not slow down the vehicle enough, due to inertia. 

On the flip side of the coin, it is an executive sedan that imparts a feeling of calmness that needs to be experienced to be appreciated. 

The i5 proved an easy car to live with and, during the test tenure, we used the public DC fast-charging network, which worked a treat, thanks to the recent respite from load-shedding. 

Charging the vehicle from almost empty takes just over two hours on a DC charger and would be around eight hours on a home wall-box at 11kW — essentially overnight. 

As battery technology improves, reducing weight and charging duration, EVs are great when the infrastructure is in place and working optimally. 

The only thing left now is to make EVs more viable to purchase. The department of trade and industry needs to execute the next phase of the white paper agreement on EVs, changing the status quo where an ad valorem 11% tax, essentially a luxury tax, is slapped on over and above the 25% VAT on imported cars. 

The BMW i5 M60 is a precursor to what a full-fat EV M5 could do, should the marque move that way. At R2 190 000, the i5 M60 commands a hefty price but it offers handsomely for that princely sum in both the luxury and performance quotas.

In a nutshell, those that represent progress and have moved the proverbial goalposts within various disciplines and perimeters. These include market relevance about volume share, and the value for money of the product, relative to its closest competitors. 

This year’s competition comprised 18 finalists judged by a jury of 28 jurors from the South African Guild of Mobility Journalists, including yours truly. 

After two days of rigorous testing in March, and the tallying of audited scores from the jurors, detailed market share statistics and customer feedback from Lightstone Auto, the official automotive industry data aggregator, the results are finally in. 

The latest BMW 7 Series emerged as the victor, taking not only the Luxury and Juror Excellence Award categories but also the overall title. 

This year’s competition featured Budget/Compact, Compact Family, Family, Premium, Adventure SUV, 4×4 Double Cab, Luxury and Performance categories. 

With the greater representation of EVs across the different categories, the New Energy category was dropped for this year’s competition. 

BMW’s 7 Series is a tour de force in its luxury segment, showing a clean pair of heels to the Mercedes-Benz S-Class that was a contender in last year’s competition. 

Now, there has been outcry from some corners regarding the BMW 7 Series’ win.

The fact that it costs upwards of R2 million, which makes it unattainable for the average person, was among the criticisms. 

But here is the crux — one of the fundamentals of the competition is to recognise automotive excellence where the vehicle is way ahead of anything else in its segment and the BMW 7 Series has unequivocally, thoroughly, licked that aspect. 

This was BMW’s seventh win in the competition, with the first in 1988 with, incidentally, the 735i. So, yes, this marks the second outright win for the 7 Series. 

That said, the 7 Series might not have charted on my voting sheets but the results are the outcome of the collective jury’s voting data. 

Facts are facts and it would be outright irresponsible for us to discount a vehicle’s excellence, simply because its price puts it out of the reach of the majority of people. 

Aspiration value is something that remains a large part of the automotive space, so reading up on a vehicle that you cannot own, but would like to, plants that seed. 

Suzuki’s Fronx came in a commendable second spot in the competition. The fact that it was only a few points behind the 7 Series is testament to the breadth of its talents. 

If there’s any criticism of the package, it is of the normally aspirated powertrain, which is behind the curve of the segment standard’s turbo-charged offerings that give superior performance, particularly at the rarified altitude of Gauteng and the like. 

Another noteworthy category winner was the Mahindra Scorpio N, which came out trumps in the Adventure SUV category and is a far cry from the Scorpio model that made windfall here around 2006. 

This is a display of the progress that the Indian manufacturer continues to show. 

BMW’s M2 won the Performance category, and while my bets were on the Honda Civic Type R, based on its capabilities, practicality and value for money, the M2 is a unique proposition of a rear-wheel drive sports coupé with immense power and dynamics. 

The fact that it is wrapped in an eye-catching package means it has a great deal of appeal. 

Not stopping there, BMW also won the Family category with the X1, which remains a stellar offering at a starting price of R780 000. 

Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz took the Premium category with its accomplished GLC. 

Compact Family went to the Toyota Urban Cruiser, while the 4×4 Double Cab trophy was bestowed on the Volkswagen Amarok. 

While the overall result might seem strange, considering the depressed economic climate, the competition’s audited outcome tracks true to awarding automotive excellence as voted by the jurors of the guild of mobility journalists. 

Congratulations to all the winners. Well deserved! 

Category winners of this year’s competition

Luxury:

BMW 7 Series

Performance:

BMW M2

Family:

BMW X1

Adventure SUV:

Mahindra Scorpio-N

Premium:

Mercedes-Benz GLC

Budget:

Suzuki Fronx

Compact Family:

Toyota Urban Cruiser

4×4 Double Cab:

Volkswagen Amarok

This was at Volkswagen Group Africa’s recent Indaba media briefing held at its Kariega manufacturing plant in Eastern Cape. 

I was keen to pore over its contours, because I wasn’t particularly enamoured with what I saw in the photographs of it. 

It is laden with the latest tech — which is also used in VW’s ID.4 EV hatchback, due to find its way here later this year for feasibility studies by the media, dealers and others. 

We look forward to getting up close and personal with the product and seeing how it stacks up. 

But I digress. The new Tiguan, yes, looks all grown up, like a little Touareg, which is not a bad thing, but I do feel it will have less appeal for the stylish and sporty brigade who embraced the second-generation model for those reasons. Only time will tell — the jury is still out. 

This model is about to retire, so it is a good time to be looking at a new one. I’m certain that dealers will dole out favourable trade-in offers, so don’t be shy to haggle should you be in the market. 

Since our last update, we’ve put reasonable mileage under our wheels and it is no surprise that this remains VW’s bestselling model. 

It has just the right amount of space and is comfortable for daily trudges as well as commutes, all while offering a highly tactile cabin. 

One of our favourite optional items, which has been put to the test in recent times, is the IQ Matrix LED headlights fitted to our test car, which makes driving in poorly lit areas at night an absolute breeze. 

It automatically switches between high and low beams and adjusts the lights so that they don’t dazzle other drivers. Sure, this might not be a new tech but it remains, excuse the pun, brilliant. 

Then there’s the Harman Kardon sound system for audiophiles such as myself. The 480W and 16-channel amplifier unit offers good tonality and range and setting it up for your listening preferences is easy. 

My wife and I are making extensive use of both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, which is a welcome feature.

My only gripe with the interior is the haptic buttons on the steering wheel, which are not practical to operate on the move. 

It seems VW has realised this is a bad move because the updated Golf 8.5 GTI has ditched these for conventional, user-friendly tactile buttons. 

Our fuel consumption is hovering around 8.8 litres/100km, which is more than acceptable for an engine of this size and disposition. 

That said, we would still opt for the diesel version for an even more efficient and relaxed drive polish. 

We plan to take the vehicle on gravel roads soon to see how it fares and whether the 20-inch wheels are a hindrance, rather than an enabler, for exploring off the tarmac. Watch this space.

Pros and cons at a glance

Good stuff: Design. Standard equipment. Space.

Bad stuff: It is getting a little long in the tooth. Haptic buttons. Pricing has gone further north in recent years.

Mileage at start: 1   594km

Mileage now: 5   764km

Price: R843   000 (R958   749 as tested)

It must be noted, though, the previous generation was also bestowed with the GLE nameplate during its midlife cycle (facelift) update. 

It coincided with the company’s adoption of a new naming convention where its G SUV models had A, B, C, E and S suffixes on the nameplate to denote their place in the pecking order within the range. 

I digress. The school recap is done. 

Let us look at the current GLE, which was launched in 2019. 

Among the many improvements to the new model, the sportier handling is probably the most important.

The exterior has been given minor updates, including small details added to the LED headlights, grille and front valance, while the rear features smoked light clusters. 

Cabin appointments, if I’m honest, feel rather dated compared to the BMW X5, for example, and save for the new three-spoke steering wheel, you would be hard-pressed to spot any obvious improvements. 

That said, the tactile quality remains good, with nary a rattle or squeak to mention, which bodes well for those shopping at this fairly lofty level of the market. 

There’s still sumptuous seating for five and one can see why buyers have taken well to the current GLE. 

On test here is the entry point to the range in the form of the 300d in AMG Line trim, which boasts a 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine making 198kW and 550Nm, aided and abetted by a starter-motor generator which yields 13kW plus 200Nm of additional power to compensate for the engine lag. This diesel powerplant is a peach of an engine and can lay claim to being one of the most economical and refined of its kind. 

Admittedly, it does exhibit the inherent diesel clatter at idle, but this subsides once on the move, as the sound-deadening material and cabin insulation are exemplary. 

The punchy engine, even in this hefty application, offers a relaxed and polished driving experience that begs for a long road trip with a trailer or caravan in tow. 

A full 80-litre tank of diesel is claimed to yield about 1 177km, which is incredible, to say the least. We managed to cover around 450km on half a tank of fuel, while the indicated remaining driving range was around 550km. Diesel is not dead! 

The engine pulls with enough conviction and verve that overtaking can be executed safely and cleanly. 

Handling, meanwhile, is something the GLE has in spades, and I was particularly impressed by how this thing takes corners — confidence-inspiring and secure. 

This also translates to praiseworthy straight-line stability, while the 275/45 and 315/40/21 front and rear tyres, respectively, offered a fairly comfortable ride, coping impeccably well with our rutted roads. 

Criticisms? Well, aside from the cabin which feels a tad behind its Bavarian rival, price has become something of a contentious topic with this brand costing north of R100k more, on average, than its BMW rival and dearer than the Porsche Cayenne in most instances. 

That said, the Merc GLE 300d AMG Line is a great package but I would rather stretch to the GLE 450d AMG Line variant at R2 156 687, which offers considerably more power, not to mention refinement. 

However, if value for money is what you’re after, then you are better off looking at a BMW X5 or, indeed, the Porsche Cayenne.

But the downside is that buyers are spoilt for choice and value-for-money prospects. 

Honda is fashionably late to the party in this space but late is better than never. 

Launched in Cape Town this week, right off the bat, the Elevate is a good-looking thing. 

Loosely based on the Ballade and BR-V platform, the Indian-built contender boasts a square, jaw-like front end, a boxy passenger cell — which lends the cabin a very roomy atmosphere — and a clean, if slightly generic, rear end reminiscent of the Hyundai Venue, one of its main rivals. 

All in all, it’s a handsome looker, which should gain it favour with throngs of compact crossover punters. 

The Elevate comes in two flavours — Comfort and Elegance — both powered by the company’s proven 1.5-litre i-VTEC, making 89kW and 145Nm. 

The transmission is a five-speed manual for the Comfort model and a CVT for the Elegance specification. It is the latter derivative that we sampled at the launch and it managed to cover the basics well. 

The engine is unpretentious and felt fair driving in the oxygen-rich, sea-level Cape but the CVT is not Honda’s finest moment.

It whines incessantly when you need immediate power delivery to negotiate inclines or clear slower-moving traffic and I have a distinct feeling that the engine and transmission combination might not be the best marriage in the rarified air of Gauteng, if our experience of the marque’s HR-V model, which shares a similar engine layout, is anything to go by. 

That aside, the Elevate rides well on smooth surfaces but the quality does deteriorate somewhat on undulating roads, sending unwelcome jolts into the cabin. 

An appealing point of the model is its spaciousness, with ample leg and headroom, while the boot measures a cavernous 458 litres, thanks to the vehicle’s generous overall dimensions. 

These count a length of 4.3m, a height of 1.79m and a width of 1.65m, which makes this one of the roomiest models in the segment. 

The cabin’s user interface is functional at worst, and everything is logically placed, with a good build-quality rating, and little in the way of squeaks and rattles. 

Sure, some of the materials and plastics feel cheap but the overall impression is solid tactility and hard-wearing features. 

The lack of cruise control is a bit of a let-down on the otherwise good specification level, such as the six airbags and the ESP in its safety arsenal. 

A good product for the most part, the Honda Elevate is a worthy addition to this fiercely competitive, popular segment. 

Arriving this late to a market already packed with rivals — such as the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro, Kia Sonet, Hyundai Venue, Haval Jolion, Toyota Urban Cruiser, Suzuki Grand Vitara  and VW T-Cross — it has its work cut out for it. 

Should you buy one, then? I would say it’s worth putting the Elevate on your shopping list. It would also be valuable to try out the above-mentioned competitors before voting with your wallet.

Pricing:

• Elevate 1.5 Comfort Manual R369 900

• Elevate 1.5 Elegance CVT R429 900

This was at Volkswagen Group Africa’s recent Indaba media briefing held at its Kariega manufacturing plant in Eastern Cape. 

I was keen to pore over its contours, as I wasn’t particularly enamoured with what I saw in the images of it. 

It is laden with the latest tech — which is also used in VW’s ID.4 EV hatchback, due to find its way here later this year for feasibility studies by the media, dealers and other stakeholders. 

We look forward to getting up close and personal with the product and seeing how it stacks up. 

But I digress. The new Tiguan, yes, looks all grown up, like a little Touareg, which is not a bad thing, but I do feel it will have less appeal for the stylish and sporty brigade who embraced the second-generation model for those reasons. Only time will tell — the jury is still out. 

This model is about to retire, so it is a good time to be looking at a new one. I’m certain that dealers will dole out favourable trade-in offers, so don’t be shy to haggle, should you be in the market. 

Since our last update, we’ve put reasonable mileage under our wheels and it is no surprise that this remains VW’s bestselling model. 

It has just the right amount of space and is comfortable for daily trudges as well as commutes, all while offering a highly tactile cabin. 

One of our favourite optional items, which has been put to the test in recent times, is the IQ Matrix LED headlights fitted to our test car, which makes driving in poorly lit areas at night an absolute breeze. 

It automatically switches between high and low beams and adjusts the lights so that they don’t dazzle other drivers. Sure, this might not be a new tech but it remains, excuse the pun, brilliant! 

Then there’s the Harman Kardon sound system for audiophiles such as myself. The 480W and 16-channel amplifier unit offers good tonality and range and setting it up for your listening preferences is easy. 

My wife and I are making extensive use of both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, which is a welcomed feature.

My only gripe with the interior is the haptic buttons on the steering wheel, which are not practical to operate on the move. 

It seems VW has realised this is a bad move as the updated Golf 8.5 GTI has ditched these for conventional, user-friendly tactile buttons. 

Our fuel consumption is hovering around 8.8 litres/100km, which is more than acceptable for an engine of this size and disposition. 

That said, we would still opt for the diesel version for an even more efficient and relaxed drive polish. 

We plan to take the vehicle on gravel roads soon to see how it fares and whether the 20-inch wheels are a hindrance, rather than an enabler, for exploring off the tarmac. Watch this space!

Pros and cons at a glance:

Good Stuff

Design. Standard equipment. Space.

Bad stuff

It is getting a little long in the tooth. Haptic buttons. Pricing has gone further north in recent years.

Mileage at start:  1 594km

Mileage now: 5 764km

Price: R843 000 (R958 749 as tested)

The Elan, Elise and Exige will remain the poster children of Colin’s vision but the British sports car brand is moving in a new direction, as we reported back in 2021, as part of its expansion plans. 

That is to say, it’s taken a leaf out of the Porsche handbook by venturing into a segment it’s never played in before — the performance SUV. 

Pretty much every premium and sports car manufacturer now also builds SUVs. The buying trends dictate this and carmakers are heeding the clarion call to adapt or die. 

What you see here is the first SUV from Lotus, the Eletre, earmarked to be its first hyper-SUV, thanks to colossal power outputs that, even on paper, make your eyes water. 

But before we get into the raw figures and how these translate to the tarmac, it is the styling that sparks conversation and gets onlookers finger-gesturing and double-taking. 

Boasting enough air vents and venturis to make a Formula One car jealous, Lotus says the Eletre’s design is sculptured by the wind, so it is safe to say that aerodynamics are key to how it slices through the air. 

There’s a lot to drink up and one can safely say that the designers’ creative ink flowed with a fluidity resembling Victoria Falls. 

The overall design, which takes cues from the Ferrari Purosangue and Lamborghini Urus, is tastefully executed to arrive at a model that will appeal to those who appreciate a well-chiselled style of car. 

Those 23-inch wheels, with their throwing-star design, fill the arches with purpose, offering excellent purchase off the line, thanks to the 315/35 section tyres on the rear axle. That is to say, grip levels are prodigious, while these hardly exhibited a fidgety ride quality. 

Of course, there is no masking the car’s portly weight once you start playing corner-tugging with it. Still, it remains impressive how a big lump of SUV metal like this can shift. 

And, oh boy, does it shift! Thanks to two electric motors, one on each axle, the Eletre in this flagship R trim thumps out a staggering 675kW and 985Nm, driving all wheels through a 2-speed automatic gearbox. 

To truly appreciate this staggering feat, one needs to drive in this vehicle. 

Claimed to be able to hurtle from 0 to 100km/h in 2.9 seconds, there’s no launch control here. All you do is switch the drive mode to either Sport or Track (there’s also Tour and Off-road), and the car’s air suspension lowers — you simply stomp on the loud pedal. 

The acceleration off the line is immediate as the car’s nose points skyward, the rear squats down, while those gumball tyres dig in. 

It slingshots forward with verve and, just as you think you’re motoring, the transmission shifts into the next gear, the rear tyres squirm as they struggle for purchase, and things begin to get seriously fast, as though the afterburners on a launch rocket had just been lit.

The resultant G-force could be likened to falling off a cliff during a bungee-jump. I have driven some very quick cars in my career but this — and for an SUV — is simply staggering. 

A full charge will give you around 400km to 455km, which is not terrible, especially taking into consideration the performance on offer. 

What we did not have time to do while we had the car on test was to see how the charging integration was calibrated so, sadly, we’re not in a position to comment. 

When you are not busy leaving exotic metal in your wake at traffic light showdowns, you can ease into the well insulated, cocooning cabin which boasts high-quality surfaces for the most part. 

The only criticism is that the infotainment screen feels a tad tacky but the user experience is as good as the best in the business. 

Built on the parent company Geely’s EV platform, the Chinese-manufactured Lotus Eletre showcases how a car firm built on a steep history of racing small and light sports cars can reinvent itself to become a relevant player in the super-premium segment of the market. 

Also, the fact that it has direct competitors in the electric SUV space should make it a unique proposition. 

Its biggest hurdle, however, is to convince potential buyers to forgo petrol-powered super-sport SUVs, as the Lotus brand in SA still needs to do a great deal of groundwork before it can be spoken of in the same breath as the Aston Martin, Porsche and Lamborghini. 

Also, the fact that it has no direct competitors in the electric SUV space should make it a unique proposition. 

Price: R5 million, before taxes. 

At least this was the case a decade ago and it accelerated after the EU’s announcement to ban ICE (internal-combustion engine) cars by 2035. 

Of course, this hasty move seems to be catching up with the industry. 

Car manufacturers have poured a great deal of investment into EVs but it is now evident that they comprise only 30% of the total vehicle market, which is in stark contrast to many manufacturers’ forecasts for their respective model ranges.

One of the biggest challenges remains charging infrastructure, which in South Africa is still rather sporadic, if you intend to travel slightly longer distances, something that is more than likely for the average motorist. 

The relatively high capital outlay for EVs compared to conventionally powered vehicles is another significant obstacle and their high depreciation rate makes it worse. 

The latter can be attributed to the low demand for EVs in general. 

Another aspect we rarely chat about is the degradation of the batteries, depending on use. 

Much like that in your smartphone, the performance of EVs’ batteries diminishes with age, changes in ambient temperatures, etc. It is something you ought to be mindful of, particularly if you are considering buying a used EV. 

That said, we managed to spend some time behind the wheel of the Mercedes-Benz EQE 350+ SUV, which takes the fight to the Audi e-tron 55 S-line, BMW iX xDrive 50 and, to an extent, the Jaguar iPace. 

The Jag is the oldest vehicle here, having been launched in 2019, and I have it on good authority that the current model will remain on sale for a little while longer before we see a replacement — if we do at all. 

Back to the EQE 350+ SUV, though, and it is obvious the Stuttgart marque has taken a cookie-cutter approach to its EQ SUV range. 

I did a double-take after taking delivery of the EQE as it looked uncannily similar to its EQS SUV sibling, right down to the front and rear styling, not to mention the cabin. 

It is great for economies of scale for the brand but the range does lack distinction for the onlooker. 

That said, the styling is fairly consistent with the rest of the current Merc design brief, with the blacked-out “grille” being the only telltale sign this is the electric model in the lineup. 

There are mostly rounded surfaces, probably in the interests of efficient aerodynamics, while the AMG Line does add some elegant, if not entirely sporty, undertones to the package. 

Hopping into the cabin, you are met with the intergalactic architecture that we experienced in the EQS SUV and EQE 43 and this one easily ranks among the classiest of the German triumvirate. 

It is fairly airy and minimalist in its approach, with very little in the way of physical inputs, instead opting for the haptic variety. Thankfully, these are kept mostly on the steering wheel but they are fiddly to use. 

Hopefully, the firm can return to physical buttons, which are not only better for functionality, but also add a tactile feel to the vehicle. 

Most of the vehicle’s functionalities are embedded in the infotainment screen, which remains intuitive to use and has huge, but uncomplicated, depth to the various functions. 

Space comes in spades for both the interior and the boot side, the latter yielding a 520-litre cavern to swallow up luggage and groceries and some awkward oddments. 

You can stretch it to 1 675 litres with the rear seats folded forward, which is handy for those long items, such as curtain rails, golf clubs and fishing rods. 

So, the EQE SUV has the practicality aspect thoroughly licked. 

Powering this e-mobile is an 89 kilowatt-hour battery that is good for around 460km on a full charge. 

This is very good when compared to the BMW iX and trounces the Audi e-tron, in which we battled to eke out more than 350km. 

Charging at a 60kW DC charger from 25% to full took close to two hours, which is quite a lengthy period but, then again, I did run the battery down in the interests of credible, consumer-focused reporting. 

To extract the most out of the EV ownership experience, you need to trickle charge from your mains at home overnight and when the electricity demand is off-peak. Public DC chargers, although convenient, are vulnerable to load-shedding as the heavy current dispensed requires power directly from the grid. 

At my residential tariff rate, it cost me around R295 to charge the EQE to full, which gave me between 430km and 460km of travel range. That is still substantially cheaper than diesel or petrol. 

The vehicle’s power, meanwhile, might not set your hair on fire with 215kW and 765Nm, which pales in comparison to the BMW iX xDrive 50’s 386kW and 765Nm. 

And it is here that I feel the EQE has its work cut out for it. While it does ride well on glass-smooth surfaces, the ride quality gets decidedly fidgety when it’s presented with any road imperfections. 

It’s unyielding, sending undesirable shockwaves into the cabin and making its hefty 2.5 tonnes of weight known. I reckon a much softer spring rate or better-calibrated air suspension could work a charm on the damping front. 

Another area that needs attention is the regenerative braking system, which sadly uses the brake pedal, so one can feel the pedal self-depressing to the floor. This means that the final few centimetres of pedal travel as you slow down are nonexistent as the pedal becomes too hard to depress further. 

It could catch an untrained driver unawares, especially if you add inclement weather and a downhill gradient to that cocktail mix. 

What the EQE has in its favour is the excellent cabin, which is well laid out and firmly screwed together — and that driving range. 

But it falls behind the Beemer in the way it drives. It is simply not as well polished and damped, which is a great pity when you consider that it is priced within a whisker of the more powerful BMW. 

That is not to say it errs on the side of tacky — quite the contrary — but it simply isn’t the benchmark in this premium electric car segment.