How many Mercedes in AMG?
I have a stereotype that has stuck in my head that prevents me from taking sports Mercedes seriously. The AMG division produces crazy cars, turning basic Mercedes into technical monsters both inside and out.
But the problem is that sometimes their models, although faster than Ferrari, they remain Mercedes, which are associated with completely different cars – luxurious and comfortable. And this is a problem of a slightly different kind than, for example, owners of a Nissan GT-R or Ford GT, who may find themselves at traffic lights behind hatchbacks with the same logos.
I'm not saying that Mercedes needs to come up with a new brand, the AMG prefix is enough to indicate that you have a completely different car in front of you, but agree that there is a difference between driving an E 53 AMG based on a regular E-Coupe, or the Porsche 911, which was made like the Porsche 911.
At the same time, we must give the engineers their due – together with the AMG logo, their cars do not become unbearable, furious sports cars, driving in which in normal mode brings only pain and suffering. They manage to keep a soft Mercedes that can turn into a racing car with the push of a couple of buttons.
Of all the “court” tuning studios, I like them the most, partly because the M division is a little easier to work with BMW, here the AMG guys have a harder task, and the results are on the same level, from time to time one of the offices pulls the blanket over itself, but this is always within the margin of error. But ABT, for example, I would generally forbid working with Audi, because their body kits look like they were made in one of the workshops in Bangladesh.
And engines! I will never forget the first time I heard the roar of the 12-cylinder S 65 AMG live, but I always liked the sound of the 6.3 V-8, which was actually a 6.2 displacement.
And that's what I'm actually leading to – fuel consumption and ecology are no longer an empty phrase, many automakers voluntarily play with the capabilities of engines, others were forced by the requirements of the European Union. And when it seemed that the divisions producing “charged” versions should fall first, manufacturers continue to look for a way to keep an outlet for engineers and petrolheads. So the minders of AMG managed to blow out an incredible 421 “horses” from a two-liter turbo four for the GLA.
E 53 does not mean 5.3 liters at all, and not even 5.2. It's not even a V8, it's a 3-liter straight-six that puts out 435 hp, but what Mercedes are proud of is 8.8 liters on a combined cycle.
It kills the whole essence of AMG. Don't think, the E 53 is an amazing car, I had a great time with it in the winter thanks to… all-wheel drive…
If 10 years ago the crazy children of Mercedes, BMW and Audi had nothing in common, now they seem to have merged into one model, differing only in some settings depending on the logo on the grille…
