RE: McLaren GT vs. Continental GT vs. Mercedes-AMG S63
Discussion
Tazar said:
As much as I love my motoring life the abilities and usage of these types of cars is pretty much of a long gone era. They can't be used to their maximum capabilities on the road and they are certainly not track cars. People buy them to make the statement that they can buy them and be seen in them by neighbors, friends, family and the general public.
If you're observing speed limits etc then London to Monaco or Madrid can be matched in time by a Smart or for entertainment in an M4 or as someone mentioned earlier a 911.
Likewise there are not that many 5* hotels en route as you cross continents. Try it without advanced booking and sometimes it's impossible.
A Smart Car and Ibis Hotels ? If you're observing speed limits etc then London to Monaco or Madrid can be matched in time by a Smart or for entertainment in an M4 or as someone mentioned earlier a 911.
Likewise there are not that many 5* hotels en route as you cross continents. Try it without advanced booking and sometimes it's impossible.
Edited by Tazar on Monday 24th February 15:36
It is possible to raise the bar Tarzan .... https://www.fivestaralliance.com/luxury-hotels/78/...
Tazar said:
As much as I love my motoring life the abilities and usage of these types of cars is pretty much of a long gone era. They can't be used to their maximum capabilities on the road and they are certainly not track cars. People buy them to make the statement that they can buy them and be seen in them by neighbors, friends, family and the general public.
If you're observing speed limits etc then London to Monaco or Madrid can be matched in time by a Smart or for entertainment in an M4 or as someone mentioned earlier a 911.
Likewise there are not that many 5* hotels en route as you cross continents. Try it without advanced booking and sometimes it's impossible.
If you're observing speed limits etc then London to Monaco or Madrid can be matched in time by a Smart or for entertainment in an M4 or as someone mentioned earlier a 911.
Likewise there are not that many 5* hotels en route as you cross continents. Try it without advanced booking and sometimes it's impossible.
Edited by Tazar on Monday 24th February 15:36
You clearly haven't done a long trip in a mega GT car, and done that same trip in something like a Smart car. And to say that anyone who buys these is just doing it to show off is utterly ridiculous. That may be how you feel, but some people actually enjoy driving nicer cars.British Beef said:
Shoot me for saying this, personally I would sacrifice a little hp for some extra mpg.
For the real use continent crossing I think >500hp in a GT is less important than >40 mpg to be able to cover close to 1000 miles on a tank.
And you can drive a thousand miles without a rest, food or a pee and a poo ?????For the real use continent crossing I think >500hp in a GT is less important than >40 mpg to be able to cover close to 1000 miles on a tank.
British Beef said:
Shoot me for saying this, personally I would sacrifice a little hp for some extra mpg.
For the real use continent crossing I think >500hp in a GT is less important than >40 mpg to be able to cover close to 1000 miles on a tank.
I think if you have some money then tank range is maybe more important than economy. If you have a tank and can do at least a use able 350+ miles to a tank that's more than enough. I've never met anyone who wants to drive more than 350 miles without stopping for a short break. In fact, I don't think I've ever gone over 300 miles without a break. If you can do 1000 miles without stopping then you've a much bigger bladder than me, and I don't think I could keep concentrating for 1000 miles without a break. For the real use continent crossing I think >500hp in a GT is less important than >40 mpg to be able to cover close to 1000 miles on a tank.
Tazar said:
As much as I love my motoring life the abilities and usage of these types of cars is pretty much of a long gone era. They can't be used to their maximum capabilities on the road and they are certainly not track cars. People buy them to make the statement that they can buy them and be seen in them by neighbors, friends, family and the general public.
You can still enjoy a nice GT car within the confines of normal driving. Anyone who can afford a car like these and covers long distances would relish any of these motors. If I was prepared to run something like a Merc CL or V8 S Class for the driving I do, I'd absolutely have one. These are the latest crop of those so they do have an appeal, albeit a fairly niche one. They're not cars you'd nip to the shops in. I suspect there's plenty of other cars out there for impressing the neighbours if that's your main intention. An AMG GT for example is more fancy to look at than an S63 and not dissimilar price wise.
You don't need to spend £100k+ on a car for neighbours to form opinions of your car whether it's true or not!
TyrannosauRoss Lex said:
I think if you have some money then tank range is maybe more important than economy. If you have a tank and can do at least a use able 350+ miles to a tank that's more than enough. I've never met anyone who wants to drive more than 350 miles without stopping for a short break. In fact, I don't think I've ever gone over 300 miles without a break. If you can do 1000 miles without stopping then you've a much bigger bladder than me, and I don't think I could keep concentrating for 1000 miles without a break.
As long as you enjoy your breaks in a petrol station of course. gigglebug said:
I'd say that the Cayenne looks closer to fulfilling the role I'd traditionally associated with that of a GT car than the Mclaren does personally, it is certainly closer than a motorhome is. Would it make a difference if the Cayenne cited for comparison was a GTS (Gran Tourismo Sport) and not a Turbo? It would still be an SUV just as the Mclaren is still a mid engine supercar, despite the name.
Last time I drove one the ride quality was not what I’d expect from an ultimate Grand Tourer thoughC7 JFW said:
It'll be the Mercedes for me on paper. The thought that it might just blend in on the road also means there's a chance you could make good time in countries without autobahns.
A competently-driven Mondeo would probably make similar times across non-autobahn Europe to the ski resort.These 'grand tourers' aren't really about touring, they're about status signalling.
FA57REN said:
C7 JFW said:
It'll be the Mercedes for me on paper. The thought that it might just blend in on the road also means there's a chance you could make good time in countries without autobahns.
A competently-driven Mondeo would probably make similar times across non-autobahn Europe to the ski resort.These 'grand tourers' aren't really about touring, they're about status signalling.
TyrannosauRoss Lex said:
FA57REN said:
C7 JFW said:
It'll be the Mercedes for me on paper. The thought that it might just blend in on the road also means there's a chance you could make good time in countries without autobahns.
A competently-driven Mondeo would probably make similar times across non-autobahn Europe to the ski resort.These 'grand tourers' aren't really about touring, they're about status signalling.
slider2 said:
Last time I drove one the ride quality was not what I’d expect from an ultimate Grand Tourer though
I don’t remember them being particularly bad but certainly not a limousine no. The benefit is seen at the other end of the spectrum where it is reasonably good to chuck around (for a large, heavy, high riding vehicle of course). Slightly surprised Mclaren didn’t employ the hydraulic set up for this GT as it appears to do a fantastic job of covering a multitude of bases in the super series and you would have thought with some tuning it could have produced a genuine carpet ride. Maybe it just came down to cost in the end and where they wanted to position it in the market place. FA57REN said:
A competently-driven Mondeo would probably make similar times across non-autobahn Europe to the ski resort.
These 'grand tourers' aren't really about touring, they're about status signalling.
I suppose you could extend that argument for any luxury product, but it's a little narrow minded to state that it's all about status, rather more nuanced than that. These 'grand tourers' aren't really about touring, they're about status signalling.
I was loaned an S63 for a few days and really enjoyed it, I disagree with the tester's comments about handling, for all its heft it was pretty nimble and I had no issues with steering feedback; great engine, gearbox and lovely place to spend time. I also liked the fact that it was pretty subtle, received no comments or attention and difficult to discern from a C or E class coupe, that may not suit everyone who shells out £130k but I like sleepers.
The only footnote I would add is that I am becoming increasingly aware that there is a growing backlash against big engined cars, I have started to experience the odd negative remark in my current car, mainly from youngsters (friends of my kids etc) and it's making me question whether they are becoming faintly ridiculous in this day and age.
TyrannosauRoss Lex said:
British Beef said:
Shoot me for saying this, personally I would sacrifice a little hp for some extra mpg.
For the real use continent crossing I think >500hp in a GT is less important than >40 mpg to be able to cover close to 1000 miles on a tank.
I think if you have some money then tank range is maybe more important than economy. If you have a tank and can do at least a use able 350+ miles to a tank that's more than enough. I've never met anyone who wants to drive more than 350 miles without stopping for a short break. In fact, I don't think I've ever gone over 300 miles without a break. If you can do 1000 miles without stopping then you've a much bigger bladder than me, and I don't think I could keep concentrating for 1000 miles without a break. For the real use continent crossing I think >500hp in a GT is less important than >40 mpg to be able to cover close to 1000 miles on a tank.
If you are using this car for a daily commute of 100 miles having to fill up more than once a week gets very tedious (not the same sort of car or budget, but I had a 90 mile round trip in my Mazda RX8 for 2 months before I had enough of filling it twice or more a week and sold it, such was the combination of small tank and poor economy.
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