50 • The Sunday Times Magazine
Imagine turning up at a 1970s theme
party looking like the blond one
from Abba — no, the blond one with
the beard — and finding everyone
else dressed as Sir Edward Heath.
This is how it feels to drive thistestosterone-fuelled throwback
from Mercedes. With a howling V8
engine, oversized scoops and grille,
and gaudily painted brake calipers,
it’s straight from a bygone age — in
a good way. Someone in Mercedes’
AMG headquarters near Stuttgart
obviously understands that a car is
supposed to be for flaunting. After
all, when you’re cruising the Amalficoast or pulling up outside the Hôtel
de Paris Monte-Carlo you should be
turning heads, no? So ignore the
squares who’ve arrived at the party
in suits. The SL looks as though it
was designed in a German bierkeller
listening to Waterloo blasting from
a jukebox, and it probably was.
Promise to love you for evermore.
Expected: spring /early summerMercedes-AMG SL
About £100,000
Range Rover £94,400
The marketing blurb may say the 2022 Range Rover is “all new” but
park it next to the existing model and you’d be hard-pressed to tell the
difference. The main changes are under the skin: four-wheel steering,
improved infotainment, more legroom. Looks-wise it’s a case of “if it ain’t
broke”, apart from a few external tweaks such as flush door handles.
One significant difference is the price: £20,000 more than the last
generation, pushing the vehicle further into luxury territory. No more
carrying hay bales to the top field — this is strictly for harvesting at
Harrods. It’s available in petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid form with
a fully electric version flagged. If you already own a Rangie there’s logic
in sticking with what you’ve got. Jeremy Clarkson recently refurbished
his 2007 model for agricultural chores on his 1,000 acres in Oxfordshire.
If your heart is set
on a brand-new
luxury SUV, the
words of the
Carly Simon
song still
apply to the
Range Rover:
nobody does
it better.
Expected:
nowVW Taigo £21,960
The VW Nivus, a pint-sized SUV
designed for the South American
market and sold at a no-frills price,
has been rebranded as the Taigo to
fit in with the VW range (T-Cross,
T-Roc, Tiguan etc). Nippy enough for
city driving, it’s technically a CUV
— crossover utility vehicle — like
Ford’s excellent Puma. Sensibly it
has a mechanical handbrake, a
full-size gear shifter and switches for
climate control, so when you’re stuck
behind a belching van you can find
the air recirculation button.
Expected: FebruaryCOMBUSTION
Driving