Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S

JUST when you think all is wrong with the world - it deals you a delightful ace. In my case it was a rather splendid Mercedes four door GT - the GT 63 S 4MATIC coupe. Did it look good on my driveway? Did it make the neighbours jealous? Was I grinning like an idiot whenever I walked up to it? As Meg Ryan said in When Harry Met Sally, yes, yes, yes. Long and low and in my case in matte design selenite grey magno paint, it has a really aggressive and mean look with a wide AMG grille above large black air vents. The lines sweep back, even the door handles do not intrude on the matte colour, to the magnificent fastback that creates the coupe line. The total length of this car is 5,064mm and sitting on 20-inch alloys it looks every inch the hunter in search of its prey.

By contrast, the interior trim is all about elegance and comfort. The macchiato beige and magma grey nappa style leather probably look more like ivory to you and me. The leather is perforated, even on the steering wheel and it is quite decadent. I went for a walk and was almost frightened to get back into the car with my muddy boots. The ivory leather is offset with black piano lacquer trim adding to the feeling of being spoiled. Even the boot - which is very big indeed, comes with ivory carpeting. No dogs in here. You don't get into this car - you sink into it and its heated seats front and rear with sports versions for driver and passenger all embossed with the AMG badge. Indeed these design queues quietly feature throughout the car reminding you how special you are. There are two 12.3-inch displays on a wide glass screen which runs the length of the dash.

The first houses the virtual instrument panel behind the ivory leather clad steering wheel and the second is the information screen for drivers settings, sat nav, radio and all connectivity and entertainment. When lit they light up the 63 S like a spaceship. This is very satisfying out on the open road where this car is more than willing to impress its credentials upon you. Put your foot down and you will hit the 62mph mark in just 3.2 seconds. It has a top speed of 196mph although you'll have to hire a private airfield to find that out in this country. Not surprisingly, it comes with the Mercedes Dynamic Select which lets the driver tailor his experience behind the wheel. RACE which includes Drift. The lowly 63 does not get the RACE mode. These adjust the engine, transmission, suspension and steering as appropriate. The power on this model? An astonishing 639ps. In some cars that could cause problems given its length but this baby is so well balanced that it leaps into corners and powers out of them. It is smooth and athletic the model I am driving has been fitted with the AMG Dynamic Plus package. It is hard to believe this is a four door car. With this amount of performance comes the security of knowing that the safety systems are just as high performing. Indeed, the Driving Assistance package (£1695) tops up the standard attention assist and electronic stability programme with Active distance driving, steering assist, speed limit assist, braking assist, evasive steering assist, blind spot assist, lane keeping and many more. To be truthful, however, despite its high performance, this is not a car you ever feel nervous in. It has been too well thought out, perfected to a high degree and designed for the pleasure of those driving and those enjoying the journey.

The automaker claims the car will hit 160 km/h (100 mph) in 9.0 seconds flat. Yes, it runs faster than Porsche's own GT3! We can't recall another production sedan that can do that. That afternoon, we took a Panamera 4S out for a run. Identical to the Panamera S model, yet heavier by a couple hundred pounds thanks to the all-wheel drive PTM, it didn't seem one bit slower or less responsive (in fact, it launches to speed faster thanks to the additional grip). Focusing on the driving dynamics, we could only feel a slight difference in the steering feedback when we encountered cobblestones or rough pavement. In our dry climate, we still prefer rear-wheel drive. On our last day, we grabbed the keys to a Panamera Turbo for the long drive back to the airport. For the first half of the drive, through some incredibly scenic back roads, we switched the transmission and suspension settings to "Sport" and enthusiastically enjoyed our last few hours with the car. Towards the end of the drive, when the weather shifted gears and the skies opened up, we dropped everything back to "Comfort" and basked in the serenity it delivers.