As expected, both cars are fun and superbly
quick on the straights, but I was a bit apprehensive about throwing them into a
series of bends. The last time I was sitting this high up from the road and was
going so fast through bends was in a GL63 AMG. And it wasn’t a very comforting
feeling. In the GL, the electronic trickery will make sure that you don’t land
up in the bushes next to the road, but you still wouldn’t go too hard if you’re
sane.
But the ML63 isn’t like that. It’s far more
composed. Yes, the body does roll a fair bit, but you can be sure things will
not get nasty if a bend is dealt with at little-more-than normal speeds. But
the steering is a big spoilsport. It’s light at all speeds and there’s
absolutely no hint of feedback whatsoever.
Once
you’re inside, the Mercedes ML63 AMG starts to shine as it has one of the
nicest, user-friendly cabins in its class
The Cayenne on the other hand has a vocal
steering. It’s like that kid who enthusiastically comes and tells his mother
every tiny detail of his day at school. It isn’t too light either. It’s an inch
away from being the perfect steering for a SUV. The Cayenne otherwise too is
far more confident at high speeds and through series of bends. It’s much more
involving. It keeps you entertained all the time.
Both these cars have three settings to
choose the way they ride. In the stiffest setting, the Cayenne is a bit
jittery, telling your back the details of the tarmac quality every second. But
the ML63 isn’t like that. It’s a bit more understanding and absorbing, even in
the stiffest setting. It’s comforting to drive it even on broken tarmac.
The
Cayenne gets a sliding rear seat which allows you to alter rear leg room
There’s ample room in both SUVs and the
seats, all around, are well bolstered. There’s even loads of space for your
suitcases in the boot.
But you talk interior layout, the AMG isn’t
going to make you feel too special. It’s just like the regular ml. It’s not
really a bad thing, but it’s not a great thing either. On the other hand, in
the Cayenne, you know the designer had only one thing in mind – to make you
feel good about your decision to buy the car. The controls are nicely laid out,
they’re easy to access and more importantly, look fabulous.
Realistically, both these cars aren’t capable of doing any serious
off-roading, they run on low-profile rubber that’s
not advisable when it comes to treading on rocky, mucky patches, but despite
that, they both get some bits of off-road hardware. Both have adjustable ride
height, hill-descent control, and there’s even a low-range transfer case in the
Cayenne, which is a bit of a laugh.
0
The
Mercedes ML63 AMG has enough space for three adults in the rear seats with
extra legroom to stretch out
In the beginning of this story, I mentioned
that both these SUVs are bank balance haters. That’s because Merc quotes a
jaw-dropping figure of $251,145 whereas Porsche quotes an eye-gouging $267,890
(both ex-showroom, Maharashtra) that means that after taxies and duties, you’ll
land up writing a cheque of nothing less than $301,375. And over that, if you
still have any financial strength left, you’re always free to tick some extras
in the feature list.
Ah yes, I had also mentioned earlier on
that the Cayenne has run 20,000km. So, the person who’s been using this car
informs us that he has ended up spending around $6,865 on the fuel alone. You
go do the math and figure how many kilometres does it go in a litre of fossil
fuel. The ML63 isn’t too far off either.
