KUALA LUMPUR: When you are invited to raise your driving skills with expert instructors, dynamic handling exercises and hands-on training, you would not want to give it a miss, right?
So last Wednesday, this writer turned up at the Sepang International Circuit and got behind the steering wheel of some of the most awesome AMG vehicles for an adrenaline-fuelled drive around the tricky track.
Mercedes-Benz Malaysia literally gave selected media members a taste of the German marque's pursuit of building the world's most desirable cars via the annual Mercedes Driving Experience.
Before grabbing the steering wheel, we listened to an introduction by Mercedes-Benz Malaysia vice president of sales and marketing for Malaysia and SEA II Nadia Trimmel.
"The brand takes pride in providing only the best as it continues to meet customer demand," said Trimmel, who joined Mercedes-Benz Malaysia just about a week before.
After breakfast and a quick introduction by Trimmel, the media were briefed on the event's itinerary and more importantly the safety procedures by Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy chief driving instructor Peter Hackett, who is also a former test driver for the Australian A1GP Team.
Ready, Set, Go!
Moving onto the tarmac, we were set to train our limited skill and "master" sudden manoeuvres and emergency braking. And we were doing this while tasting the advanced technology and precision of Mercedes-AMG's latest vehicles.
From facelift to fresh models, the AMG lineup included the A 35 4Matic, CLA 45 S 4Matic+, GLA 35 4Matic, C 43 4Matic, C 63 S E Performance, SL 43 and the monstrous 843-horse power GT 63 S E Performance, which can dash from zero to 100km in 2.9 seconds.
They were also a slew of electric vehicles (EVs) including the powerful 687-hp EQE 53 4Matic+ and more powerful 761-hp EQS 53 4Matic.
The invited media were split into three groups - Red, Blue and Green. Yours truly was in the Green group, and paired with Harian Metro's Lizam Ridzuan in an AMG GLB 200, we kicked off the half-day affair with an emergency braking challenge.
We swapped driver and cars during the half-an-hour exercise before moving on to the next session - drag race.
The first car we got our hands on the steering wheel was the SL 43. Pitted against the EQE 53 4Matic+, the 381hp SL 43 was nowhere near the 687-hp EV's rearguard.
Next, our SL 43 faced off with a C 43 4Matic. With 408hp plus an extra 15hp under its hood, the C 43 4Matic effortlessly left us far behind.
Subsequently, we had a measure of revenge. Driving the EQE 53 4Matic+, we gave drivers of the SL 43 and C 43 4Matic the taste of losing (wink! wink! The instructors had stressed it in the beginning that the race was not about winning or losing, but enjoying the thrill of driving some of the best cars in the world in a safe manner).
The immediate acceleration of the EQE 53 4Matic+ is a whole new experience.
The EQE 53 4Matic+ is equipped with two electric motors, together producing a maximum power of 625 hp and a peak torque of 950 Nm.
The motors are tied up with a 4Matic all-wheel drive system, allowing the EV to hit the century sprint in 3.5 seconds and the top speed of 220 kmph.
But here at the Sepang track, the EQE 53 4Matic+ comes in the AMG Dynamic Plus Package which helps in achieving a higher output of 687 hp and a whopping torque of 1,000 Nm.
This allows the 0 to 100 kmph swift to be attained in 3.3 seconds. The torque and top speed can be further boosted to 240 kmph and 1020 Nm with the help of the Race Start feature.
The third and last session of the day was the drive along part of the 5.54km track to smoothly negotiate tight corners and chicanes, amid wet tarmacs at some stretches of the circuit that day.
We snaked along the sharp corners with ease, with the help of a line of drivers ahead, and used the straights to really put our foot down on the accelerator.
Due to the tight schedule, our time with the cars was limited.
Conclusion
The half-day driving affair combines extraordinary AMG performance with unforgettable Mercedes experiences.
Models such as the awe-inspiring Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Performance and GLA 45 S 4Matic+ epitomise the pinnacle of engineering and performance, appealing to the most discerning automotive enthusiasts.