Jeremy Clarkson 5月3日专栏 评测奔驰AMG C 63 亲自翻译
这仅仅是开始。上周我试驾了V6版本的XE,天哪,这引擎实在太出色了。马力和扭矩的输出并不暴躁,而是流畅而平顺,提供给你恰到好处的动力,不多不少。加速时的声浪是那么的美妙,上次我听见这样柔和,悦耳的声响还是在Alfa Romeo GTV6里。而且这声响貌似直接来源于引擎,而不是虚假的电控排气系统。
优点还有更多。我试驾的XE配备了扁平比35的车胎,像是一层涂在轮毂外围薄薄的黑漆,这使得轮胎如老榆木一般毫无弹性。但即便如此,XE的驾乘出乎意料的平稳。在运动模式下整车会变得有些颠簸,于是我选择直接跳过。我切换到正常模式,靠在制作精良的座椅上,让它带着我在车流中飘荡,这才是捷豹应有的样子。而我数月前试驾的柴油版配备了更厚的车胎,舒适度又有所提升。如果我不得不指出些捷豹XE的缺点,我会说:仪表盘实在有些无趣。中控所有的按键都挤在一个角落里,留出了大片空白的塑料,整体设计算不上有趣。仪表上的画面竟让我想起了1974年的Lada circa。但这些都不能够成为你拒绝他的理由,远远不够。
AMG C63并不是一辆好看的车。尾部看上去像被融化一般,车身有太多毫不实用的造型细节。仿佛一头撞进了阿布扎比某室内设计工作室,所有俗气的设计粘满全身。走进车内就大有不同了,各个部件漂亮的融为一体,趣味盎然,十分特别。我在试驾捷豹时无意中取出了导航系统的存储卡。我把它装回去后,屏幕跳出一行提示,要我将车熄火断电再启动,这样系统才能重新加载。不用大脑也知道这种繁琐的情况不会发生在奔驰车上。如果真的发生了,相关负责人会被丢进沙漠,自尽谢罪。
谈起C63就不得不谈起引擎。曾经的那硕大而魅力十足的6.2升V8已经一去不复返。各种排放标准使得AMG不得不用4升引擎将就。在涡轮的帮助下,动力的确比前代还强,但那种裂肺的怒吼和爆炸般的声浪也“伊人”不再,现在只是吵而已。但排气的响度响度远不如胎噪大。天哪他们实在太吵闹了。,有天我驱车去伯克郡的布雷镇吃中饭,到了以后我唯一想吃的是一把头疼药。
我知道我测试的车选装了19寸大轮毂,会让一切更糟糕,但悬挂实在是太过硬朗了。当然,这一切也有他的优点,C63毫不拖拉,中段提速快到醉人,而且弯道抓地力的确很不错。AMG是欧洲的肌肉车,是穿着德国马裤的福特野马。既然奔驰公司想打破这一印象,把AMG塑造成一辆车身平衡,提速迅猛的公路赛车,至少也该为他装配个由换挡拨片操作的双离合变速箱吧?并没有。取而代之的是一台烂泥般的波箱,更加奇怪的是由一根卡迪拉克怀旧风的怀挡杆来操作的。忠实读者们都知道,多年来我一直是个AMG粉,我也曾拥有过三辆。但这份恋情正慢慢衰退。AMG设计变的太过俗气,而且迷失了自己的方向。他本应是一艘让你开怀大笑的庞大战舰,而不是一艘迅速灵敏的鱼雷艇。因为,如果你想要的是一艘又快又灵敏的鱼雷艇,M3要好太多了。
RIGHT. Let’s be clear on one thing straight away. If you have a BMW 3-series, or a Mercedes C-class, or an Audi A4, then you are driving the wrong car. Because what you should have is a Jaguar XE.
It may appear to be an ordinary four-door saloon, but actually, if you stand back for a moment and look at it properly, you will notice that it is extremely handsome. The body appears to have been stretched over the wheels, which gives the impression that it’s ripped, that it’s barely containing its internal organs.
And that’s just the start of it. I was bombing about last week in the V6 version, and, oh my word, what an engine. It doesn’t move the needle very much when it comes to power or torque. It delivers what you were expecting. No more. No less. But the noise it makes when you accelerate is sublime. Not since the Alfa Romeo GTV6 have I heard such a muted, mellifluous sound. And it seems to be coming from the engine itself, not electronic trickery in the exhaust system.
There’s more. Even though it is fitted with 35% profile tyres that sit on the wheels like a coat of paint and have about as much give as elm, the car is not busy or crashy in any way. Life gets a bit hectic if you put it in Dynamic mode, so I didn’t bother. I left it in Normal and settled back into a perfectly crafted seat to let it waft along in the way a Jaguar should. And the diesel version I tried a few months ago — which has taller tyres — was even better.
If I had to find a criticism, I’d say the dashboard is a bit dreary. All the buttons are small and hutched up in a corner, leaving vast swathes of plastic. I’ve seen more interesting-looking tabletops. And the graphics on the dials are a bit Lada circa 1974. But that’s not a good-enough reason to not buy this car. Not by a long way.
The only reason you might buy something else is that you don’t want an engine under the bonnet. You want a howling, fire-breathing monster. Jaguar will offer such a thing in the future, but for now it doesn’t. That means if you want a superheated, medium-sized saloon car today, it comes down to a choice between the BMW M3 and the vehicle you see here, the Mercedes-AMG C 63.
This is not a good-looking car. The back looks as if it’s melted, and there are way too many flashy styling details. It seems as though it’s crashed into an Abu Dhabi interior design shop and everything has just sort of stuck.
Inside, the news is better. It feels special. And beautifully put-together and interesting. When I had the Jag, I accidentally removed the sat nav data card, and when I put it back I was told via a message on the screen that I had to turn the car off and then on again so the system could reboot. You just know that this wouldn’t happen in a Mercedes. And that if it did, the man responsible would be sent into the desert with a shovel and a service revolver.
Then of course there’s the engine. Gone are the days when AMG Mercs had massive, charismatic 6.2-litre V8s. Because of emission regulations, you must now make do with four litres. Sure, a brace of turbochargers means you get even more power than before, but the bellow has gone. And the crackle. Now it’s just loud.
Not as loud as the tyres, though. God, they make a racket. I went to Bray in Berkshire for lunch, and when I arrived, all I wanted to eat was a handful of Nurofen.
I was also extremely uncomfortable. One of the things I used to like about AMG cars was that no real concession had been made to handling or Nürburgring lap times or any of that stuff. They were fast in a straight line and sideways in the corners. This made them fun and comfy.
But obviously someone at Mercedes has decided that AMG cars must corner flat and fast, which means the suspension has been beefed up, which means they can go round the corners more quickly, which means they have become frightening and bumpy.
Very bumpy. I know my car was running on the optional 19in wheels, which will have made things worse, but the ride really was far too stiff.
On the upside of all this, the car doesn’t half shift. The mid-range acceleration is mesmerising, and it really does cling on in the bends.
You’d imagine, then, that because the company has gone all serious and decided to change the character of the AMG from a sort of European muscle car — a Ford Mustang in lederhosen — to a finely balanced and fast road racer, it would have fitted a twin-clutch flappy-paddle gearbox. Weirdly, though, it hasn’t. You still get a slushmatic that, even more weirdly, is operated via a Cadillac- style column-mounted stalk.
Regular readers of this column will know that I’ve been a fan of AMG Mercs for many years. I’ve even owned three. But the love affair is waning slightly. They’re becoming too chintzy. And unsure of what they’re supposed to be, which is smile-a-minute battleships. Not fast and agile motor torpedo boats.
Because if it’s a fast and agile motor torpedo boat you want, you’re way better off with the BMW M3. As a driver’s tool, it knocks the Mercedes into a cocked hat. And it looks better. And it’s easier to live with. But, that said, it too is far from perfect. The steering is weird and it feels heavy. If I were to write a school report on this car, I’d say: “BMW can do better.”
Frankly, if I were in the market for a fast, medium-sized saloon, I’d wait six months and buy the new Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, which has 503bhp and rear-wheel drive and is an Alfa. But you probably don’t want to wait that long for a car that you sort of know won’t quite live up to its on-paper promise. ’Twas ever thus with Alfa.
Which brings us right back to the beginning. Because that Jaguar V6 is not exactly a slouch. It does 155mph, accelerates to 62mph before you’ve had a chance to look at the speedometer and corners beautifully. And it’s cheaper to buy than its German rivals, costs less to run and is better-looking.
Right now, then, as I wait for the Alfa because I’m daft in the head, you should buy the Jag. Because if it’s your head you’re using, it’s the obvious choice.
FlyingALDON 2016/05/26 23:09:03 发表在 20楼
顶啊,楼主辛苦,翻译也很棒。最喜欢大猩猩的偏激。期待他的新节目
深圳车友4495723 2016/07/19 05:26:13 发表在 35楼
楼主不但英文水平高而且文字功底好,翻译的很生动。那句,C63应该是一台让你开怀大笑的战舰,M3是灵敏快捷的鱼雷艇,说到我心里去了。很多不知道怎么选择C63和M3/4的人应该看看这句话,到底是想要一台动力强劲性能出色的豪华车,还是想要体验一台“入门”级别的“跑车”。
贵阳车友3468235 2016/07/26 10:34:07 发表在 40楼
四叶草当然了,法拉利引擎,玛莎的底盘调校,无敌声浪,可惜不引进
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