Bay Harbour: January 25, 2023

18 <strong>Bay</strong> <strong>Harbour</strong> News Wednesday <strong>January</strong> <strong>25</strong> <strong>2023</strong> Electric limousine from Mercedes-Benz I’M WONDERING if there is any end to the way technology is developing, especially so with electric vehicles. Take the Mercedes-Benz AMG EQS 53 for example, it has an onboard presence that would keep an astronaut happy. There are a multitude of specification features, it has a function for almost everything imaginable – especially for safety. Well, you would expect that, the EQS 53 lists at $310,900 in standard form, you can upsec it as well and if you go the whole hog you’ll deplete your bank balance to the tune of around $360,000. In true Mercedes-Benz S-Class fashion there are few equals on the road that have as much kit, and from the moment you sit in the driver’s seat you’ll be blown away with the space age look and feel of the interior, there are gadgets, buttons and displays everywhere. The digital dash panel extends across the width of the car, although the information graphics are only visible on the left hand side when there’s a passenger. However, the driver gets enough information to keep him/her occupied for every journey, the depth beneath • By Ross Kiddie IT WAS OCTOBER 1988 and I had just boarded a flight back to Christchurch after fuelling my motorsport passion, spending a day watching the Nissan/Mobil 500 Wellington Street Race. I had the window seat and was waiting for the remaining passengers, it was a full flight and the overhead lockers were packed with carry-on luggage. The two vacant seats beside me were eventually filled by Trevor Crowe and his partner Colleen, Crowe was holding a decent-sized cup, the one he earned that day from a third place finish and class win in a Group A BMW M3, sharing the drive with Mark Thatcher, son of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The cup wouldn’t fit in the overhead locker so I offered to store it for the journey under the seat in front of me; Crowe was grateful. It wasn’t the first time I had met Crowe, I’d not long been evaluating motor vehicles for review and only weeks previously I had driven a turbocharged Skoda 120L that Crowe and his workshop technicians had modified for performance benefits. the graphics and controls is enormous. The only thing missing in the big S-Class EV is a chauffeur. Mercedes-Benz is exploring the future of the way we travel, and I guess being at the forefront of that technology will hold the company in good stead as EVs take control of our car buying decisions. The EQS 53 is powered by dual motors – one at the front and one at the rear – they have combined power output of 484kW with a colossal 950Nm of torque available from zero revolutions. Add in a 107.8kWh battery pack and you have the ingredients for power, acceleration and, more importantly, distance to travel between charges. Mercedes-Benz claims up to 587km on a full charge. It would take around 60min to fast charge to 80 per cent from a designated charge port. In terms of charging from my home – well that’s a different story, such is the volume of energy that can be stored it’s simply not practical to try to charge from domestic supply; it would take a couple of days to charge from zero to 100 per cent. That being the case, a wall box or a three-phase system would be the most suitable method Crowe and I got talking again on that flight and, as astute as ever, he noticed that I wasn’t overly comfortable as the aircraft descended through turbulence into a Canterbury nor’wester, his words I still cling to today when I’m flying and bumps are prevalent: “It’s all right, Ross, it will just fly through it!’’ Of course, the news of that day was his performance in the street race, he and Thatcher punched well above their weight only to be beaten by some of the greatest names in world motorsport – formula one driver Emanuele Pirro and world touring car champion Roberto Ravaglia, MERCEDES-BENZ AMG EQS 53: Large luxury sedan that is solely powered by batteries and electric motors. domestically. Thankfully, such is the distance you get to travel on a full tank – figuratively speaking – I only had to make one fast charge and that was completed in good time while my wife and I carried out our weekly Pak’nSave grocery shop. Of course, all of the above relates to how you drive the EQS 53, if you are throttle heavy you won’t get the distance, but the figures are still very impressive. So are those of its acceleration, Mercedes-Benz claims a 3.8sec standstill to 100km/h time. That’s about as quick as in any other car I’ve driven, launch from a standstill is simply amazing, the energy is instant and without any lag, the force will hold you back in your seat and, of course, all passengers. It’s a performance car of true genius, if only there were roads in New Zealand where you can explore its potential. I guess the unrestricted roads in Europe will allow some sort and Australian ex-formula one driver Larry Perkins and former F1 world champion Denny Hulme. As history has served to prove, the third place finish paved the way for Crowe’s win in the Asia-Pacific Touring Car Championship that year. of freedom, but for here it’s a temptation that would constantly need to be curbed. I took the test car inland west and enjoyed its silence and comfort. It has all those pacifying features that come in luxury cars, yet you always sense it wants to break free and deliver a performance drive. Of course, there are drive modes that can moderate the behaviour of the motors or liven them up in sport mode, but the reality is the EQS 53 has performance that needs to be tamed. Pointed at some tricky corners you need to bear in mind that there is a lot of bulk and weight in the car. At 5.3m and 2721kg it’s a big machine, but it is delicate underneath and extremely competent. Huge 21in Michelin tyres stick like glue and provide surety. Turn-in is precise, and body movement is minimal. A lot of the weight is carried underneath the seats and at just 1.5m tall there isn’t a lot That and Crowe’s long and illustrious motorsport career have all been documented in a new book – As the Crowe Flies, the Trevor Crowe Story. Written by well-known motoring and motorsport writer Steve Holmes, the book chronicles Crowe and the multitude of cars he has built, developed and raced throughout the years, and still does even into his late 70s. Not only does the book share chapters on Crowe’s hill climb, rallying and circuit and boat racing career, it shares his secrets to good health, which is important to keep mentally alert and physically capable while at the • Price – Mercedes-Benz AMG EQS 53, $310,990 • Dimensions – Length, 5265mm; width, 1926mm; height, 1512mm • Configuration – Dual electro-synchronous motors, four-wheeldrive, 484kW, 950Nm, automatic • Performance – 0-100km/h, 3.8sec of gravitational force working against balance and composure. Most of all, though, is the ease at which the big AMG-inspired limousine travels. Even with all of its power it is easy to drive at all speeds, during my stopstart commute it dawdles with little indication of what fury lies underneath. What’s more it is very much Mercedes-Benz-like in terms of how it functions and the ergonomics are such that all occupants are cocooned in luxury. It must also be mentioned that the EQS 53 drives silently at all speeds. Sure, there are sounds through the air and off the big tyres but they aren’t dramatic, it is uncannily quiet and an experience to saviour. Mercedes-Benz isn’t putting its eggs all in one basket, there are hybrid options and at this stage plenty of petrol-only models in the line-up. I’m due to drive a plug-in hybrid soon, and if it is anything like the quality of the EQS 53 then I’m surely in for another treat. Career of motorsport icon detailed in book Trevor Crowe IN COMMAND: Trevor Crowe on his way to a third place finish in the 1988 Nissan/Mobil 500 in Wellington. TURBO POWER: The Trevor Crowe Motors Skoda 120L evaluation car of 1988. PHOTOS: ROSS KIDDIE wheel competing, along with his fitness regime, one that has kept him competitive in marathons and endurance events. Written as Crowe would speak, As the Crowe Flies covers everything from his early days growing up around cars at the family’s Templeton service station, his engineering skills honed through an apprenticeship and, by sheer imagination, pioneering race car building ideas that have brought him major success in a wide periphery of motorsport. Most of the cars Crowe has raced are detailed in length, from his first competitive car – an MG J2 – through to the V8-powered monsters he designed and mostly built himself – Skoda, Toyota Starlets and Subaru Justy. Crowe is no stranger to Christchurch’s car sales infrastructure, he has been dealer for Skoda and Subaru, and today his CroweSport workshop is responsible for general day-to-day servicing and upgrade modifications to many varying brands. A chapter on the development of the Moorhouse Ave facility is included. Crowe can be seen racing at the Skope Classic, February 3-5 in the mid-engine Subaru Justy V8. •As the Crowe Flies can be purchased at bookstores or from CroweSport, 518 Moorhouse Ave.

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