Callum selects one electric car and one ICE car from a collection of the best cars from 2021
It wouldn’t be erroneous of me to say that 2021 was the year when electric cars went noticeably more mainstream. I can deduce this shift from my own personal experience. During my regular road running route, there is a house on the left side that I go past in a small village that I run through. Now me being an eagle-eyed car fanatic, I’m always on the lookout for any novelty I can find.
In the springtime of this year, there was a white Audi A3 and Q5 unassumingly parked on the gravel drive. The understated nature of the cars parked on the driveway would soon change though. When out on my routine run in early Autumntime, I looked towards the house and driveway and observed something different. The A3 had gone, and in its place was a white Volkswagen ID.3.
Not accustomed to seeing that car in reality so close to home, I stared across at it as I run past. And now that I’m aware of it, I do so every time I run my route. However, a few months afterwards in late Autumntime, I observed another change. Something else that was different, now the Audi Q5 was gone, and it had been replaced by a dark grey/black Volkswagen ID.4. It wasn’t what I was expecting to witness on my run when I gazed across, but it was a pleasant sight nonetheless.
"With electric cars becoming more mainstream, the pool of choice is multiplying all the time"
Of course, the occupants of this particular house have a certain liking for the VW Group. Nevertheless, they are also informed of the facts and evidence of the climate crisis, the core reason for the transition away from the internal combustion engine (ICE). And unlike most people, they also have the resources to make the switch. With legislature forcing manufacturers to produce electric cars, there is no escaping the inevitable shift, it’s only a matter of time.
With electric cars becoming more mainstream, the pool of choice is multiplying. And with prohibiting factors like range anxiety and charging infrastructure slowly becoming less of an issue, the integration and compatibility of electric cars is less of an obstacle that prevents people from purchasing one. They are more of less fit for the purpose they were intended for, and can conceivably do the job an ICE car does. This adds another factor to consider in the criteria to judge cars against, as there are individual nuances of electric and ICE cars to take into account.
Nevertheless, after much deliberation, I have come to a conclusion and decided on two of the best cars that have defined 2021. And to keep it representative, I’ve selected one ICE car and one electric car. Emphasis has been placed on each cars significance as well as what they symbolise. For the record, there are lots of worthy and deserving cars from different categories that make the cut, but here’s the two I picked.
Electric Car: Mercedes EQS
With the car industry in a state of flux, it would be understandable if carmakers were to experience some form of identity crisis as they transition to electric mobility. Carl Benz invented the ICE car, so sentimentally, it might be more melancholic for Mercedes to reflect on its demise. However, it’s not the end of the story for the brand, just the closing of a chapter. If they apply themselves in the same way they have done to ICE cars, then they can be pioneers with electric cars too.
There are some signs of this that have emerged from the rapidly expanding EQ electric brand, like the Mercedes EQS, which is the best one yet. It’s effectively the electric successor to the S-Class, and it’s one of my Cars of the Year in 2021. The two notorious issues associated with electric cars are non-existent. With a claimed range of 453 miles, there’s no range anxiety that shreds your nerves, and it takes 31 minutes to fully charge at a rapid charging station.
Although that range figure does come with some caveats as in reality it depends on several factors, like driving style and environmental conditions, which can skew that stat somewhat. These reassuring numbers though do give you peace of mind, and that means you can make the most of the EQS. At the core is a big 107kWh battery pack, which makes 333bhp. That translates into 0-62mph in 6.2 seconds and a top speed of 130mph, which is rather modest and understated really.
"The Hyperscreen makes you feel like you are piloting a spaceship, and it makes the Tesla Model S feel like a budget hotel"
But, if you want a rocket version, a high-performance AMG variant is available soon, which should be more exciting and interesting. All the same, the standard EQS is not intended to be a supersonic road car, it’s a symbolic shift for Mercedes, and a significant one at that. As its flagship electric saloon, it represents the best of what the company can produce in terms of interior luxury and technology. And the EQS doesn’t disappoint.
The Hyperscreen makes you feel like you are piloting a spaceship, and it makes the Tesla Model S feel like a budget hotel. It comprises of three displays in one, and its elegance doesn’t converge on being ostentatious, just coolness. The digital services are extensive, with updates that are on-demand and features which are customisable, it’s just like your smartphone device, only in a car. The graphics are clear and crisp with the anti-glare glass still looking glossy and polished.
Mercedes pioneered the first ICE car. With the EQS, they have developed the first Hyperscreen. Granted, it doesn’t have the same significance, but the brand is still inventing nonetheless. It’s the party piece which does grab your attention, and makes the interior of a Tesla Model S look archaic. The silence of the electric platform allows occupants to enjoy the comfort, but the space is perhaps more cramped compared to an S-Class.
All the same, Mercedes are adept at making luxury cars to a high standard, especially as they don’t do so in a pretentious and contemptuous way, unlike for example Rolls Royce – no model range screams "get out of my way, plebs" in a more disdainful manner. The EQS has a more understated image, it’s the more reserved option, and the more comprehensive package compared to rivals. And the fact that it’s electric just reinforces that perception, cause it’s futureproof.
ICE Car: Porsche 992 GT3
With the demise of the ICE set in stone for 2035, it would be understandable to presume with carmakers diverting resources towards transitioning and upscaling electric car projects, that what time is left would result in a steady decline in ICE cars. After all, what is the point in continuing to put expertise into a product that car companies will soon be unable to manufacture anymore? They’ll be redundant, and extinct.
It’s a memo that has thus far been misplaced by the Porsche GT division. There’s no sign that the impending ban is holding Andreas Preuninger and his crack team back. The road cars it develops aren’t getting less engaging or exciting to drive. If anything, the cliff edge could well be doing the opposite, and empowering them to create the ultimate versions of GT and RS models that Porsche has ever produced.
You get the impression that the GT division at Porsche are set to push the limits of their road cars over the next decade. And if the 992 GT3 is anything to go by as a sort of launch pad, then I await what’s to come with great anticipation. The magical combination that plucks at my heartstrings is becoming scarcer than ever in cars for legislative and performance reasons.
But those reasons overlook the sensory elements humans are accustomed to, and why the 992 GT3 is becoming a car that’s one of a kind. The fusion between the natural aspiration of the 4.0 litre six-cylinder engine and the six-speed manual transmission offers a level of driver engagement that’s hard to quantify in emotional terms and even harder still to measure in statistical terms.
"The 992 GT3 is so accomplished at multiple disciplines, it’s kind of like a heptathlete"
Its interactive nature goes beyond numerical performance and is more about the distilled purity of driving, the sensations that come from the effort put into driving, and the rewards that resonate from the risk you take. With such adaptability for both track and road use, the bandwidth it offers is a tightrope that few cars are able to walk convincingly.
The real sweet spot that gives the 992 GT3 such scope is the engine which produces 503bhp and revs to 9000rpm, so not overpowered for the road but not underpowered for the track. It’s a jack of all trades in a way that I can’t think of another car that comes close to what it symbolises. The 992 GT3 is so accomplished at multiple disciplines, it’s kind of like a heptathlete, although in the car industry.
That notion is reinforced by the Touring Package. It camouflages the GT3 by removing the rear wing, making it less recognisable on the road to the untrained eye. Yet the inherent sportiness is engrained, with the six-speed manual transmission fitted, the GT3 Touring is even more immersive. For several reasons, it’s the version I would personally purchase. The combination of its puristic driving experience with its clandestine image is becoming ever scarcer, and to fly under the radar in such a covert way is something I rather like.
With the winds of change blowing through the car industry, the tide is turning against the ICE car. Electric cars are becoming more mainstream, which does frame the 992 GT3 as the type of car that increasingly goes against the grain of social acceptance. It’s why I am compelled by the GT3 Touring, because it’s the best high-performance car that connects with your sensory elements. It’s something that can’t evidentially be explained, and it’s only something that the test of time will come to show just how special it really is.
Photos: Mercedes, Porsche
Comments