The big Labor Day holiday weekend in America is upon us. That means highways and campgrounds from sea to shining sea will be filled with beefy pickup trucks and SUVs pulling all sorts of camper trailers. Motorhomes and camper vans will join them, and we bet nearly all those big trucks don't have the sheer power of the newest Mercedes-AMG super sedan.
That's a subject of some interest to Bruce and Smith on this week's Rambling About Cars, which dives right in with the 2022 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance hybrid. In the time it takes you to say that name, this wild sedan can hit 100 miles per hour thanks to its hybrid powertrain making no less than 831 horsepower.
The big news, however, is its absolutely ridiculous 1,033 pound-feet of torque, which equals or beats the biggest one-ton diesel pickup trucks from Detroit. It leaves Smith pondering how diehard truck fans might respond to a German sedan with more horsepower and torque under the hood.
Gallery: Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance
From biblical power to a biblical screw-up, the conversation rambles to the Subaru Forester Wilderness. The slightly rugged off-road model had two big reveals this week, with the first being a colossal mistake from Subaru Canada. It seems their Wilderness website went live a little too early, and thanks to that preview, Bruce and Smith had the chance to bump heads over Forester's new face for the podcast. The Subaru controversy continues with the forthcoming Solterra crossover, which was also previewed this week and yeah, it appears to be a rebadged Toyota BZ4X. We mean that literally – a Toyota with Subaru badging. Oh dear.
Speaking of oh dear, Bruce and Smith spend a little time talking about the new Toyota Hilux Revo GR Sport. What's that you say? Toyota gave its much-loved Hilux a street-focused GR upgrade? Before you get too excited, check out our article on it but before you do, ask yourself this. When it comes to wheel gap, how much is too much? Take that amount and double it, and you might be prepared for the sporty Hilux. If you're still having trouble visualizing this, here's a hint.
And with the big Labor Day weekend, the Chris's can't not talk about campers. In fact, a concept camper van from a niche German company beat Mazda at its own game by creating an electric motorhome with a range-extending rotary engine. As interesting as that is, Smith loses his mind over something called the Sled Zeppelin – an epic custom-built motorhome that started life as a Bluebird school bus. With camping and van life all the rage these days, the hosts are thoroughly impressed with the custom creations they see and write about on a daily basis, and they wrap up the show rambling about a few more memorable builds.
Previously On Rambling About Cars:
What are your thoughts on the mega-powerful Mercedes? Is Subaru's future filled with rebadged Toyotas? Do you want to see more street trucks? And could you ever see yourself ditching a traditional home for permanent #Vanlife? Drop us a comment or email us: podcast@motor1.com. We read them, and you know we talk about them on the show.
Where To Listen
In addition to our Motor1 Podcasts YouTube channel, you can still catch us on your favorite audio channel every Friday as always. You'll find Rambling About Cars on every major podcast platform including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Please like, follow, and comment because it exposes the show to more car crazy enthusiasts. And the more enthusiasts joining us on this automotive odyssey, the better.