Simply the Best

Have you ever met somebody who told you that they were going to give it 110%? It might just be me, but I find this intensely annoying. Why so little? Why not give 120%? Or 130%? The problem is: By going above 100%, you are declaring that you can give more than everything, which doesn’t make sense.

Indeed, the only example I can think of where you can add more to a full system is steam – the super-heated and super-saturated varieties. In the normal course of events, 100% is everything; it’s the best you can do.

The quality world is full of aphorisms, exhorting us to improve continuously. One that I like is: “Best is the enemy of better”. If you reckon you are the best at something, you really have no incentive to improve.

Recently I got to thinking about this, when I encountered a new model from Mercedes Benz called (deep breath): the AMG GT 63 S E-Performance. Shortly after this, I came across the Audi Avant RS6 Performance and a thing called the BMW M3 X-Drive Competition.

Whatever happened to the simple concept of the “top of the range”? What happened to a clear trim hierarchy where the coveted model was clearly distinguishable and not relegated several steps down the food chain, as all these extra words provide more than the top – 110% as it were?

Daimler Benz used to be good at this. They offered AMG models that were hairy-chested, fire-breathing monsters that sent a clear message: I want speed and lots of it. AMG was a tuning shop, set up by Hans-Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher, two ex-Daimler Benz employees. Using the initials of their last names and throwing in the “G” from Gro?aspach (the town where Herr Aufrecht was born), they set up AMG. Today, AMG is a wholly-owned subsidiary of their former employer.

If I am interested in a high-performance Benz, then I should get the AMG variant and that should be that. Why do they need to have “S”, or “E-Performance” muddying the water? In fact, why have “63” in the name? This is a throwback to the 6.3 litre, 300 SEL that AMG souped up in the late 1960’s. Known as the “Rote Sau” (Red Sow), this monster contested motor races, even winning in Spa in 1971.

Although sensible from a marketing perspective, the AMG-Line trim level can be nothing less than a dilution of the brand. It offers some hints at the performance model’s sporty looks, but none of the vaunted performance. It works in the marketplace and other manufacturers have followed suit, with S-Lines, R-Lines and even N-Lines being offered.

Daimler has been better with its flagship luxury offering, placing Maybach at the top of the tree. An S-class Maybach stands out as the one to go for, if you aspire to the height of luxury while staying loyal to the three-pointed star.

There was a time when a BMW M car was something to respect. Although we Capri-owners have never forgiven the Bavarian company for head-hunting Jochen Neerpasch from Ford Motorsport, where he was masterminding the Capri’s racing campaign. Still, an M3 or M5 was a force to be reckoned with.

But of late, there are flavours of M available to confuse those who simply want the top of the range. Today you can get an M4, an M4 Competition and an M4 CS. Occasionally, we are treated to a CSL - Coupé Sportlich Leichtbau – version that traces its roots back to the famous E9 “Batmobile” that trounced the Capri back in its day.

Interestingly, neither BMW nor Audi offers an equivalent to Maybach. If I’m too old or boring to seek high-performance thrills, where do I go to get the pinnacle of luxury?

This might be the nub of the problem. While the BMW “M” badge and, more recently, the Audi “RS” badge signify high-performance road cars, the alphabet soup that is being increasingly attached to them designates a car suitable for use on a race-track.

This raises the question: Who in their right minds is going to race a BMW M5 that’s over 5 metres long, nearly 2 metres wide and weighs at least 2.5 tonnes! Having said that, AMG’s Rote Sau was also 5 metres long, a bit narrower at 1.81 metres wide and quite svelte at 1,635kg. Maybe the Germans simply like fast limos?

Of course, the epitome of a halo label was Volkswagen’s Golf GTi. This was THE Hot Hatch, the ultimate, affordable, sporty car. Today, we have a Golf R (four-wheel drive) and a Clubsport (racing version). Is the GTi the top dog anymore? It doesn’t look like it.

It gets worse when you go to Porsche. If you want the ultimate 911, what do you get? The Carrera 2? The Carrera 4? The Carrera 2S? The Carrera 4S? The Carrera Turbo? The Carrera Turbo S? Not forgetting the Carrera GTS, or the GT models which proliferate like fruit flies. Getting the top 911 is difficult.

But, at least with Porsche, you can see what they’re up to: They want to egg people on to buy more and more of these things. Each limited edition drives collectors mad with desire. Maybe the more mainstream manufacturers are simply hoping that buyers will keep chasing the elusive top dog and buy more cars!

I feel bad citing only German companies, but they seem to be the ones who have embraced this “grade inflation” policy the most, dreaming up more and more extravagant names to entice those looking for the best to reach ever further.

In the end, it looks like better is the enemy of best!