The Mercedes-AMG C63 S launches in the Middle East in April, costing Dh350,211. Its 4.0L, twin-turbo V8 produces 503bhp and 700Nm, launching it from 0 to 100kph in four seconds. Courtesy Mercedes-Benz
The Mercedes-AMG C63 S launches in the Middle East in April, costing Dh350,211. Its 4.0L, twin-turbo V8 produces 503bhp and 700Nm, launching it from 0 to 100kph in four seconds. Courtesy Mercedes-Benz

Clash of the titans: the new Mercedes-AMG C63, C63 S and C450 AMG 4MATIC



The Atlantic-facing country of Portugal dances to its own beat. Even the language is decidedly different phonetically to the ­rapid-fire Hispanic chatter you'd encounter across its only border, with Spain.

Although currently not in the greatest of economic health, this is no reflection of the past, as the Portuguese Empire was the most enduring of the modern European colonial empires, spanning almost 600 years and spread across a vast number of territories that are now part of 53 different sovereign states.

Remember that chap Vasco da Gama? He paved the way for the Portuguese colonial empire in Asia. The cultural and architectural influence Portugal has left around the globe is profound, and there are more than 250 million Portuguese speakers today, making it the sixth most spoken first language in the world.

Why am I banging on about Portugal? Because I’ve just set my travel-weary body down in the TAP (Portugal’s national airline) lounge at Lisbon Airport. The lounge is perhaps the dingiest I’ve seen at any airport, but I’ve got three hours to kill here before my next flight to Faro, the capital of the Algarve region at the southern tip of ­Portugal.

The reason for the excursion to Faro is to sample the all-new Mercedes-AMG C63 S – a compact-sized, four-door bruiser with a twin-turbo V8 engine that’s fit to give many a supercar a black eye. Also on the agenda is my maiden drive of the Mercedes C450 AMG 4MATIC, a less potent but still eye-wateringly rapid saloon. A fitting ­analogy would be to think of this pair as Batman and Robin – one has the clout to nullify the nastiest of baddies, while the other can still comfortably take care of run-of-the-mill thugs.

The drive programme at the media launch comprises a mix of road and track work – the idea being to showcase the C63 S’s everyday usability, as well as the full scope of its dynamic repertoire. Coincidentally – or maybe not – it’s more or less the same itinerary, and the same venue, that BMW used nine months ago for the launch of its all-new M3 saloon, the Merc’s primary rival.

The opening road loop starts at the sprawling Conrad Algarve hotel and concludes at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, a challenging, undulating racetrack located near the town of Portimão, which was historically a fishing and shipbuilding hub. The 110-kilometre drive leg starts off with some relatively dull freeway cruising, but a couple of spurts on the gas provide a taste of the C63’s massive grunt, with the speedometer needle flashing right with ridiculous ease.

A navigational error on my part sees me detouring via Estádio Algarve – a football stadium that can seat 30,000 raucous fans – but I eventually get back on track, with the route veering off onto some winding country lanes snaking through the Portuguese countryside. It’s here that the C63 S makes its first real imprint on my psyche, dancing and darting from one corner to the next with alarming rapidity.

The new C63 S and slightly lesser C63 are all-new cars based on the latest-gen W205 C-Class that we recently reviewed in The National. They feature the same high-tech, part-aluminium ­architecture. However, the AMG models up the ante substantially via bespoke front suspension and steering, a locking rear differential, uprated brakes, a dual-clutch sequential gearbox and much more.

These upgrades serve to distance the latest AMG offerings from their ancestors of a decade ago, which were terrifically quick in a straight line, but not the most dexterous when it came to corners. The C63 S is far removed from these, and hence Merc’s tagline: “The car for the professional driver”. Be assured, it’s not just marketing ­hyperbole.

The C63 and C63 S launch in our market in April, priced from Dh321,746 and Dh350,211 respectively, which puts them pretty much in the same ballpark as the new BMW M3. Like their German compatriot, both AMG models are rear-wheel drive and come standard with a seven-speed, dual-clutch ­transmission.

But where the M3 makes do with a twin-turbo, 3.0L, six-cylinder engine, the Merc C63 and C63 S are propelled by a 4.0L, twin-turbo V8, which supplants the old model’s much-loved but now ageing naturally aspirated, 6.2L power plant. The old big-block engine was potent and charismatic but, rest assured, the new V8 that replaces it is a far superior unit. In the base-model C63, it kicks out 469bhp and 650Nm; in the range-topping C63 S, it unleashes 503bhp and a beefy 700Nm from just 1,750rpm.

The twin-turbo V8 also sounds sublime, especially if you specify the optional Performance Exhaust, which has three flaps that open up in Sport+ and Race modes to give the engine full voice. In these modes, the ­exhaust note is a snarling, thundering melody, enriched by a rich array of pops and crackles on the overrun, and a lovely “braaap” on upshifts.

The AMG saloons aren’t excessively heavy (the C63 weighs 1,640kg; the C63 S tips the scales at 1,655kg), and this is reflected in their agility and ­ultra-flat cornering capabilities. It’s mighty quick in a straight line, too, with the C63 sprinting to 100kph in 4.1 seconds and the C63 S achieving it in 4 seconds flat. Both cars are speed limited to 250kph, but ticking the box for the optional AMG Driver’s Package will see this climb to a ­Lamborghini-baiting 290kph.

You might think any car with circa-500bhp would be a complete enviro-vandal, but the C63’s quoted consumption figure of 8.2L per 100km isn’t excessive by any means. Be aware, though, that you’ll easily chug through double this figure if you drive the car in a “spirited” ­fashion.

The drive route to the circuit is filled with Sunday drivers, blind corners and an assortment of road-surface imperfections – some of the well-camouflaged ones just about get the car airborne – but it’s still dealt with in short order by the muscle-bound C63 S. What’s particularly impressive, apart from the engine’s grunt, is how effectively that mammoth torque is deployed without ever imparting the feeling that you’re about to spear off into the woodwork.

A vital ingredient here is the locking differential (mechanical in the C63; electronically controlled in the C63 S), which dispenses the torque to each of the rear wheels in optimum doses to ensure you slingshot out of corners with minimum electronic-­stability-control ­intervention.

The AMG Ride Control suspension with three-stage, electronically controlled adaptive dampers also does a great job of keeping the car flat through corners, and this doesn’t come at the cost of bone-jarring ride quality. Yes, the C63 S isn’t as cosseting as a Bentley, but one shouldn’t expect that in any case in something this ­performance-orientated.

The less hardcore C63 rides marginally better than the C63 S, as it comes equipped with 18-inch rims, as opposed to the latter’s 19-inchers, which are wrapped in liquorice-strip rubber. The C63 S also scores dynamic engine mounts that vary in stiffness, depending on how you’re driving. When you’re simply trundling around, they soften up to isolate the cabin from engine vibrations, but harden up when you’re in Lewis Hamilton mode to optimise the car’s tautness and dynamism.

Once I reach the Autódromo ­Internacional do Algarve, the next item on the agenda is a series of hot laps at the circuit, which is a 4.7km roller coaster, replete with blind crests and off-camber corners. It’s undoubtedly the most daunting track I’ve ever driven. Just to make it even more interesting, I’ll be trying to hang on to the tail of Bernd Schneider – the ­multiple-champion driver in DTM (Germany’s premier touring-car racing category) – as he’ll be pedalling the pace car.

Schneider doesn’t disappoint. Despite his promise of two warm-up laps, he puts the hammer down almost right from the outset, and I find myself working furiously to prevent him from bolting off into the distance. The DTM ace is clearly working his C63 S hard, because it wriggles around under brakes at the end of the main straight, and the tail squirms around noticeably through each of the track’s gnarly corners.

After five tyre-torturing laps, I come away with an even deeper respect for the latest AMG weapon, which devours the track with every bit as much appetite as the brutal Jaguar XKR-S coupé I piloted on my previous visit to the circuit four years ago.

Having experienced the full fury of the steroidal C63 S, I expect to be underwhelmed by the appreciably less bonkers C450 AMG 4MATIC, which I’m now about to drive across a 45km road loop through the Portimão countryside. The C450 is powered by a twin-turbo, 3.0L V6 in lieu of its big brother’s V8, but it’s still no shrinking violet, with 362bhp and 520Nm on tap. It sprints from standstill to 100kph in just 4.9 seconds and tops out at an electronically governed 250kph.

It only takes a few kilometres to glean the C450 is almost as entertaining as its more potent stablemate, putting on a surprising turn of speed, and arguably even greater agility, although it weighs only slightly less at 1,615kg. The exhaust note is pleasingly raspy and crackly, too, despite lacking the deep baritone sonic signature of the C63 S.

Refinement levels are pretty good, although there’s more wind noise from around the A-pillar than one might have expected at speeds of 140kph and above. Cabin comfort is beyond reproach, with well-sculpted sports seats and a well-thought-out melange of leather, ­Alcantara, aluminium and carbon-fibre surfaces. The dash layout is also first-class, presenting you with all the info you need in an easy-to-digest format.

At day’s end, it’s clear AMG has done its homework with all three new offerings – C450 AMG 4MATIC, C63 and C63 S. Each is devastatingly rapid, aesthetically pleasing and eminently usable on a day-to-day basis.

Life is about to get very difficult for BMW’s M3 saloon.

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Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Why it pays to compare

A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.

Route 1: bank transfer

The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.

Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount

Total received: €4,670.30 

Route 2: online platform

The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.

Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction

Total received: €4,756

The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.

Sugary teas and iced coffees

The tax authority is yet to release a list of the taxed products, but it appears likely that sugary iced teas and cold coffees will be hit.

For instance, the non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.

Cold coffee brands are likely to be hit too. Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.

Super Bowl LIII schedule

What Super Bowl LIII

Who is playing New England Patriots v Los Angeles Rams

Where Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, United States

When Sunday (start time is 3.30am on Monday UAE time)

 

TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%208
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Honeymoonish
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elie%20El%20Samaan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENour%20Al%20Ghandour%2C%20Mahmoud%20Boushahri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Company Profile 

Founder: Omar Onsi

Launched: 2018

Employees: 35

Financing stage: Seed round ($12 million)

Investors: B&Y, Phoenician Funds, M1 Group, Shorooq Partners

Fight Night

FIGHT NIGHT

Four title fights:

Amir Khan v Billy Dib - WBC International title
Hughie Fury v Samuel Peter - Heavyweight co-main event  
Dave Penalosa v Lerato Dlamini - WBC Silver title
Prince Patel v Michell Banquiz - IBO World title

Six undercard bouts:

Michael Hennessy Jr v Abdul Julaidan Fatah
Amandeep Singh v Shakhobidin Zoirov
Zuhayr Al Qahtani v Farhad Hazratzada
Lolito Sonsona v Isack Junior
Rodrigo Caraballo v Sajid Abid
Ali Kiydin v Hemi Ahio

Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

Price: From Dh439,000

Available: Now

Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

On sale: Now

Skewed figures

In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458. 

Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.” 

THE SPECS

Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder

Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)

Power: 141bhp 

Torque: 250Nm 

Price: Dh64,500

On sale: Now

Virtuzone GCC Sixes

Date and venue Friday and Saturday, ICC Academy, Dubai Sports City

Time Matches start at 9am

Groups

A Blighty Ducks, Darjeeling Colts, Darjeeling Social, Dubai Wombats; B Darjeeling Veterans, Kuwait Casuals, Loose Cannons, Savannah Lions; Awali Taverners, Darjeeling, Dromedary, Darjeeling Good Eggs

Origin
Dan Brown
Doubleday

Generation Start-up: Awok company profile

Started: 2013

Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev

Sector: e-commerce

Size: 600 plus

Stage: still in talks with VCs

Principal Investors: self-financed by founder

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES

SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities

Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails

Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies

Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)

Date started: August 2021

Founder: Nour Sabri

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace

Size: Two employees

Funding stage: Seed investment

Initial investment: $200,000

Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East) 

MATCH INFO

Real Madrid 2 (Benzema 13', Kroos 28')
Barcelona 1 (Mingueza 60')

Red card: Casemiro (Real Madrid)