It’s almost Halloween. Need a sinister car to drive the kiddies from house to house?

Well, if you’re Bruce Wayne or someone with similar means, I might suggest the Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe. In matte black. My family immediately dubbed it the “Batmobile” when it rolled into my driveway this fall — its sinister shade a striking contrast to Michigan’s leafy, orange trees.

Yes, Mercedes. That icon of the establishment has produced one of the most wicked-looking cars in autodom. Brooding front grille. Slit headlights. Growling, 503-horse V-8 engine. The specs on this beast sound more like something out of Dodge’s bat cave.

Honey, our C-class Mercedes has been possessed!

I prowled Michigan in the C63 this fall, spreading fear throughout its northern latitudes.

It’s almost as evil-looking as big brother AMG GT R, the 550-horse racing version that is currently devouring Acuras and Porsches on the IMSA race circuit, with a maw the size of a humpback whale. Compared to the $200,000 GT R, the $106,440 C63 is a bargain.

A product of Mercedes-Benz’s AMG performance division, the C63 S is the alpha male of the three AMG coupes offered, each more capable than the last: C45 (382 horsepower), C63 (469), C63 S (503). And those are just the C-class choices for the two-door coupe! Add three AMG options to the each of the other C-class variants — wagon, sedan and Cabriolet — and you understand why it is so difficult for Detroit luxe brands to compete against the broad Merc lineup.

My tester was a rolling candy store — loaded with every sweet on the shelves. For example:

• Dark chocolate, silver-rimmed 19-inch front/20-inch rear five-spoke forged wheels: $2,100
• Licorice Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires: $600
• Black-night package on wing, mirrors, etc., plus chrome-plated exhaust tips: $750
• Black carbon-fiber package: $1,750
• Candy-corn yellow ceramic brakes: $5,450

And so on. I got cavities just looking at it.

But the real treat is the $2,020 Designo Graphite Grey Magno paint — matte black, for short — that wraps this refugee from hell.

Matte paints have been maintenance nightmares in the past (they can’t be protected by waxing like normal finishes), but Mercedes reassures that current coats “do not require any special instructions for care, other than don’t use abrasive materials on it or let harmful debris like bird dropping linger.”

Bird droppings. Good to know. But I’m pretty sure Bruce Wayne will keep it in his garage.

For all its wicked exterior looks, the GT is a grand touring model that competes with other daily-driver sports cars like the Corvette C8 and Porsche 911. That means cargo room.

Where the mid-engine Corvette (get it in pumpkin orange) offers its frunk and trunk for storage, the front-engine C63 offers a sizable boot and second-row seats. Wee trick-or-treaters will fit nicely back there.

Helping in the process are Mercedes’ magic seats. Just pull the seat-top handle and they silently glide — ghost-like — forward.

Up front, passengers are wrapped — too tightly for my 230-pound, 6-foot-5 frame — in heavily bolstered competition seats. These track-focused thrones are great for pulling Gs, but they grew uncomfortable on my four-hour trip north.

Happily, the interior surroundings are heavenly. Mercedes interiors are the most luxurious in the land, even in AMG monsters. The signature silver aviator vents stood out next to carbon fiber-wrapped console. Instrument and dashboard infotainment displays are rich in graphics, and — when the sun goes down and the goblins come out — interior mood lights can be programmed to change yellow, purple, red.

Indeed, cruise the highway and the C63 aims to please. While not yet equipped with the brand’s latest MBUX voice-recognition software (“Hey, Mercedes, turn the temperature to 70 degrees”), the C63 does come equipped with Mercedes’ steering-wheel-mounted mouse pads so that you can control the twin screens without your fingers leaving the wheel.

The AMG also features the latest in self-driving capabilities. Press adaptive cruise-control, set speed, and the coupe stays nicely centered in its lane. Pull the turn signal and it automatically changes lanes. But you don’t buy an AMG for self-driving.

Roll the drive-mode switch next to the monostable shifter, and Dr. Jekyll transforms to Mr. Hyde. Normal mode changes to Sport to Sport + to Race. With each step the beast grows more demonic.

The chassis tightens. The engine growl gets more menacing. The tailpipes crackle. The long hood grows horns.

On my favorite M-32 stretch of road up north, I unchained the horses of hell.

That’s 503 horses to be exact. In Sport + mode, a quick 8-speed dual-clutch transmission effortlessly swapped cogs. The 4.0-liters of V-8 shook the road, followed by bratty exhaust flatulence as I lifted off the gas for looming curves.

Despite slick asphalt dotted with the first orange leaves of fall, the big AMG stayed planted through the twisties. The steering was direct. The brakes toothy. Body roll minimal. The payoff were straightaways where I could open up the V-8 once more.

Race mode offers the kiddies the additional thrills of launch control, but the rear-wheel-drive Merc was curiously resistant to the idea — the electronic nannies intervening as I laid down the power. The C63 advertises sub-4 second 0-60 mph runs, but I was well shy of that.

Trees up north were turning fiery red and orange — the perfect backdrop to the streaking black batmobile. For $106,000, the C63 comes with an excellent Burmester stereo, but I never turned it on. Like the Porsche flat-6, the engines in the coupe class are music to the ears.

The Porsche’s talent is in its peerless handling, but the Mercedes’ V-8 sex appeal is more visceral. That’s part of the coupe’s charm.

Refined Mercedes is not the first brand that comes to mind at Halloween. But AMG has given the German badge needed personality. It’ll put a smile on your face like a Camaro SS and Mustang GT350. It’s a Detroit muscle-car wrapped in a matte-black German tuxedo.

Mercedes, like other European brands, is investing heavily in electric vehicles, and it will be a challenge to match the personality of AMG’s V-8. Strap in the trick-or-treaters. Empty the neighbors of their candy. Then toggle Sport +.

And let the big dog howl at the moon.

2020 Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe

Vehicle type: Rear-wheel drive, two-door, four-passenger coupe

Price: $78,495, including $995 destination charge ($106,440 as tested)

Powerplant: 4.0-liter, twin-turbo V-8

Power: 503 horsepower, 516 pound-feet of torque

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 3.8 seconds (mfr.); top speed, 180 mph

Weight: 3,803 pounds

Fuel economy: EPA 18 mpg city/27 highway/21 combined

Report card

Highs: Hot inside and outside; drivetrain personality

Lows: Heavy; beware bird poop on the paint

Overall: 4 stars

It’s almost Halloween. Need a sinister car to drive the kiddies from house to house?

Well, if you’re Bruce Wayne or someone with similar means, I might suggest the Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe. In matte black. My family immediately dubbed it the “Batmobile” when it rolled into my driveway this fall — its sinister shade a striking contrast to Michigan’s leafy, orange trees.

Yes, Mercedes. That icon of the establishment has produced one of the most wicked-looking cars in autodom. Brooding front grille. Slit headlights. Growling, 503-horse V-8 engine. The specs on this beast sound more like something out of Dodge’s bat cave.

Honey, our C-class Mercedes has been possessed!

I prowled Michigan in the C63 this fall, spreading fear throughout its northern latitudes.

It’s almost as evil-looking as big brother AMG GT R, the 550-horse racing version that is currently devouring Acuras and Porsches on the IMSA race circuit, with a maw the size of a humpback whale. Compared to the $200,000 GT R, the $106,440 C63 is a bargain.

A product of Mercedes-Benz’s AMG performance division, the C63 S is the alpha male of the three AMG coupes offered, each more capable than the last: C45 (382 horsepower), C63 (469), C63 S (503). And those are just the C-class choices for the two-door coupe! Add three AMG options to the each of the other C-class variants — wagon, sedan and Cabriolet — and you understand why it is so difficult for Detroit luxe brands to compete against the broad Merc lineup.

My tester was a rolling candy store — loaded with every sweet on the shelves. For example:

• Dark chocolate, silver-rimmed 19-inch front/20-inch rear five-spoke forged wheels: $2,100
• Licorice Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires: $600
• Black-night package on wing, mirrors, etc., plus chrome-plated exhaust tips: $750
• Black carbon-fiber package: $1,750
• Candy-corn yellow ceramic brakes: $5,450

And so on. I got cavities just looking at it.

But the real treat is the $2,020 Designo Graphite Grey Magno paint — matte black, for short — that wraps this refugee from hell.

Matte paints have been maintenance nightmares in the past (they can’t be protected by waxing like normal finishes), but Mercedes reassures that current coats “do not require any special instructions for care, other than don’t use abrasive materials on it or let harmful debris like bird dropping linger.”

Bird droppings. Good to know. But I’m pretty sure Bruce Wayne will keep it in his garage.

For all its wicked exterior looks, the GT is a grand touring model that competes with other daily-driver sports cars like the Corvette C8 and Porsche 911. That means cargo room.

Where the mid-engine Corvette (get it in pumpkin orange) offers its frunk and trunk for storage, the front-engine C63 offers a sizable boot and second-row seats. Wee trick-or-treaters will fit nicely back there.

Helping in the process are Mercedes’ magic seats. Just pull the seat-top handle and they silently glide — ghost-like — forward.

Up front, passengers are wrapped — too tightly for my 230-pound, 6-foot-5 frame — in heavily bolstered competition seats. These track-focused thrones are great for pulling Gs, but they grew uncomfortable on my four-hour trip north.

Happily, the interior surroundings are heavenly. Mercedes interiors are the most luxurious in the land, even in AMG monsters. The signature silver aviator vents stood out next to carbon fiber-wrapped console. Instrument and dashboard infotainment displays are rich in graphics, and — when the sun goes down and the goblins come out — interior mood lights can be programmed to change yellow, purple, red.

Indeed, cruise the highway and the C63 aims to please. While not yet equipped with the brand’s latest MBUX voice-recognition software (“Hey, Mercedes, turn the temperature to 70 degrees”), the C63 does come equipped with Mercedes’ steering-wheel-mounted mouse pads so that you can control the twin screens without your fingers leaving the wheel.

The AMG also features the latest in self-driving capabilities. Press adaptive cruise-control, set speed, and the coupe stays nicely centered in its lane. Pull the turn signal and it automatically changes lanes. But you don’t buy an AMG for self-driving.

Roll the drive-mode switch next to the monostable shifter, and Dr. Jekyll transforms to Mr. Hyde. Normal mode changes to Sport to Sport + to Race. With each step the beast grows more demonic.

The chassis tightens. The engine growl gets more menacing. The tailpipes crackle. The long hood grows horns.

On my favorite M-32 stretch of road up north, I unchained the horses of hell.

That’s 503 horses to be exact. In Sport + mode, a quick 8-speed dual-clutch transmission effortlessly swapped cogs. The 4.0-liters of V-8 shook the road, followed by bratty exhaust flatulence as I lifted off the gas for looming curves.

Despite slick asphalt dotted with the first orange leaves of fall, the big AMG stayed planted through the twisties. The steering was direct. The brakes toothy. Body roll minimal. The payoff were straightaways where I could open up the V-8 once more.

Race mode offers the kiddies the additional thrills of launch control, but the rear-wheel-drive Merc was curiously resistant to the idea — the electronic nannies intervening as I laid down the power. The C63 advertises sub-4 second 0-60 mph runs, but I was well shy of that.

Trees up north were turning fiery red and orange — the perfect backdrop to the streaking black batmobile. For $106,000, the C63 comes with an excellent Burmester stereo, but I never turned it on. Like the Porsche flat-6, the engines in the coupe class are music to the ears.

The Porsche’s talent is in its peerless handling, but the Mercedes’ V-8 sex appeal is more visceral. That’s part of the coupe’s charm.

Refined Mercedes is not the first brand that comes to mind at Halloween. But AMG has given the German badge needed personality. It’ll put a smile on your face like a Camaro SS and Mustang GT350. It’s a Detroit muscle-car wrapped in a matte-black German tuxedo.

Mercedes, like other European brands, is investing heavily in electric vehicles, and it will be a challenge to match the personality of AMG’s V-8. Strap in the trick-or-treaters. Empty the neighbors of their candy. Then toggle Sport +.

And let the big dog howl at the moon.

2020 Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe

Vehicle type: Rear-wheel drive, two-door, four-passenger coupe

Price: $78,495, including $995 destination charge ($106,440 as tested)

Powerplant: 4.0-liter, twin-turbo V-8

Power: 503 horsepower, 516 pound-feet of torque

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 3.8 seconds (mfr.); top speed, 180 mph

Weight: 3,803 pounds

Fuel economy: EPA 18 mpg city/27 highway/21 combined

Report card

Highs: Hot inside and outside; drivetrain personality

Lows: Heavy; beware bird poop on the paint

Overall: 4 stars

In the middle of World Series Game 1 on Tuesday night — in between beer, smartphone and camping equipment ads — viewers were treated to a 2-minute commercial about … an $112,595 electric Hummer pickup.

There might have been some head scratching.

Brands that sell $100k vehicles — Porsche, Land Rover, Maserati — usually don’t take out TV ads. Customers with that kind of disposable income call their car broker to buy their cars for them. The rare exception is the $100k, 2021 Cadillac Escalade, but that debuted at the Oscars where Hollywood swells drive up in limos. Polarizing basketball activist Lebron James introduced the ad promising the Hummer “would change the world,” though revolutionary autos usually have more modest price tags like the Model T or the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

But if not a revolution, General Motors Co.’s Hummer indicates something wild is happening in the luxury pickup market. GMC Hummer is one of a handful of expensive electric pickups coming to market in the next two years.

Seeking to capitalize on trendy luxury consumers who value sustainability, these trucks offer no-compromise power and technology while delivering guilt-free, zero emissions. While the Tesla Model 3 sedan popularized lux EVs, battery architecture uniquely favors pickups by offering yuuuge power, handling and storage capabilities.

“As the first of GM’s next-gen EVs, the Hummer EV will fundamentally alter conventional off-road and truck paradigms,” says GM electric guru Ken Morris.

Here’s how it stacks up against the other electron-guzzling pickups currently available to order:

GMC Hummer EV

Due in: late 2021 as a 2022 model

Deposit: $100, https://tinyurl.com/yyyxg7c3

Service: GMC dealers

Price: $112,595 ($79,995 base model in 2024)

Horsepower: 1,000

0-60 mph: 3.0 seconds

Towing: NA

Battery size: 200 kWh est.

Range: 350-plus

The iconic Hummer comes at the segment by throwing everything into its bed and the kitchen sink. It brings open-air, off-road capability like Jeeps; Super Cruise self-driving like Cadillac; the instant acceleration and high-tech of Tesla; and the latest tailgate tricks from GMC itself.

Unlike the original, diesel-powered, Humvee-based H1, the Hummer EV is as capable on-road as it is off. Its whisper-quiet electric drive-train floats on an air suspension while offering eyeball-flattening, 3.0-second, 0-60 acceleration. Off-road, its 35-inch knobby tires can go anywhere and then some — its new Crab Walk mode allowing the truck to navigate tight terrain diagonally.

Without an engine up front, passengers can store the Hummer’s roof in the “frunk” (front trunk) in order to have an unobstructed view of the heavens. Range is a healthy 350 miles though that will vary greatly depending on weather and the number of 0-60 launches you do. The truck is fast-charge capable on Electrify America’s emerging national network.

Tesla Cybertruck

Due in: late 2021 as a 2022 model

Deposit: $100, https://www.tesla.com/cybertruck/design#battery

Service: Tesla stores

Price: $69,900

Horsepower: 600

0-60 mph: 2.9 seconds

Towing: 14,000 pounds

Battery size: NA

Range: 500-plus

If the Hummer is a riff on an iconic shape, the Tesla Cybertruck is the most radical design in segment, its stainless steel body looking like something out of a sci-fi movie. The Cybertruck is considerably cheaper than the Hummer with a base price of $39,900 for its single motor truck. The top-line tri-motor — first available and comparable to the Edition 1 Hummer now on sale — starts at $69,900.

Tesla has only shown a prototype concept truck thus far, but the interior looks to be typically Tesla spartan. Controls are accessed through a single console screen — like the Model 3 sedan.

Tesla is promising delivery through its own dealers in late 2021, but the Silicon Valley automaker has been notoriously erratic in meeting delivery schedules — one of the advantages of a legacy automaker like Hummer and its independent dealer network. On the other hand, Tesla has a big leg up on its competition with the best, fast-charging network in the country.

Rivian R1T

Due in: early 2021

Depost: $1,000, https://rivian.com/preorder/r1t

Service: Rivian stores

Price: $80,000 est.

Horsepower: 750

0-60 mph: 3.0 seconds

Towing: 11,000 pounds

Battery size: 105-180 kWh

Range: 400-plus

Before Hummer, before Cybertruck, Plymouth-based Rivian really opened eyes to the capabilities of an electric pickup. With four electric motors on board it promises a sprint to 60 mph in 3.0 seconds.

With its batteries stored in the basement, the R1T maximizes storage space with a massive frunk and pass through space behind the rear seats for another 12 cubic feet of storage. The Rivian is smaller than the competitive set — sized somewhere between a midsize and full-size pickup meant to appeal to urban customers. Its interior is uncluttered with two tablet screens for controls.

Like Hummer, the Rivian can perform a handling trick of its own. With its quad motors spinning left and right-side wheels simultaneously in opposite directions, the R1T can rotate in place. Rivian calls the feature “Tank Turn.”

Bollinger B2

Due in: late 2021 as a 2022 model

Deposit: $1000, https://bollingermotors.com/reserve/

Service: Independent dealers

Price: $125,000

Horsepower: 614

0-60 mph: 4.5 seconds

Towing: 7,500 pounds

Battery size: 142 kWh

Range: 200

Bollinger offers simple design and maximum storage. Designed for heavy lifting on founder Robert Bollinger’s New York farm, the B2’s pass-through interior can handle cargo up to 16-feet long stretching from front-to-rear bumper. With 15 inches of ground clearance, the truck can be raised or lowered another 5 inches.

Optimized as a work truck, the B2 has 8 electrical outlets for power tools. You can attach a plow to it.

Lordstown Endurance

Due in: late 2020 as 2021 model

Deposit: $100, https://lordstownmotors.com/25432293427/checkouts/ec7424381b59819074b0fe5a51979e77

Service: TBD

Price: $52,500

Horsepower: 600

0-60 mph: NA

Towing: 7,500 pounds

Battery size: 180 kWh

Range: 250-plus

Of the five trucks, the least is known about the Endurance to be built in GM’s old Lordstown Assembly site. But it is unique in that it features four hub-mounted electric motors for better vehicle control. Lordstown sales are focused on commercial fleets, so it appears determined to deliver an affordable truck — as opposed to competitors that are all starting production with high-end, $100,000-plus vehicles. That means it likely will have fewer gee-whiz features.