By Jason Woosey
Johannesburg - With the new GT, Mercedes-AMG is taking a stab at the heart of the sports-car market with a more sophisticated weapon than its first attempt, the SLS.
The latter was, quite frankly, about as subtle as a volcanic eruption, with its retro gullwing doors and thunderous normally-aspirated 6.2-litre V8 disturbing the peace in every neighbourhood it visited. If the SLS was a sledgehammer, then the smaller, lighter and more agile GT feels more like a precisely crafted surgeon’s scalpel.
Despite it lacking the trick doors, the GT still turns plenty of heads back and thumbs upward and you might want to learn to enjoy being harassed by strangers. It’s a sleek, beautifully sculpted creature with broad shoulders and curvy fenders wrapped snugly around 19 inch alloys. The cabin is pushed far back, leaving a long bonnet that looks capable of housing a hulk of an engine.
AMG Speaks up on new GT R
Instead of that, you’ll find AMG’s new ‘downsized’ four-litre twin-turbo V8, pushed rearward to help achieve a 47:53 front-to-rear weight distribution.
There’s really no shortage of wizardry here. To optimise air flow and improve responsiveness, the turbos are located inside the engine’s ‘V’ configuration, while dry-sump lubrication allows the engine to be installed 55mm lower. Direct injection and a surprisingly unobtrusive idle-stop system are in place to take some of the edge off its fuel thirst.
In GT S form, as tested here, the engine produces 375kW and 650Nm, versus 340kW/600Nm in the standard GT. At face value those outputs might seem a tad weak, given how we’ve become so desensitised by gazillion-killerwatt supercars but let’s keep in mind that the GT S, with its light-alloy chassis and structure, weighs just 1570kg.
AURA OF LUXURY
Before we got to performance test the GT S, we spent a few days trundling around Johannesburg in it and what really stood out here was just how completely satisfying it was as an everyday car.
There’s a tangible aura of luxury as you sink into the cabin and admire its exquisite materials; there are plenty of colour and trim choices available, although you will have to pay extra for some of the really nice stuff, such as the nappa leather upholstery with diamond stitching which was fitted to our car, or the Burmester surround-sound audio system.
The cabin has room for just two occupants, in front of a bulkhead that might also limit the seating adjustment for taller drivers, but there is a decent 350-litre boot – allegedly enough for two golf bags. That said, with this car in my life I’d much rather be prowling the streets than teeing off.
Cruising is probably a more apt description if you have the AMG Dynamic Select dialled into ‘Comfort’, where you’ll have to listen carefully for that V8 growl. In this mode the GT S just feels perfectly agreeable as an everyday car and, while the ride quality is still notably firm, it’s reasonably comfortable by sports-car standards.
UNLEASHING THE BEAST
Yet move the rotary lever into Race mode, bypassing the intermediate Sport and Sport + settings that you’ll also play with at some stage, and suddenly ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE. As if by magic, the GT S transforms from a tame tourer into a spitting and spluttering fire-breathing beast of the type that, if it had free will, would probably reprogramme the satnav and head straight to the nearest race track.
In addition to massaging the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission into track-driving mode, this race function, which is exclusive to the GT S, also adjusts the engine characteristics accordingly, along with the suspension, steering, ESP and exhaust flaps. It all adds up to create a loud, agile and ultimately hard-core track-day machete with lightning-fast gearshifts and beastly backfires on the overrun.
Alternatively you can mix and match the various characteristics, as there are additional buttons on the console that allow you to adjust the suspension damping, put the gearbox in manual mode, activate the exhaust flap for more motorised music and switch off the traction control.
SMOOTH DELIVERY
It also has a launch-control function, which helped us haul the car from 0-100km/h in just 3.7 seconds on the Gerotek test strip while the 11.7sec quarter-mile was the seventh best we’ve ever recorded, narrowly trailing the 2011 Nissan GT-R (11.5sec) and Porsche 911 Turbo S (11.3sec). A big factor here is that, unlike those previous AMGs that had more torque than the transmission knew what to do with, the GT S puts its power down rather cleanly.
Same goes for the handling. Sure, it’ll slide around like any rear-driven hooligan when driven aggressively with the traction control off, yet handled with some finesse it can really dissect corners like a pro, as it proved on Gerotek’s ride and handling track. Both versions have double-wishbone suspension at both ends, but the S is set apart by an electronically-controlled locking differential on the rear end, which is more responsive than the purely mechanical one on the standard GT.
You can turn your S into an even sharper tool by ordering ceramic composite brakes and the AMG Dynamic Plus package, which brings dynamic engine and gearbox mounts to the party, along with racier engine and suspension settings. As mentioned, there’s an absolute glut of dynamic and aesthetic options available, including the matt-gunmetal paint job that adorned our car - and adds R38 000 to the R1 991 670 base price.
VERDICT
The GT S is a sophisticated sports-car that can switch between civilised cruiser and race-track brute at the turn of a dial. It also offers reasonably good value for money and ultimately I don’t think I’d change a thing about this car, besides maybe replacing those ‘bug eye’ headlights with slimmer units.
Follow me on Twitter @JasonWoosey
FACTS
Mercedes-AMG GT S
Engine: 4-litre, V8 twin-turbo petrol
Gearbox: 7-speed dual-clutch automated
Power: 375kW @ 6250rpm
Torque: 650Nm @ 1750-4750rpm
0-100km/h (tested, Gauteng): 3.7 seconds
Top speed (claimed): 310km/h
Consumption (claimed): 9.6 litres per 100km
Price: R1 991 670
Warranty: 2-year/Unlimited distance
Maintenance plan: 6-year/100 000km
GT VERSUS ITS RIVALS
Mercedes-AMG GT S – 375kW/650Nm – R1 991 670
Audi R8 5.2 V10 quattro – 386kW/530Nm – R2 206 000
Jaguar F-Type R Coupé – 405kW/680Nm – R1 669 551
Porsche 911 Turbo Coupé – 383kW/660Nm – R2 439 000