Mercedes-Benz Reveals Their 911-Fighter
Mercedes-Benz launched the replacement for their SLS AMG sports car, dubbed the AMG GT. Out go the gullwing doors and naturally aspirated 6.2L V8, with a new turbocharged 4.0L V8 and a 7-speed DCT backing it up.
The base GT (if you can call it that) puts down 456 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque (good for a 3.9 second sprint to 60 mph and a 189 mph top speed) , with the top-spec GT-S making 503 hp and 479 lb-ft and shaving .2 seconds of the 60 mph dash and a top speed pf 193 mph.
The GT-S also adds a variable exhaust, electronic dampers and an electronic LSD (the base car gets a mechanical unit) and variable engine and transmission mounts that can stiffen or flex depending on driving conditions. The higher spec model also gets 15.2 inch brakes all around.
The base GT will start at around $130,000 USD in Europe, but pricing and content for North America have yet to be announced. Expect the new 4.0L V8 to show up in the new AMG C63 (and likely in both trims, with a higher power S model following as well). Hopefully some of the GT’s styling migrates to the rest of the range as well.
456 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque or 503 hp and 479 lb-ft
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Meh, I have been starting at this car for half the day now trying to make myself like it and I just don't, just like I don't like the SLS either. 10/10 times I would take the F-Type coupe or 911 over this, or Viper, R8, Z06... Hell the Lexus RC-F is a whole lot more exciting than this car. I imagine it will sell, if you can sell the hideous SL and CLS, you can sell anything I guess and this looks a lot better than those two.
I don't see anything about it that makes me say "gotta have it". I'm sure it will sell some, the tri-star, by itself will take care of that but to be a 911 fighter?...I dunno. My issues: 1. I wonder what the visibility will be like. High belt line, small rear window...I wonder if you'll be able to tell where the hood ends. 2. Mercedes has always had a issue with their DCT transmissions being unresponsive in manual mode, especially on downshifts. Maybe they've sorted that. Time will tell. 3. Weight- Car and Driver estimates this at 3600# and a starting price of $130,000. That's almost three times the price of the Corvette. Why, with the resources Mercedes has, and at that price, is the car so heavy? And at that price it's close to a GT3 and a Turbo. Which car do you think will drive better? 4. There's a contingent of Porsche drivers who use their cars like a high faluttin watch. I'm guessing that's who MB is going after. There's a whole other set who appreciate the performance. How many Mercedes do you see at an HPDE? And how many who track their cars would leave Porsche for what MB is offering? I don't know what's gonna happen, but I'd be surprised if this car does what MB wants it to. It does follow the MB formula of big power. Let's see how sorted it is. It seems those boys in Affalterbach are waving their hands and shouting me too! To me, it's just a piece of pogey bait.