Back in 2010 Mercedes-Benz showed off a car that really grabbed public attention
and that's for several reasons.
A 0-60 time of less than four seconds, striking looks
and doors that opened upwards rather than outwards. But the problem for many
people with the SLS AMG GT
was its price. It was priced to compete with things like the Ferrari 458
Now despite some obvious visual similarities, this new
AMG GT is a very different prospect in many ways.
Here are five reasons why we are very excited about this new car.
Mercedes aims to take on cars like the Porsche 911 and the Audi R8 - both
big-selling sports cars. The big difference between this car and
those is the layout. The Porsche, for example, has its engine back here.
The R8, a bit further forward, is mid-engined. The Mercedes,
as you can probably tell by this really long swooping bonnet, is front engined. However,
the power from it goes to the rear wheels like a lot of other sports cars.
Mercedes also says that the weight distribution is optimal as well. That it gets
47% up front and 53%
over the rear. To start off with there will be only two versions of the GT but both of
them will use
a version this 4.0-litre biturbo V8
engine. Both of them are pretty rapid though. The entry-level version, if you can call
it that,
has got 456bhp and we'll get from 0 to 60 in
4.0 seconds. The S version, which is a slightly tuned version
of the same engine - that's this one here - has got 503 brake horsepower and gets from
0-60 in 3.8 seconds.
It's not unlikely, however, that in the future there will be more versions of this car
as there was in the SLS AMG GT - things like a Black edition, stuff at that - that will
boost the car in terms of performance and other specification.
Nothing has been confirmed long along those lines just yet but watch this space.
Now one big notable change on this car
over the SLS is these doors. Instead of opening upwards
they open in a much more conventional way and the hinges are
at the front. While that might not look quite as cool as the
gullwing versions it does mean that they are much lighter and this has knock-on
effect on things like performance
and economy. Mercedes says the even higher powered version of this car
is capable of 30mpg. The GT part of this car's name implies that this is a Grand Tourer, or
the sort of car
you want to spend a lot of time covering long distances in.
This interior really does back that up. It is
a fantastic place in many ways. These materials feel wonderful,
this central cockpit and the seats really hug you in
so it feels like a sporty yet luxurious car.
There is also a huge amount of space. There is loads of legroom for the passenger there,
but you get a vast boot in this car. At 350 litres
it is bigger than things like the Ford Focus. Obviously
it's not the same shape so you can't get a big suitcase and stuff but there is
enough room for soft bags so you'll be able to go away for a long weekend
rather than just a night.
As well as being quicker, higher-power versions of this car get some real
upgrades to boost things like handling. It gets the AMG ride control system, which
means you can stiffen or soften up the suspension.
It also gets bigger brakes, 19-inch wheels at the front and 20-inch versions
at the back,
and an electronic differential, whereas the standard version gets a mechanical version.
Pricing for this car starts slap-bang in Porsche 911 territory at £97,195
If you want this version - the S version - it's
gonna cost you about £110,000
and there are, obviously, a huge range of options you can
add on top of that as much or as little as you wish.
This card will start heading out to its first customers in April 2015
but in the meantime we'll be driving it in November so keep an eye on whatcar.com
for our verdict then.
Also, there is much more information on our website so do
take a look straight away to keep up to date with everything to know about this
car.