2016 Mercedes-Benz AMG GT: First Look (43 Photos)

Competes with: Porsche 911, Audi R8, Dodge Viper, Bentley Continental

Looks like: A sleeker, more powerful fixed coupe version of the SL roadster

Drivetrain: Twin-turbocharged 456- (GT) or 503-hp (GT S), 4.0-liter V-8; seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission; rear-wheel drive

Hits dealerships: The GT S will be available in spring 2015, the GT in 2016

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the successor to the outrageous gull-wing SLS AMG coupe, the 2016 AMG GT and GT S coupe. This is the second flagship sports car to be built in-house by the company’s high-performance tuning arm AMG, and it brings a completely new, aluminum-intensive body structure and a smaller, turbocharged engine to a more conventional sports car layout. By doing so it hopes to compete with other high-end, two-seat sports cars like the Porsche 911 Turbo, Audi R8 and Dodge Viper.

Exterior

Gone is the flat styling of the old SLS, dictated by that car’s signature gull-wing doors, replaced by the more conventional long hood, short deck layout of the AMG GT. It’s a shame that the unique gull-wing doors had to go, but given the engineering required to make them work and the added weight they required, their absence is not surprising. Fully half the car looks like hood and fenders, with the driver seated well back toward the rear of the wheelbase.

It’s a front-mid engine layout, meaning the majority of the engine actually resides behind the front wheels, and it’s easy to believe given that crazy-long hood. The rear features muscular haunches and an almost Jaguar F-Type-like side and rear window treatment, but the taillights are reminiscent of the larger S-Class Coupe. Nineteen-inch wheels are standard, with 20-inch wheels an option.

Interior

The AMG GT gets a racy, driver-focused cabin that appears flush with high-quality materials and simple designs. An arching center console houses two rows of buttons on either side of the shifter, while a display screen is fixed low in the leather-covered dashboard. Compared to the button-strewn interior of a Porsche, the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT seems almost Spartan, but the look is clean, elegant and uncomplicated.

A flat-bottom steering wheel is covered in Nappa leather or suede, and sits in front of a “twin-tube” gauge cluster. The Mercedes-Benz Comand multimedia system is standard, as is the 8.4-inch screen. The company has also apparently worked hard to make the new AMG GT a practical daily-use vehicle, bestowing it with 12.4 cubic feet of usable trunk space, enough to accommodate two golf bags lengthwise or widthwise according to Mercedes-Benz, and more than three times as big as an Audi R8 or Porsche 911.

Under the Hood

Powering the AMG GT is a new twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 engine, hand built by a single AMG skilled technician who then affixes his name to it. It pumps out 456 horsepower in the GT or 503 hp in the even sportier GT S, and sends that power to the rear wheels via a standard seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The transmission can be put into a number of selectable drive modes, including Controlled Efficiency, Sport, Sport Plus and Individual. A Race setting comes exclusively with the GT S and optimizes the transmission for racetrack use. Alternately, the driver can push the M button to select a manual mode, enabling the paddle shifters located behind the steering wheel.

The company says that the new coupe has a weight distribution of 47/53 percent front/rear, and combined with the exceptionally lightweight aluminum body and chassis, presents a low center of gravity for outstanding handling characteristics. An adaptive electronic active suspension is standard, and can be adjusted to Comfort, Sport and Sport plus settings via the AMG Dynamic Select system on the center console. A mechanical locking rear differential will be standard on the GT, with an electronic version coming with the GT S trim, designed to aid traction in corners. All this technology is said to propel the AMG GT from zero-to-60 mph in just 3.9 seconds, and 3.7 seconds for the GT S, according to the manufacturer. Top speed is limited to 189 mph for the GT and 193 for the GT S.

Hauling down from that speed shouldn’t be difficult, given the 14.2-inch brakes at all four corners on the GT, upgraded to 15.4 inch front brakes on the GT S. Carbon ceramic brakes are an option on both models, boosting front brake diameter to 15.8 inches in the process.

Safety

The new AMG GT would not be complete without a full roster of electronic safety equipment, many of which debuted on the new S-Class. Standard equipment will include Mercedes-Benz’s collision prevention plus system, adaptive brakes, attention assist, park assist, backup camera, a collision preparation system and a tire pressure monitor. Optional will be systems like lane monitoring and blind spot warning.

Manufacturer images