2024 Mercedes-AMG GT Coupe: A Return for the EQ-Avoidant

Competes with: Aston Martin Vantage, Audi R8, Porsche 911

Looks like: A Mercedes-AMG GT with the rear of a 911

Powertrains: 469-horsepower (GT55) or 577-hp (GT63), twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8; nine-speed automatic transmission; all-wheel drive

Hits dealerships: First half of 2024

With 720 horsepower and an aero package that made racecars jealous, the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series left all who encountered it needing to catch their breath — including Mercedes-Benz itself, which discontinued the AMG GT coupe after 2021. But now it’s back. At Monterey Car Week, Mercedes introduced the second generation of its Porsche 911 competitor.

Related: Mercedes-AMG GT Coupe, Roadster Go Stealth (but by No Means Stealthy) for 2021

In the tradition of that last-generation Black Series car, the new 2024 Mercedes-AMG GT coupe boasts a spec sheet that reads like a racecar designer’s wish list: active aerodynamics, adaptive dampers, rear-wheel steering and an active hydraulic anti-roll system — plus 2+2 seating, one thing no racecar designer has ever asked for. Like the grand-touring SL, the GT now has an available backseat, although Mercedes admits it’s only “suitable for occupants less than 5 feet tall.”

Familiarity Breeds Fawning

For now, at least, the engine specs will be familiar from the last-generation AMG GT coupe. Buyers can choose between two versions of the twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8: The GT55 makes 469 horsepower and 516 pounds-feet of torque, while increased boost and improved airflow allow the GT63 to stretch those figures to 577 hp and 590 pounds-feet. The only transmission available is a nine-speed automatic and, like V-8 versions of the SL, the GT coupe is now all-wheel drive. The system, which Mercedes calls 4Matic+, continuously varies front and rear torque distribution between 50/50 and pure rear-wheel drive. An electronically controlled limited-slip differential on the rear axle makes the most of whatever power is sent back. We’d bet on there being a setting that locks the system into RWD.

The GT coupe rides on an all-aluminum five-link suspension front and rear, with adaptive dampers and a hydraulic active anti-roll system. An optional front-axle lift system can not only raise the nose 1.2 inches, but it’s also capable of remembering locations and automatically raising the nose to clear obstacles it has previously encountered.

Sleek, Sexy and Similar

Mercedes says its goal with the GT coupe was seamless design “without beads or edges.” That philosophy extends to flush-mounted door handles and an active spoiler that hides in the bodywork until needed. From the outside, the new car is a little less brutal-looking and more svelte than its predecessor, with the windshield less upright and the roofline flowing into the backlight and rear fascia in an unbroken sweep more than a little reminiscent of its chief competitor. The shape of the rear-quarter window is so similar to the 911’s that we almost wonder if they’re the same part number.

We’re confident they’re not, although the GT coupe does share a lot with the drop-top SL; even its wheelbase is the same 106.3 inches, 2.6 longer than the last GT’s. It’s about 5 inches longer than its predecessor, 1.5 narrower and 3 inches taller.

Active aerodynamic elements pepper the new GT coupe front to rear. Two sets of louvers behind the front air intakes remain closed to reduce lift unless necessary for cooling. The set in the upper opening only ever opens above 112 mph. A patented panel in front of the engine lowers by about 1.6 inches above 50 mph, creating a Venturi effect that sucks the nose to the ground so effectively that Mercedes claims drivers will feel it in the steering wheel. The car pictured above is fitted with the optional Aerodynamics Package that further enhances aero with additional air deflectors on the outer air intakes and front wheel arches, as well as deflectors on the rear end, a larger diffuser and a fixed rear wing. Twenty-inch wheels are standard; 21s are available.

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Shared Spaces

The view from the front seat is identical from door speaker to door speaker, across the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster to the portrait-oriented 11.9-inch touchscreen in the middle of the dash. In the GT, that touchscreen gets a handful of new display options under the AMG Performance menu, including engine output, lateral acceleration, the AWD system’s power distribution, and front and rear steering angles. It has the ability to record more than 80 parameters 10 times a second to act as a virtual track driving coach. Drivers can choose from 40 different parameters to display live. Working in conjunction with the navigation system, the performance driving programs can display lap and sector times in the instrument panel, head-up display or on the infotainment screen; it can also show braking points.

Along with all of its performance and track technology, the GT coupe offers single and two-tone Nappa leather interiors with available diamond quilting, combination Nappa leather and microfiber upholstery with contrast stitching, and massaging seats that integrate with the 64-color ambient lighting to create different moods inside the car.

Pricing and Release Date

Whatever the mood inside, the predominant one on the outside is likely to be jealousy. Mercedes hasn’t announced pricing yet, but figure on $130,000 or so to start. We’ll find out closer to the car’s arrival at dealerships in the first half of 2024.

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