Benz's Big Brute

The AMG GT - The second sports car developed entirely in-house by Mercedes' performance division - has been blessed with a bi-turbo V8 and outlandish styling, and is poised to set benchmarks like the Porsche 911

Mercedes-Benz has been credited with building the first 4-stroke petrol engine motorcar and it continues its relentless effort to maintain automotive supremacy by putting a car in virtually every segment. It builds everything from limousines to compact hatchbacks, from the all-conquering Unimog truck to the G-Class wagon that's endorsed by royals the world over.
In fact, Mercedes, with its 18-model range - not counting the variants - can easily take up a third of our 52-issue year. This week, we look at their flag-bearer and crucible for "supercar-dom" - the 2015 Mercedes-Benz AMG GT. The AMG GT takes the baton from the widely acclaimed "Gullwing" SLS AMG, and, although the gullwing doors may be gone, Mercedes says there is much to revel about the road-going antics of the GT, especially in S trim, which adds some 50 extra horses.

DESIGN & AESTHETICS
The lines of the AMG GT have clearly been derived from the familiar silhouette of the SLS AMG - like the long bonnet with hood vents and the short rear deck, between which lies the cockpit, sticking out like an artillery pod of a Memphis Belle warplane from WWII. With the rear roof sloping back, gently forming an aerodynamic teardrop motif, the GT is equally reminiscent of the 1961 Jaguar E-type.
A 3-D diamond radiator grille dominates the aggressive front end - first seen on the A-Class - with the 3-pointed star placed on a broad louvre. Elements like the daytime running LED strip, the xenon lamps and chrome bits congregate beautifully in the headlamp cluster. Equally conspicuous are the hungry-for-air front apron nostril-like air intakes. An open-end vent on the side fender with "V8 BITURBO" placed on a mesh and concave-sculpted door panels adorn the side profile. Nothing seems out of place; there is a lot of fluidity in the design.

The rear end has an evolved SLS AMG look. In fact, the slim and long horizontal rear lamps, with numerous LED fixtures, actually remind you of the AMG's archrival: the Porsche 911. The rear spoiler, or aerofoil as Mercedes call it, which pops up on the happy side of 120 km/h and drops down when the speed goes south, comes as standard. Below the bumper, trapezoidal blacked out exhausts produce the grunts and snarls that accompany the process of turning fuel to explosives, reminding us of the beast in the belly.
Keeping the svelte body merely inches off the ground are near-race car specification semi-slick tyres wrapped around multi-spoke alloys, which you can have in many designs. They are 19" upfront and 20" at the rear, and the open-spoke look leaves the carbon ceramic disc brakes and the bronze painted brake callipers exposed.
Our test car came painted in yellow, but there are at least 10 other colours, including multiple shades of red, blue, grey, etc, to choose from. In plain and simple terms, the AMG GT looks the speed it is capable of and also conveys your financial achievements in fairly good measure.
The cockpit of the AMG GT has to be among the most futuristic, well-built and appealing ones we have come across in recent times. There is a plethora of buttons and controls spread across a lavishness of nappa leather upholstery and carbon fibre trims that make the centre console a lovely piece of furniture. There's also the four unusually placed central air vents that adds to the appeal. Conveniences have not been forgotten for the sake of being a super car - you have huge cup holders and pockets on the door that can hold a 1.5L bottle.

The two gauges, the 320km/h speedo and the 8,000rpm tachometer also illustrates that this car is built for speed. The steering wheel is AMG's 3-spoke flat-bottom variety, and for grip, you have alcantara-like microfibre material wrapping it, making the AMG GT a joy to steer around town and when the speed gets serious.
This is a strict 2-seater unlike the 911, which has two pseudo-seats, at least - good enough for primary school kids or your handbag. That being said, if you can afford this, it probably means you have an S-Class for family matters. The AMG performance seats, upholstered in nappa leather, look like they have been stripped right out of a race car. The highly bolstered seating arrangement might prove uncomfortable for some, but for the racer-types, it provides great lateral support on the move.
Mercedes' COMAND Online, their infotainment module, can be controlled intuitively via the innovative touchpad and using finger gestures, in addition to the COMAND Controller and LINGUATRONIC; ie, voice operation.
POWERTRAIN & PERFORMANCE
The AMG GT is actually a muscle car that thinks it's a sports car and with AMG you always know that the engine is going to be something special. Under the aluminium hood sits a front-mounted mid-engine bi-turbo 4L V8 - the first sports car engine with internally mounted turbochargers configured in two output ratings. The base model gets about 453bhp while the top dog S model churns out a mighty 503bhp between 6,000 and 6,500rpm and a potent 650Nm of torque between 1,750 and 5,000rpm.
Power is developed at the front, but it is transferred to the transaxle configuration 7-speed SPEEDSHIFT DCT in the rear via a carbon-fibre driveshaft helping it achieve a near-ideal weight distribution of 47: 53, front to rear. The 7-speed dual clutch transmission is a big improvement over the sloppy shifter in the SLS - this one is lightning-quick on upshifts, but a tad slow on down shifts.
Put your foot down while getting out at a traffic light or on the highway and the car throws you forward like a tornado. Even though the feeling is quite intoxicating, it is important to keep your speed notions in check. The 0-100km/h dash is claimed in 3.8 seconds and it hits 160km/h in about 8 seconds. That's faster than a Camry to a 100km/h! Also, turbo lag has been largely done away with, making mid-range acceleration a blast. If it weren't for the electronically limited top speed of 310km/h, you would easily hit 325.
On the road, only the rare 911 Turbo S could possibly trump the AMG GT. And the exhaust note that rumbles and crackles elevates the whole experience of being behind the wheel.
The available Dynamic Plus package adds dynamic engine and transmission mounts, firms up the sports suspension and provides a more tuned-in steering. The car corners flatly, even around quick sharp ones, thanks to a dry-sump lubrication system that drops the centre of gravity, and a lightweight aluminium space-age frame that reduces weight to 1,570kg. The variable-rate hydraulic rack steering, though light like in a luxury car, is precise and helps you put that long nose wherever you want it. Just remember that the long extends of the bonnet and that massive torque will turn this ride into a dangerous tail-happy venture at any sign of excessive throttle.
There are plenty of drive settings to fiddle around with before you get the best fit - you get three stages for the ESP, three settings for the suspension, five for the drive modes, including Sport and Sport plus and, of course, two to tune the thunderous exhaust note.
The exposed AMG ceramic compound brake rotors, which are 40 per cent lighter than conventional discs, help the car pull great g-forces during deceleration, screeching to a stop from 100km/h in 105ft. The ferocity of the brakes remains at all speeds and brake fade is minimal.
I couldn't vouch for the claimed fuel economy of 9.4L/100km and the CO2 emission of 219g/km, simply because of the manner we were rioting down the streets. Surely, they are great numbers on paper, which claims that this won't be burning a hole in the ozone or melting polar ice caps as much as a supercar from a decade ago.
FEATURES & FUNCTIONALITY
Sure, Mercedes boasts a cargo space of 350L, but taking the shape into consideration, you can just about fit two sets of golf clubs, not much else.
The elevated craftsmanship of the Burmester company is evident in the sounds produced by the 1000W, 11-channel amplifier playing out through all 11-speakers. The speakers themselves have an exquisite finish in perforated aluminium. The usual tag-alongs such as Bluetooth streaming, USB and aux-in ports are present.
There are numerous safety features, both active and passive, working in the background to keep you alive and well. Standard equipment includes collision prevention assist that, on detecting the danger of a collision, sounds an acoustic warning, assists driver braking and, if the driver fails to react, brakes autonomously. Also included are attention assist, a tyre pressure monitoring system, seat belts with belt tensioners and belt force limiters, and airbags practically everywhere - in the front, in the side, at the windows and at the knees.
As for the cooling system, even with the summer temperatures hitting 50-plus degrees on several occasions, we were chilling in the well-insulated cabin. Of course, it has dual-zone climate control, so the passenger and driver can keep two individual temperatures. Pretty neat.
Mercedes offers an array of custom fits, though be aware that the options list on the test car cost as much as a Mercedes A-Class!

VERDICT
We often banter about dream cars - those with high aspirational quality and even higher price tags - and the 2015 Mercedes-Benz AMG GT is one such example. It is a statement sports car that reminds us that life is worth living in the fast lane. It provides a discrete, but equally enthralling experience from what the 911and R8 offer. The deep baritone of the exhaust and the gut-wrenching torque give a glimpse of the muscle car from the 70s, while the advanced technologies and the flowing bodywork puts us right back into the 21st century.
 

• On The Road