We tend to get more excited when someone says sports car instead of say...er...car! But that's natural isn't it? Especially the birth of an all-new sports car? Now that is always extra special. I had got myself quite wired up to drive this particular one, ever since I attended its grand unveiling in September at the AMG headquarters in Affalterbach near Stuttgart.
The reasons are simple: The new AMG GT is the next big thing from the company. It follows in the footsteps of the mighty SLS AMG, though it is not a successor to that car. It boasts all sorts of new technology and materials. And last but not least - it looks and sounds H.O.T!
It is the second independent AMG car that is not derived from an existing Mercedes-Benz model line, but the first to drop the 'Benz' name from its moniker. And unlike the SLS AMG, which was a super sports car, the GT is a sports car. Yes I know to those of us down here on mother earth, it all looks like it's all up there in the stratosphere! The distinction is key though not only because it's physically different and so in a different segment, but also since it's going after a different kind of buyer. It is also the first time AMG is taking direct aim at its Stuttgart neighbour - Porsche!
I drove the new GT-S in California - specifically in and around the San Francisco- Carmel Valley area. Now I get the fact that California is one of the world's biggest sports car markets, and that it usually guarantees great weather and scenic locales. But its single lane highways and low speed limits are a killjoy. San Francisco also has some rather bumpy and uneven roads - again not best suited for a sports car really. But grumbling aside, I did get a LOT of attention as I made my way through the thick Frisco traffic, along the wharf, past the Golden Gate bridge and into the Carmel countryside.
See the thing is AMG claims that the GT is trying to be two things at once: it's a proper sports car and it's also the car you can use every day. In my view to be that dual-car it needs to have a much softer side. The car is just too stiff even in comfort mode. So you feel every undulation, every little bit of the road and that is not really the most comforting thing when you want to drive a car every day, is it? Of course there are three drive modes, that modify everything from throttle response, to braking and clutch feel and of course the suspension settings. But the 911 remains way more versatile, and so more of an everyday car.
Let me clearly state that for me that is not a major disappointment, because someone buying a sports car is really looking for performance attributes over comfort. Heck if you want comfort go buy a Camry - right? Okay so I am being flippant!
The GT-S is quick. Power delivery is tremendously satisfying, especially when you use the paddles on the dual-clutch 7-speed AMG Speedshift gearbox. The car's agility is helped since 93% of the body shell is aluminium, and the front end is made of magnesium. AMG claims the GT's 3.08 kg/bhp power to weight ratio is best in class.