It may not have the iconic gullwing doors or the raw power of its predecessor, but the AMG GT feels more refined and better engineered than the SLS.
According to Mercedes-AMG’s performance figures, the GT S can crack 100kph in just 3.8sec – or 0.1sec faster than the original SLS. Aided by an active rear spoiler that deploys from the rear of the tailgate at 70kph to enhance longitudinal stability, it is also claimed to reach an electronically limited top speed of 310kph.
In a development first brought to the earlier SLS AMG Black Series, the GT S employs a damper between the engine block and floorpan. It is also the first Mercedes-AMG model to use active hydraulic engine mounts that continuously vary their firmness depending on the revs and yaw properties. Together, they are claimed to dramatically reduce the movement of the engine under load for added handling precision. Underpinning the new car is a bespoke aluminium suspension that employs traditional double wishbones up front and a complex double wishbone arrangement at the rear – in which the lower wishbones are connected directly to the wheel carrier for added wheel control and adjustment precision. Added to this are sturdy anti-roll bars and a set of standard 19-inch wheels shod with 255/35 front and 295/35 profile tyres. Allied to well-judged electro-mechanical steering, the assistance of which alters with speed, the new suspension endows the GT S with satisfyingly sharp responses and outstanding body control.
This, together with greater levels of compliance, offer a more refined feel and generally more determined nature than the SLS in just about every driving situation. There is terrific fluidity and pleasant directness to the handling, making the new Mercedes-AMG reassuring all the way up to and, when your mood permits, beyond its high limits of adhesion. The inherent accuracy and feel of the steering makes the GT S easy to place in corners.
The underpinnings also telegraph its actions with fabulous clarity, allowing you to push hard up to the apex and then get on the power earlier than you would have with the SLS. The sheer traction generated out of corners is exceptional and a clear nod to the deftness of the chassis tuning and expert calibration of the electronic stability control, which only ever springs into action when it is really required.