Mercedes-AMG GT S India review, test drive

Mercedes-AMG’s second in-house-developed sportscar is here, and in true AMG fashion, it’s loud, charismatic and a riot to drive.

Published on Nov 05, 2015 11:42:00 AM

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Mercedes-AMG GT S India review, test drive

The Mercedes-AMG GT S is the company's new flagship sportscar

It has a similar shape to its predecessor, the SLS AMG, but is smaller

A long bonnet, sleek headlamps and gaping grille dominate the look

Te rear is subtler, but looks really wide and planted

What’s it like to drive?

Let’s stick with the good noise for a moment. Push the starter and the V8 roars to life like a sleeping lion poked with a stick. Mercedes will only have the more powerful AMG GT ‘S’ version in India, so the motor in question is a 503bhp 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8; the same one introduced in the C 63 S. The difference here is that it is dry sumped and uses a transaxle gearbox that sits between the rear wheels for better balance. The gearbox is AMG’s Speedshift, seven-speed dual-clutch unit, and it does a good job of putting the GT’s 66.28kgm through the 295-section rear tyres to the road, when you’re going flat out. It’s quick to shift and provides just the right amount of ‘kick’ each time you do. When you’re not going flat out, however, it can be a little jerky, especially when parking or if you ask for a sudden change of pace at low speeds. In fact, the motor itself is super responsive for something turbocharged, but it’s only let-down by a little hesitation from the gearbox.

There are five driving modes – Comfort, Sport, Sport+, Race and Individual, the last of course being the customisable one. These alter engine and gearbox responses, suspension firmness, and even engine volume, with Race mode locking the gearbox to manual shifts only. It also has launch control, and we managed to fire the AMG GT S to 100kph in just 3.82sec! Apart from the electronics, however, what makes this engine so responsive is that its turbos are placed inside the V of the cylinder banks, so the forced air has a shorter route from the turbos to the combustion chamber. As with all V8 AMGs, the driving experience is dominated by an incredible sound from the engine – a sonorous growl that borders on the addictive. Don’t be put off by the downsizing, this sounds like a proper AMG should. Acceleration all the way to the 7,000rpm redline feels properly strong, to the point that you daren’t depress the throttle all the way unless you have a long, empty stretch of road in front of you. Floor it too quickly, even with the ESC on in Sport mode, and the rear wheels will break traction momentarily. It’s one hell of a thrill, but you’d better be alert. Get yourself to the safe confines of a race track and turn the ESC off, however, and the GT S will happily slide around corners all day long.

That’s not to say it’s uncontrollable though; far from it. The AMG GT S has a lot of poise and if you want to tackle a series of corners, it will reward your effort with very good balance. And if you’re measured with the throttle, there’s a lot of grip too. The steering is super quick and very sharp, enabling you to flick that long nose into corners surprisingly easily. It does, however, tend to weigh up a little inconsistently, sometimes feeling too light under heavy loads, even in Sport+ mode. The ride is firm in any of the modes, and you feel every bit of the road through your seat and the steering wheel. Now you could forgive a car with such a huge amount of performance for riding this way, but the fact is that some of its rivals do ride better. Still, when you’re in the moment and really going for it, the slight firmness only adds to the sensation of raw performance.