Picture yourself in the Mercedes-AMG GT S
Today’s test car, the 2016 Mercedes-AMG GT S, looks great from any angle. It has classic rear-wheel-drive proportions: a long hood with power domes, large wheels, dome-shaped roof, and styling lines that flow into the muscular rear styling.
Up front, the look is wide and simple—a prominent Mercedes-Benz star accentuates narrow headlights that emphasize the sleek styling. On the sides, there is a cutout that adds to the styling and doubles as the spot for the Biturbo V-8 badge.
A bonus with this good-looking car is that its broad backside also houses a decent-size luggage compartment. We went away for the weekend with a pair of duffle bags, backpack, computer bag, miscellaneous carry-all, and a pile of jackets and sweatshirts thrown on top.
The morning we posed the AMG for its photos wasn’t the best, weather-wise. It had rained the night before and the morning dawned foggy and cloudy. But the clouds and mist just started to burn off, leaving us with almost a studio-like background instead of sky and sea. It was a welcome stroke of good fortune.
The AMG GT S has 479 lb.-ft. of torque headed to the rear wheels via a 7-speed rear-mounted transaxle.
Recently, we wrote about Beauty (the Jaguar F-Type coupe) and the Beast (a Dodge Viper GTS). Had we known the AMG was headed our way, we’d have added another car to that story.
Instead, we can say that this Mercedes is both a beauty to look at and a beast when you use the throttle.
Mercedes has packed 503 horsepower into a small (4.0-liter) V-8 with the internally mounted twin turbos. It also has 479 lb.-ft. of torque headed to the rear wheels via a 7-speed rear-mounted transaxle with limited-slip differential and this-car-means-business exhaust note.
The engine is made under the one-man, one-engine hand-built principle. Ours was signed by Mike Hutfluss.
The AMG was quick—very quick—on the road. M-B says it does 0-60 in 3.7 seconds. I’m not quick enough to verify that claim with the throttle and stopwatch, but as my dad used to say, “It goes from here to there and back again before you realize you’ve left.’’
There was a quick moment of panic when I thought all that power was going to dig a hole in the damp sand, but the AMG extracted itself smoothly, a relief to me and probably a disappointment to the construction crew building a house on the adjacent lot.
INSIDE STORY: The AMG’s cabin features four center air vents, plenty of leather, and a wide airplane-like console that holds many of the controls.
Mercedes has maintained an aviation-inspired cockpit-style interior with arches, a sloping center stack, and wide center console dividing the low-slung Nappa leather sport seats.
The console also is airplane-styled with eight knobs—reflecting eight cylinders—controlling the auto start-stop, driving modes, audio, and other functions.
Speed control is awkwardly placed behind the lower left of the steering wheel, meaning it has to be set, cancelled, and resumed by feel, not a major issue for a long-time owner but disconcerting for a newcomer to the car.
The ride is stiff. Combine the taut suspension with low-profile tires and you truly can feel every irregularity in the road. It’s relatively noisy in the cabin, thanks to that exhaust growl, the suspension, and the fact the cabin is open through the rear cargo compartment. Still, we were comfortable during a two-hour drive.
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Mercedes-Benz and other car brands that offer satisfying sales experiences:
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Fuel economy reflects throttle usage. We averaged 21.3 miles per gallon in a week of driving and seemed to do well on the highway. But there is a pretty steep price tag. Our car’s base price was $130,825, including destination, with a bottom line of $139,320.
Enough with the words already. This AMG is delightful to behold, but even more delightful if you can be-holdin’ the steering wheel.
2016 Mercedes-AMG GT S
THE BASICS
Price, base/as tested (with destination): $130,825/$139,320. Fuel economy, EPA estimated: 16/city/22 highway. Fuel economy, Globe observed: 21.3. Drivetrain: 4-liter twin turbo V-8, 7-speed automatic rear transaxle, rear-wheel-drive. Body: 2-seat Sports coupe.
THE SPECIFICS
Horsepower: 503. Torque: 479 lb.-ft. Overall length: 179 in. Wheelbase: 103.5 in. Height: 50.7 in. Width: 76.3 in. Curb weight: 3,627 lbs.
THE GOOD
Performance, handling, braking, exterior styling, luxurious interior.
THE BAD
Extremely stiff ride (even in comfort setting), rear visibility.
THE BOTTOM LINE
A top-of-the-line sports car.
ALSO CONSIDER
Audi R8, Corvette Z06, Porsche 911.
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