Vic55

The GTS is long in the tooth- way long for me but its such a wonderful car. Its tuned, dropped and has a wild set of shoes to add. But all things auto, even good, tend to leave when it comes to my ownership desires. I want to stay in the Benz family here and have a crazy deal on a GTC Coupe (white duh) but still dont have a ton of driver feedback here. Any one care to give me some intel? I ask all this pre drive myself as Im not in town to test it right now. But I value this section of the forum more than most (not to insult other sections) but this is where the "drivers" mainly lie or at least provide input.

I like to know comparos regarding:

1. chassis feedback in regards to suspension
2. steering
3. exhaust
4. grip from a dig
5. high speed grip in big turns and lower speed sharp turns
6. braking

Basically I want to know how does this car drive compared to a GTS and to a GTR. The feedback here is far and few between because the coupe and vert ownership is very very small. CA John will chime in I know but anyone else??

susman@eurogermantown.com

I had a client buy from us in DC and drive all the way through the blue ridge mountains and down to Florida...

https://mbworld.org/forums/amg-gt/70...gtc-coupe.html

https://jalopnik.com/the-2018-merced...ant-1790977884

I know someone who has a white on red on order...

California John

Yep, you knew I'd chime in. 😎 My background is with a GTS with the Dynamic Suspension Package (or whatever it's called) - which I drove for two years. And I now have a GTC vert. Plus my GTS was not tuned or dropped - as is Vics. Those are a couple of variables - and my GTC is also not tuned. Both my cars were/are stockers.

I'm going to put #1,2 and 5 in the same box. The GTC corners better in both low and high speed corners no doubt about it. I assume this is a result of the wider stance, tires and rear wheel steering as well as a more powerful engine. The car sticks, sticks and sticks some more. I have a couple of onramps and offramps and mountain areas for comparison. My exit speed is faster, my min speed is faster and the car is more stable in those comparatively low speed sweepers. Some has to do with the rear wheel steering I'm sure. Plus the GTC is a bit smoother on all roads...less jouncy. Not that the GTS was especially rough - it wasn't - at least in the roads I mostly drive on. But it definitely was stiffer and unnecessarily so IMHO. So many variables in suspension feel - from tire pressure to the tires themselves (Contis in the new car). Feedback is great.

The exhaust is a hoot - but I don't know if it is any different. Perhaps a bit more radical. Braking is the same as far as I can tell. I am not hard on brakes...and generally drive conservatively. Grip from a dig? This is a bit embarrassing but I haven't put it in Race Start once! But a few times there has been a disrespectful P car or some other chest thumper who had to be put in their place 🤗

Vic55

Thanks brother John--- I knew you would chime in... and thanks Shahul for the links.

susman@eurogermantown.com

xbox

Dan Prosser makes some good comparisons between C and the other versions in this "sweet spot" in the range piece....


If the C steers more naturally, then I'd consider a change, as I love the platform.

thebishman

Vic55

NP Dave, thanks for the input--- Ill do some more searches.

And thanks xbox for the vid.

Vic55

dang X--- I frankly really enjoy the 991 platform and my GTS Cab. I like Prosser and his reviews so alot of what he said has meaning. I guess as much as I want hp, the dynamics of driving are so necessary. You must be in hog heaven with that .2 GT3.

I tuned my GTS 991.2 and ran from a dig against a stock E63S and was even to 100, if not a tick ahead... and I felt due to the power to weight ratio and tranny I would have kept pulling.

hummmmmmm decisions; I need to drive this GTC.

California John

When you get back in town, send me a PM and if I'm in town you can drive mine and see what you think. Of course, mine's a vert and you want a coupe - but I'm thinking that the handling would be the same. The vert might have a touch more twitch - but I think that AMG has the basic rigidity the same.

xbox

Hey Vic, I love my GT for many of its attributes, just never the dynamics. To me, the suspension can feel a little under-damped in certain modes, also the light over sensitive steering, which I have never liked. So, for me a beautiful GT/muscle car.

No questioning AMG's electronic wizardry, as more than any car I've owned, I feel it needs its various suspension and engine modes, to adapt the car to how I fancy driving it.

Stark contrast to the GT3 (and also an exceptionally high bar for comparison), but this car just gets on with its work. Amazingly compliant suspension, that I never even notice bothering me (unless below 30mph) and super consistent feel and feedback to every input.

Not much else to say about the GT3 that hasn't already been said....... so back to the GTC. Its not a power thing, as once tuned all GT's are pretty even. Have AMG moved the GTC into a more neutral and well behaved fast road car - I'm very sure they have, but will it be worth the change?

Maybe I'm being harsh, but as AMG refine the GT-range with the likes of the GTC, its like they are further shaving corners from a square peg, alas it will never be round!!

For me life is too short to chase after the increments, so I'll love the GT for what its good at, appreciating the GTC is better.

sno

May be my comparison is not that valid given that I did not drive it for an extended period but When i decided to add a GT to the garage I test drove a lot of GT's used and new. In the end it came down to buying new and my dealer had a GTS and a GTC Coupe being a long time customer I was permitted to test drive each of them extensively and money was not a consideration when formulating my decision but here is why I ended up with the GTS.

Yes the GTC has two things that the GTS lacks which you can see and feel right away and that is the rear wheel steering and the wider rear end. Notice I did not mention the extra 35 HP because I could not really feel the difference and mind you my Grand Sport has 627 HP @ the wheels so I'm no newbee... and i could not discern any real difference from one to the other. I did find that both still had the same turbo lag. May be if I would have pushed the car past 130 it would have but I was being respectful of the vehicle.

Low speed turns for sure you can sense and feel the difference but I'm going to wager that for you who has a vehicle that has an upgraded suspension already you are not going to write home about the experience. At high speeds I could not once again find any real marked difference from the S to the C. We have a couple of high speed sweepers that I compared them on and they had the same characteristics. The ride quality was no different from one to the other both felt the same over the same set of roads and in the same modes.

My wife hates when I start the process to buy a new car, I test drive the **** out of them and spend weeks looking at a lot of them. In the end when I compared what I was getting for the extra $13K and change I landed on the S. I still think that it is the best of the three variants for the price, for me if I would have decided that it was truly a vastly superior car over the S, I would have just gone with the R and skipped the baby step in the middle. $10K difference from a C to an R is well worth it, S to a C not so much. Chance are this may not help much but may be it might. test drive them both and have fun!

Vic55

Thanks to all for your thoughts (and prayers LOL).... Ill be back Saturday to drive it. Right now Im also looking at a 991.2 GT3 (used) and I know they are not apples to apples but Porsche and its driver experience is just an attractive, albeit much more expensive, buy.

xbox

Ummm, I'll just leave this here and wish you much enjoyment in this process

xbox

OK and this


upload images

Vic55

I hate you.

MalibuScott

But the steering wheel is on the wrong side!

sno

that is spectacular...

A GT3 is IMHO a better all around vehicle then a GT of any variant.

California John

Interesting. I've never noticed any turbo lag in any setting except C in my GTC or my previous GTS - EXCEPT when I'd been driving quite leisurely for extended periods. But when I've let loose the hounds the car very quickly sees what I'm doing, adapts, and holds shifts and gears for long periods of time and is always in the sauce. Never an ounce of lag. Hmmm.

Vic55

I agree, having had three iterations of the Hot V- the lag is not prevalent and especially married with the DCT GTS tranny. Maybe sometimes others are feeling acceleration lag or as you stated, are in the wrong mode???

xbox

Yeah, I've never noticed any turbo-lag either.

For sure there are frequent occasions when the electronics hold back torque in the low gears in a very obvious way, but thats about it

sno

I seldom to never drive in C I hate that annoying econo mode on and off the car does. I also dont baby it either but there is lag, whether it is electronically generated or mechanical it is there. May be I notice it more because my C7 is supercharged and that is instant power delivery.

AMG 17GT

Vic55

Agree... the GT3 whether its a .1 or .2 needs to be driven at 8/10ths or better to get the true experience. It just doesnt have the tq for street driving and that is ultimately why I sold mine (plus a nice buy well over msrp) but I still miss it because of that exhaust and the feel it gave when on it. What a car!! I can only imagine how good the .2 is.

susman@eurogermantown.com

only get a GT3 if you are gonna track and only if its a 3 pedal manual..or else whats the point... gotta be between 7k-9k rpms on that thing... if you get an auto (DCT) and dont track as much, get the GTC... or if you wanna be faster than all.. get a AMG GTR