Mercedes will kick off 2015 with a bang by unleashing a new sports coupe: the AMG GT. Smaller and less expensive than the previous SLS AMG ‘gullwing’, it’s designed to steal sports car sales from fellow Germans and the Italians and Brits with a combination of uprated C63 power and stunning 300SL-alike looks. We’ve strapped in for a first impression.

To understand the new Mercedes-AMG GT – the flagship two-seater coupe sports car – you don’t need to pour over its specifications and statistics. Just press the engine start button on the huge central tunnel. An evil, tremendous sound erupts from the all-new twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8, effectively two A45 AMG hot hatch motors spliced together to create a ‘hot vee’ layout for minimum lag and a throaty AMG noise.
Mercedes-AMG GT S first ride rear
It leaves you in no doubt that the new AMG GT, here sampled in range-topping, 503bhp S guise, is built to have fun; nothing else. It’s a car busting with personality and character, and seems almost rebellious in a time when the rest of the Mercedes range – and the entire car industry – is looking to hybrids and automation to lower CO2 emissions.

Unfortunately, we’re not yet able to drive the low-slung, wieldy GT – but we have snuck a shotgun ride with the maker itself. Our driver for our first AMG GT experience is Bernd Schneider – five-time winner of the DTM touring car championship and victorious at the Spa 24 Hours, Nürburgring 24 Hours and Bathhurst 12 Hours in the SLS AMG GT. He knows a thing or two about getting the best from a truly athletic AMG – which is why he was actively involved in the development process of the new GT.

Shortly after the primal scream of ignition, the engine falls into a satisfied burble. This is the standard exhaust setting, which limits the noise in traffic to a socially acceptable level. Another button on that bulbous centre tunnel opens the pipes up into yob mode.
Mercedes-AMG GT S interior
Not that this car has to be a hooligan all the time. This is a Mercedes, after all, and one called GT – Gran Turismo – at that. It has to be able to master a long trip. And from our time in the car, it seems AMG’s perfected that. Take the amazing, unpretentious ride. It’s more supple than that of a Ferrari or Porsche – the AMG is made of different stuff. Its cushions are soft, and the sports bucket seats offer a good compromise of body support and the necessary lateral support.

The twin-turbo appears to develop its power casually, serving up 650Nm from only 1,750rpm. Not that this is a ‘diesely’ engine at all – full power doesn’t arrive until 6,250rpm and the redline is 7,000rpm. The seven-speed dual-clutch box smoothes out the changes without jerking. It’s a serious athlete, not a muscle car – although we need to get behind that Alcantara and flat-bottomed steering wheel to replicate the grin Schneider is wearing across his face.

As we leave behind the city traffic and loping motorway for twistier roads, the GT begins to reveal its other, angrier side. Cycling through the driver modes via a dial on the centre tunnel sharpens the response of the front-mounted V8, and stiffens the suspension to create what feels like a proper little racer.
Mercedes-AMG GT S panning
And then there’s the sound. Above 3,000rpm the volume begins to roar and produce goosebumps on both occupants. Schneider keeps his right foot buried on the gas pedal, pumping out an impressive acoustic set into the mountains surrounding Stuttgart. As he lifts off for a turn, snorting, bubbly sounds escape from the squared-off quad tailpipes. Cue more grins. Proper petrolheads – not accountants – have had their way developing this car.

Schneider is driving the GT precisely, right on its grip limit. Weight distribution biased 53 per cent towards the rear eradicates ugly understeer – there’s never been such a sporty, serious Merc as this. “I’ve never driven a road car with better balance”, says the driver. To prove his point, he switches off all the aids by pressing the fourth driver-focused toggle on that centre tunnel. Braking as late as possible, then stamping hard on the gas, the traction is absolute.

As the car ticks cold at the end of our drive, we consider price. In the UK, the AMG GT S will costs around Ł110,000 – smack-bang between Porsche’s Ł91,000 911 GTS and Ł120,000 911 Turbo. Plenty of other ‘hero’ cars, from Jag’s F-Type R Coupe and Audi’s R8 V10 to the Aston V8 Vantage S and Maserati’s new Alfieri, are in the Merc’s crosshairs, too. The showdowns will be fun. This ride has been unforgettable. Now, roll on the driving of this fascinating car.

Verdict
Our first impression of the GT S on the road has us salivating for the long-awaited drive: this agile, wieldly machine at last moves AMG into the heart of the true sports car sector. It certainly looks the part: small and aggressive, with beautiful retro touches. It sounds glorious, too – fear not about AMG’s new turbo era, in terms of noise and potency. The finish is also worthy of a six-figure tag. We can’t wait to get behind the wheel.

I have a problem. I've never managed to keep the throttle floored the entire stretch of Laguna Seca's front straight in anything over 500 horsepower. It's practically my home track, but as soon as I start climbing that crest, self-preservation kicks in and I lift. Every. Damn. Time. That changed in the Mercedes-AMG GT.

There's a certain confidence that comes from caning a new car around your home track. It's not just familiar, it's comforting. You know the turn-in points, what to aim for, when you can push your luck, and where that one bit of curbing runs a little too short. So two laps in with the GT, I'm already feeling good. But something feels different.

There's a sense of confidence going through turn 2 that I haven't felt before in something this solid or this powerful. More importantly, the high-speed, sphincter-puckering blast through the Rainey curve feels – for the first time – almost easy. There's trust in the GT. It feels right on track; the most right I've experienced in a Merc since caning the C63 Black here a few years back.

This is not what I was expecting.

Mercedes makes perfectly good GT cars. AMG makes completely nutty barn-burners. But the GT is different. It's not a gullwinged supercar or some over-endowed sedan with more power than prowess. It's a proper sports car in the most traditional sense. Which brings up The Comparison. Let's dispatch with that right now.

There is no such thing as a 911 competitor. They don't exist and never will. The driving dynamics of a rear-engine, rear-drive coupe are sacrosanct to Porsche, and until some product planner loses their mind, has compromising photos of every employee on a coke- and sex-fueled bender at a Christmas party, and starts building a 911 clone, the comparison isn't just lazy, it's misleading.

So what else is the GT aiming at? AMG lists the 911, but also the R8. And again, there's no comparison. Front engine versus mid-engine. The Corvette doesn't play ball on account of the GT's luxury, so the closest I can come up with is the Jaguar F-Type R. It's in the same ballpark on price, powertrain, and performance, but it's a bit silly. Even Travis, the nutter of bunch, can't take it seriously. And the AMG GT is very serious.

This all puts the AMG GT into a strange position. It's one of the only "proper" sports cars adhering to the age-old formula of front-engine (front/mid, really) and rear-drive. And in this day and age, that makes it special.

It's also a damn sharp car, snagging all the right design cues from the SLS and modern Mercs, and packaging them into something that's actually usable. There's an honest-to-God trunk, only slightly compromised by a strut beam spanning the space behind the slightly hard, incredibly supportive seats.

But the interior is what struck me the most. It's impeccably outfitted, not just the quality of the materials, but the overall design. It somehow manages to be both encompassing and airy, with the (optional) glass roof lightening up the somber surfaces and driver-focused controls. The alcantara-covered, flat-bottom steering wheel is the perfect diameter, framing clear gauges and fitted with right-sized paddles. The center console is festooned with buttons on each side – a bit awkward to see and reach, but would become second nature after a few day's worth of driving (oh, and it looks like a V8). The only ergonomic complaint is the shifter, which is so far back on the tunnel that I'm doing my best T-Rex impersonation when pulling into drive.

Among the scads of circular controls is the engine start button, which breathes life into the brand-new, hand-built, twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8. It's basically a pair of the CLA45 AMG's 2.0-liter engines shoved together (same bore and stroke), with two of turbos nestled into the V to reduce lag and let the engine sit lower in the body. In the S version (the only model on hand for testing) the turbo'd eight puts out 503 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque, the latter of which delivers a plateau of twist from 1,750-5,000 RPM. That grunt is routed to the rear wheels through a carbon fiber driveshaft to the rear-mounted 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox and locking differential. Add it all up, along with a body that's 93-percent aluminum, and you've got a 47:53 front-to-rear weight balance on a 3,400(ish)-pound car, and a 0-60 time in the neighborhood of 3.6 seconds. Sports cars stuff, indeed.

Out on the road, it's clear that the GT isn't, well, a GT. Sure, you could Grand Tour it up and down the California coast, but it's more raucous than its SL sibling and far more focused. Even in Comfort mode, divots and pockmarks in the road are sent directly through the staggered (19-inch front, 20-inch rear) wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Super Sports, into the double wishbones as they pass through the chassis and into your hands and ***. But it's not jarring, it's just connected, maybe a little over-focused and, again, very serious.

The AMG Ride Control adapts the suspension, steering, throttle, and traction control through one of four settings: Comfort, Sport, and Sport Plus, along with Race, available on the GT S model. Comfort is king on the highway and even through some of the twisties, providing ample feedback and an unwavering sense of control. But flicking over to Sport tightens everything up, and pressing the exhaust button makes every lift and downshift a snorting, snarling, ****-off-anyone-within-earshot affair. Yes, it is glorious.

The urge to unleash the engine out of every corner, on every straight, and down every passing lane was too hard to refuse, even for a responsible adult of unwavering moral character. With the transmission set to auto mode, matting the throttle pops down two or three gears in milliseconds, thrusting the GT to extra-legal speeds with an odd combination of violence and composure. The paddle shifters are there if you want them, but the gearbox and its supercomputer overlord handle gear selection with urgent precision, and there were only a few low-speed corners where it hesitated to drop down a gear as quickly as my right foot wanted.

Back to the track and I'm helmeted and shoved into one of the launch edition cars, with carbon ceramic brakes, a wing, and a few other baubles. These cars also feature the Dynamic Plus package with drivetrain damping – engine and transmission mounts that change stiffness based on everything from throttle input to lateral acceleration.

The first couple laps are the normal orientation stuff, a mid-pace lead-follow to get acquainted. But by the third lap there's no question that what AMG left out in road manners it made up for in track antics. Power is prodigious – as expected – but the amount of communication from the chassis and the steering is leaps and bounds ahead of anything I've ever experienced with a star on the hood. Then again, this is an AMG project, and if it wasn't for the Mercedes Mothership, the motorsports divisions' crest should've been stamped on the GT's tip and tail.

As the speeds increase, so does the confidence. Even with the traction control fully on, it never slaps me and wags its finger. It's just a quick power cut and an easy hand shoving me back in line. On my second set, I get stuck behind a slower driver, flick the controller over to Race mode and the traction control starts feeding out the rope. Slow corner slides take just a quick stab of the throttle and corner 11 becomes my new favorite playground, with more than quarter-turn of opposite lock bleeding away as the GT's *** shimmies into shape for the straight. And that was all the assurance I needed.

There's enough space between me and my slow-moving colleague to lay down the throttle and see if I can finally hold it down the straight, up the hill, under the bridge, and have faith there's still a track beyond that blind crest. I keep it pinned, and for the first time in something other than a Miata or some clapped out Evo, I only lift when it's time to brake for the double apex. My gut isn't in knots. My stomach isn't forced into my throat. It's the kind of trust I've never experienced in anything remotely resembling the AMG GT. Well, except for a 997 Carrera S, but really, there's no comparison, because this is as traditional a sports car as you can get and that, well, that's a 911.

What is it?
This is the Mercedes-AMG GT – the second production model to be conceived, engineered and developed at Mercedes-Benz’s AMG performance car skunkworks on the outskirts of Stuttgart in Germany.

The indirect successor to the mighty SLS comes in two distinct guises and prices: the standard GT is pitched at Ł97,195, while the more powerful GT S driven here goes for Ł110,495.

The latter is planned for UK delivery in April, with the former due to arrive here next October, but orders for both cars are already being taken.

As well as promising sharpened performance properties, the GT also aims to provide added levels of practicality over the Ł57,990 more expensive SLS, with which it shares various elements of its floorpan and driveline.

Gone are the heavy gullwing doors and the traditional coupé layout, though. They are replaced by frameless front-hinged openings and a fastback body design with a large tailgate that opens up to reveal a 350-litre boot.

What remains of the first bespoke production model from Mercedes-AMG are the exaggerated proportions and vaguely retro aesthetic appeal, albeit in a more compact package.

At 4546mm in length, 1939mm in width and 1289mm in height, the GT is 92mm shorter, the same width and some 27mm taller than the SLS, with which it shares key elements of its aluminium body structure.

It also rides on a platform with a 50mm shorter wheelbase, at 2630mm, as well as tracks that are reduced by 2mm at the front at 1682mm and by 1mm at the rear at 1652mm.

Eschewing the naturally-aspirated 6.2-litre V8 multi-point injected petrol engine of the SLS, the GT is the first Mercedes-AMG model to adopt an advanced new twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 direct injection petrol powerplant mounted well back in the engine bay for optimal weight distribution and low polar inertia – both crucial to top notch handling properties.

Loosely related to the 2.0-litre in-line four-cylinder direct injection petrol engine used in the A45 AMG, the 90-degree unit features turbochargers mounted inside the cylinder banks – a layout AMG claims boosts thermal efficiency, provides optimal throttle response, and reduces emissions whilst providing for compact packaging.

Further highlights of the new engine, which was developed in-house and goes under the internal codename M178, include dry sump lubrication to better withstand cornering forces, and an exhaust system with fully variable exhaust flaps that allows the driver to vary the intensity of the engine's sound via a button on the centre console.

The results look compelling on paper. The new V8 provides the standard GT with 456bhp at 6000rpm and 442lb ft of torque between 1600rpm and 5000rpm. With added turbocharger boost pressure, output rises to 503bhp at 6250rpm and 479lb ft from 1750-4750rpm in the GT S.

By comparison, the standard SLS offered up 563bhp at 6800rpm and 479lb ft of torque at 4700rpm. The car the GT S is really aiming at in pure performance terms, though, is the Ł120,598 Porsche 911 Turbo.In its latest incarnation, the Porsche's twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre horizontally-opposed six-cylinder engine serves up 513bhp at 6000rpm and 487lb ft at 1950rpm.

Channeling the heady reserves to the rear wheels is a revised version of the dual-clutch gearbox originally engineered by German specialist Getrag for the SLS. Mounted at the rear in a classic transaxle layout, the compact unit helps to provide the new Mercedes-AMG model with a claimed 47 per cent front and 53 per cent rear weight distribution.

The seven-speed transaxle gearbox has been heavily upgraded with a new electronic package that sees it offer up to five different operational modes: Controlled Efficiency, Sport, Sport Plus, Individual and, on the GT S only, Race. Further functions include automatic stop/start, brake energy recuperation and a coasting function that idles the engine on a trailing throttle in Controlled Efficiency mode.

Both GT models receive a standard locking differential, but whereas the standard GT gets a traditional mechanical unit, the GT S is fitted with an electronic function that is claimed to provide greater levels of traction by constantly varying the locking effect in acceleration and overrun.

The GT is based around a magnesium and aluminium body structure produced by German construction specialist Thyssen Krupp – the same company that turns out body structure components for McLaren and Lamborghini. In standard GT guise, the new AMG performance flagship tips the scales at 1540kg, while the GT S comes in at 1570kg.

This gives them respective power-to-weight ratios of 296bhp per tonne and 320bhp per tonne – a respective 52bhp/tonne and 27bhp/tonne less than the 1620kg SLS. And the 1670kg Porsche 911 Turbo? It boasts 307bhp/tonne.

What is it like?
The draw of the Mercedes-AMG GT begins the moment you reach for the door handle, step over its broad sill and slide your backside into the fabulous two-seat cabin.

There is an appealing individualism and contemporary look to the design of the interior, which is terrifically well organised and imparts a feeling of real quality.

You sit very low on seats with loads of lateral support and generous electronic adjustment. The heavily structured dashboard features an 8.4-inch monitor and no less than six round ventilation units, while the beautiful multi-function flat-bottomed leather steering wheel adjusts for both rake and reach and is ideally placed in a near-vertical position.

A pair of dials and a colour display reside in a heavily hooded binnacle ahead of the driver. All of the major controls are grouped in a panel atop the high mounted centre tunnel between the driver and passenger.

Much of the switchgear is unique to the GT; the main buttons and dials are superbly crafted and nicely weighted in their operation. Other less impressive switches are housed out of view within the roof liner.

They may share a common silhouette, various structural elements and driveline components, but on the road the differences between the SLS and the new GT S are immediately apparent.

From the very first mile, the new Mercedes-AMG model feels a more rounded car than its predecessor, offering sharper step off qualities, terrific low-end tractability and superior gear shift quality along with added accuracy to the steering, further compliance to the ride and an excellent low-speed manoeuvrability. All of this makes it a more gratifying car in everyday urban driving conditions.

Up the pace on the motorway and you discover the core strength of the GT S: the sheer urge delivered by its engine. Despite giving away 2226cc in swept volume to the naturally aspirated unit it replaces, the new twin-turbocharged engine is quite fantastic, with a wonderfully linear nature and no discernible lag.

It's terrifically smooth and flexible across the entire rev range, and comes with a willingness to pull hard all the way to the 7000rpm redline, as well as a tremendous NASCAR-like soundtrack when you’ve got it operating in anything but Controlled Efficiency mode, in which the exhaust flap is closed off to muffle its aural traits.

This inherent potency of the engine is backed up by much improved qualities from the reworked double clutch transaxle gearbox. It now shifts with added determination, especially in Sport Plus and Race modes, where ratios are engaged with great purpose.

According to Mercedes-AMG’s performance figures, the GT S can crack 62mph 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 44mph to enhance longitudinal stability, it is also claimed to reach an electronically limited top speed of 193mph, or 4mph less than its predecessor.

Fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are outstanding given the top-shelf performance; a combined cycle figure of 30.1mpg relates to an average 219g/km.

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 GTS with satisfyingly sharp responses, outstanding body control and fabulous purchase.

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 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.

Provoke the GT S into a drift by turning off the electronic safety net, and it’s wonderfully progressive and fabulously engaging.

The most impressive aspect, though, is the overall cohesion evident throughout the new car. The SLS was already a terrifically well balanced car with sufficient performance to unlock its potential.

The GT S ups the ante by several steps. Subjectively it feels quicker point-to-point yet more civilised over any road, its dynamic properties are sharper while the ride is more refined, and it is also better to listen to at full chat in Sport Plus or Race modes but less intrusive ambling along on part throttle loads in Controlled Efficiency mode. Coupled with the compelling ride quality, it all makes for a formidable grand tourer.

Hauling the GT S down the road proves no great drama, at least not with the optional carbon-ceramic discs fitted to our test car. An impressive 402mm in diameter at the front and 360mm at the rear, they initially lack for bite when driven away cold. But once you’ve worked some heat in to them they provide truly impressive retardation with nary of hint of fade, even after a decent stint on the track.

Should I buy one?
No doubt about it: the Mercedes-AMG GT is a sharper yet more refined prospect than the old SLS.

It is more rewarding car all round, whatever the driving conditions. Be it urban running, motorway cruising, back road running or race track work, it always feels able to operate beyond the already lofty levels of its predecessor. And at a much lower price, too.

However, the new Mercedes-AMG model (in GT S form especially) is up against some stiff supercar competition. It’s priced to rival the sublime Porsche 911 Turbo, and it’ll also likely feel the heat from the upcoming second-generation Audi R8, which is due to arrive shortly after the GT S hits UK showrooms.

It is distinguished by its straight line accelerative ability, which thanks to the efforts of its new engine and vastly improved qualities of its gearbox is impressive, but also because of its sheer everyday drivability, engaging handling, fine ride quality, excellent refinement and outstanding interior.

Normally, prior to the launch of an important vehicle, manufacturers assemble a jet-lagged mob of scriveners for an every-last-detail PowerPoint presentation. AMG was so confident that the new GT S would speak for itself, it simply gave us a quick route briefing and sent us scuttling out the door and down the San Francisco Peninsula toward Monterey in this, the final-spec version of its latest halo product. (We’ve previously ridden in a test car and driven a prototype.)

Make no mistake: Despite the fact that the GT S is likely to cost two-thirds as much as AMG’s most expensive offering, the S65 coupe—final pricing has yet to be released for either car—the car we’re discussing here serves as the brand’s calling card.

At the end of the day, after a couple of hours spent lobbing the car around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, AMG CEO Tobias Moers gathered our g-force-addled bunch, offered a few remarks about the car, and casually noted that a 1:41 lap was a pretty good time for a session that saw us restricted to lead-follow lapping behind instructors. For reference, 1:41 is the sort of time a solo racing driver in full time-attack mode lays down around Laguna in something like a Porsche Cayman S. The point is this: The GT S turned a similar time during what amounted to an exceptionally spirited Sunday drive.


Yet the sensation of speed in this, the car with which Daimler hopes to take a chunk out of Porsche’s Neunelfer Zwiebelkuchen, is muted. One does not quite realize the sheer velocities attainable until the right foot attempts to extricate itself from the floorboard just ahead of the crest marking the end of the front straight. Or until one experiences the forces acting upon the car when slowing for the Andretti Hairpin. Point, squirt, brake, repeat: The result is subdued violence all the way around the course. Atop the Corkscrew, the long hood and low windshield header conspire against sightlines. The quick and sure turn-in, paired with predictable front-end grip, more than make up for those shortcomings after a couple of laps.

The twin-turbo 4.0-liter M178 V-8 dispenses with the grunty, naturally aspirated honk-’n’-braaaap hoedown that the late, lamented C63 Black Series offered. Home taping is killing music, turbocharging is killing engines’ auditory esprit d’guerre. Despite Moers’s hatred of BMW’s current MP3 soundtracks—notwithstanding his laudable intent to let an engine be what it is—the 503-hp, 3600-pound GT S never gives you that side-of-beef-to-the-chest whump offered up by, say, the big-bore Corvette Stingray. The AMG just accelerates. We predict 60 mph will arrive in 3.5 seconds. Given enough room, AMG says it will continue to build speed until the car hits 193.

Chuck everything you remember about Mercedes-Benz steering. Imagine the tactility of a nice manual rack, then picture it boosted to the point that there’s just enough feel left. The wheel saws easily from left to right. The automobile is incredibly quick to follow these orders. The tiller reminds us a bit of the McLaren 650S’s, if the Woking-bred supercar’s had spent the past 24 hours pulling helium-tank keg stands.

The supercharged V-8–powered Jag F-type R is a loutish hooligan of a thing, a straight-outta-Albion wide boy happy to throw the odd elbow to make his point. In contrast, the GT S makes like the handsome, stern Teuton in the corner, prepared to dispatch interlopers with understatement, efficiency, and extreme prejudice. The AMG offers prowess and competence but something just short of unfettered joy. Rewarding as hell? Yes. Satisfying? Of course.


Interior-wise, the impeccably trimmed AMG’s cabin shames those of all comers save for the 911. The Porsche features better ergonomics and visibility, and we find that car’s sport seats to be more comfortable than the tight-fit units in the GT S. The main quirk of the Mercedes, however, is that its gear selector is placed far rearward on the high, sloping center console. We understand this is due to Americans’ need for cup holders. We’re not huge fans of Mercedes’ column-based gear stalks, but one might have been more useful here. Alternately, ditch the cup holders.

Due at your local Mercedes store in April, the GT S will be followed in 2016 by the base level, 456-hp GT. Despite Mercedes’ refusal to comment on its impending existence, a blast-furnace Black Series model will arrive at some future date. There may even be other models to come. Could we see a roadgoing AMG GT GT3? The racing version is in the works, after all.

As relentlessly competent as the GT S is, it clearly has more to give. The fundamentals are all here—and nailed—but the ineffable, incandescent fire that makes a car transcendent awaits a thorough stoking. We fully expect to see that happen in a future variant, and we get the sense that—in grand 911 tradition—the AMG GT is about to spawn plenty of ’em.

At a Halloween party a couple of weeks ago, a rather inebriated new acquaintance of mine pulled a beautiful round flask out of his extravagant wolverine costume (the animal, not the X-Men character – I live in Ann Arbor) and offered me a pull. I wasn't driving, and I'm neither an ******* nor a fool, so I took a sip.

The whiskey that poured out was smooth, round on the tongue, almost honey sweet to finish and as warm as the blood in my veins. It was, perhaps, the most perfect single sip of booze I've ever had – and I've taken a lot of sips. I asked the origin of this magic liquor, and found that it was Redbreast 21; a whiskey I'd had on a few earlier occasions, though never with so delightful an effect on my overall sense of wellbeing. Somewhere in the milieu of a great party, best friends and excellent music, a great dram of whiskey became legendary.

Now, this is a story about a car, not a spirit. (Don't drink and drive, kids.) But there was a moment, working my way quickly through downhill switchbacks amidst redwood trees in those hauntingly lovely stretches of California state roads between San Francisco and Laguna Seca, where the 2016 Mercedes-AMG GT S triggered the same pathways in my brain that were formed when I took that sip of whiskey. Something in the elixir of power, grip, sound and balance that made a few corners of that drive feel like the close cousins of the best corners I'd ever turned a wheel on.

Later that day, driving the familiar route of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Mercedes-Benz' newest coupe, the AMG GT's technical abilities and few shortcomings would almost overwhelm the romance of those earlier, perfect seconds. Science cannot hold all art, after all. But like that perfect hit of whiskey, gifted from a wolverine I'll never drink with again, this is a car that has the capability to be beautiful at any given second you're at the helm.
2016 Mercedes-AMG GT2016 Mercedes-AMG GT2016 Mercedes-AMG GT

The proportions of the GT could almost be comical if they were used on a less artful assemblage of body panels.

You don't need me to tell you that this is a striking car – I took a lot of pictures, have at them.

It does bear mentioning that this new GT is easily the most head-turning Mercedes-Benz I've ever driven. Be it because of its outright beauty of form, its newness on the road or some cocktail of those things and more, the sensuously curved Benz garnered craned necks and hand gestures of admiration wherever I drove it.

The proportions of the GT could almost be comical if they were used on a less artful assemblage of body panels. The parabolic rear deck is severely short in relationship to the massive prow, which deserves the Imperial Star Destroyer panning shot to go with its magnificent stretch. The overall effect is both classically inspired and original, a bit like the SLS AMG when it debuted, but without that car's juxtaposition of hard lines and rounded corners.

Inside, meanwhile, anyone who's had the pleasure of sitting in or driving the new S-Class will find commonality in this coupe's cockpit. That isn't to say that the two spaces look the same; rather to point out that the attention to detailing and high material quality is at the same level here. From the carpets padding the sides of the transmission tunnel to the contrast top stitching on the dash leathers, every piece I touched or looked at felt sumptuous.

The looks of this driver's office are outranked by how it functions.

I should note though that the car you seen in these photographs doesn't wear my favorite interior treatment available for the GT. The piano-black surround for the instrumentation on the central tunnel can be swapped out for a nicer, less smudgy matte aluminum finish, which, to my eyes, better highlights the cool shape of that centerpiece.

The looks of this driver's office are outranked by how it functions, as soon as the starter button is pressed and the turbo-fed V8 out front snarls to life. Here, the basics of a good sports car are almost all accounted for: the seats offer lateral support from top to bottom; the steering wheel is shaped and sized perfectly for aggressive use; and even at my almost-Gigantor size (six-feet, five-inches and 240 pounds) getting comfortably positioned was never an issue.

The route I drove from downtown San Francisco to the track in Monterey County was, as I mentioned at the start, perfectly suited to showing off the GT S as a, well, GT car. Grand Touring, in the proper sense, involves athletic behavior on both high- and low-speed roads, with as few compromises to comfort or performance as can be managed.

It took just minutes on the first highway stretch out of town to see that power will never be an issue in real world driving for this Benz. That "S" following the GT name means 503 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque from the biturbocharged 4.0-liter V8, a bump up from the 462 hp and 443 lb-ft under the hood of the base car.

2016 Mercedes-AMG GT

I found practically zero delay between tipping into the throttle and feeling the GT leap forward into space.

Bear in mind that AMG used a mix of steel, light alloy and magnesium to body this aluminum spaceframe car, meaning the engine has fewer than 3,500 pounds to pull around. That's lighter than competitors like the Porsche 911 Turbo, Jaguar F-Type R Coupe and the Audi R8 V10.

Working through an ultra-responsive, seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, I found practically zero delay between tipping into the throttle and feeling the GT leap forward into space. Passing lesser cars (almost all of them) on Highway 1 was addictive and effortless, while jumping past slower traffic on two-lane roads was only more dramatic for the sound of the exhaust ricocheting off the nearby trees and boulders.

Of course, if quiet reflection at 100 miles per hour is more your thing, the GT S can do that, too. I ran almost exclusively with the dual mode exhaust in its sport setting, but adjusting that to the default allows for a remarkably calm cruiser. With the radio off, the only highway noise that's higher than average comes from those massive rear tires, but even still, this is a very hushed, wind-noise-free place when it needs to be.

There is a similar hard/soft duality to the GT where ride and handling are concerned. Of course, the car is fitted with Mercedes-AMG's Dynamic Select modular drive system, in this instance able to offer drivers their choice between four distinct personalities: Comfort, Sport, Sport Plus and Race.

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It was dangerously easy to hustle the coupe around narrow switchbacks with grace and precision.

I'm so used to AMG products expressing their handling capabilities in a brutal fashion – heavy steering, tremendous grip – that I'll admit to be taken aback by the way the GT danced through the redwood forests and over coastal hills. The car was like a live thing under my hands in these environs. Set to Sport Plus – my favorite of the default configurations of transmission and throttle response, suspension firmness, steering weight, etc. – it was dangerously easy to hustle the coupe around narrow switchbacks with grace and precision. Some of that was down to the supremely balanced chassis underneath me, to be sure, but a lot more was due to the excellent steering feel offered up. Though not so talkative as to be tiring over the long haul, the levels of feedback through the wheel were really impressive. Turn-in was especially quick, too, with rapid changes of direction executed as if I were exactly the center of mass for the fast-moving car.

The Mercedes-AMG GT S is a frighteningly complex machine, one in which electronics play a lead role in creating the driving experience. So I was shocked to see how natural and un-tech-like the experience of driving through Northern California really is; feeling for all the world like a simple, balanced, throwback sports car rather than a spacecraft for the road. If you're looking for a reason to own this car, you'll find it somewhere desolate and winding, where your confidence will grow with every well-turned corner, your admiration for the machine expanding on the same trajectory.

But as I alluded to at the top of this piece, the second sip of a new favorite whisky might never be as perfect as that first one, and the circumstances that had me falling a little bit in love with the GT S were similarly fleeting.

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I can deal with the poor side and rear visibility issues, but the dead-ahead vantage should be as clear as possible.

Even before putting the car to the ultimate dynamic test at the raceway, issues with visibility started to gnaw at me a little. The low roofline and those fat A-pillars are the primary offenders; they cut pretty severely into my direct line of sight whenever coming into a corner, especially turning left. Going the other direction, the rearview mirror intrudes, as it takes up a much larger percentage of the total forward view than in most normally shaped vehicles. Given the looks of this car and predilections of the segment, I can deal with the poor side and rear visibility issues, but the dead-ahead vantage should be as clear as possible.

Finally, when lapping Laguna (which has a lot more left turns than right), the same damned pillar cut into view as I worked to position the car for each upcoming corner. I'm not a racecar driver, but coupled with a helmet, the visibility issue was quite real (and something that I've never struggled with in the über-competitor Porsche 911).

Whereas on the street I felt at liberty to really enjoy the AMG GT's balance and fine steering, on a fast track, my driving experience was dominated by top-end engine response and tires. The Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber, 265-section at the front and 295 at the rear, provided phenomenal mechanical grip at high speeds when I placed the car just right in each curve, and allowed for excellent transmission of power when getting on the throttle.

Lapping in both Sport Plus mode and Race, I found the former to be slightly too controlling for the motorsports life, while the latter really loosened up the rear of the car. Set to Race, I probably had just as many power-oversteer moments as I did knife-like corners, but that was down to my skill and not the precision of the machine. There's no question in my mind that the AMG engineers have a raceworthy platform here, should its coming owners demand that capability.

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I expect the early shock and awe of seeing this beautiful Mercedes design will open more than a few checkbooks.

Let push come to shove, though, and I'd rather drive the GT on the road than on the track, which is something you'll very rarely hear me admit to. Of course, the coupe can be (and will be) very fast around a circuit, but the effortless way it does the Grand Touring bit is just more impressive to me. In that style, the Mercedes feels like the best car in the class – on the track it's one more face in the high-dollar crowd.

Just how high you'll have to stack those dollars to own the GT S is still an open question. Mercedes hasn't given us official pricing yet, though word around the car-journo water cooler is that $110,000-ish is likely for the GT, with perhaps $130k being asked for the GT S. The more powerful S version will be the first to American dealers, in the spring of next year, so we'll be looking for firm figures over the next weeks.

Assuming my price predictions are quasi-accurate, the GT should be right up in the rearview mirrors of its competitor cars from BMW, Audi, Porsche and Jaguar. There are interesting tradeoffs to be seen in terms of power, weight and/or price with all of those rivals, but I expect the early shock and awe of seeing this beautiful Mercedes design will open more than a few checkbooks.

Unexpected instants of excellence bubble up in every life now and again. If they occur to me at parties or on pristine roads, I'm happy if I can simply recognize them and oblige the universe for sending them my way. When a vehicle is special enough to dole out those treasured instants, on golden afternoons or stolen mornings, I say grab it and drive on.

Turbocharging is supposed to gag the vocal qualities of the gasoline internal combustion engine, but the team at AMG clearly ignored this engineering stipulation. The start-up Ka-ka-ka-BOOOOOOOOM of the new twin-turbocharged GT S coupe is, if anything, even more cacophonous than the last generation normally aspirated AMG V8s. With the exhaust flaps set to noisy, it booms and fidgets at idle and each little exploratory prod of throttle sees the revs shoot above 4000rpm and is followed by great cracks and crackles of ECU overrun fakery. Even when stationary, the GT S is more exuberant than a Porsche 911 at full-chat.

Previous experience tells us that AMG knows how to do exuberant very, very well – what we didn’t know was if the company’s first attempt at the toughest sports car sector of them all, the one named after that pesky Porsche would be a step too far. I’ve just spent a day at Laguna Seca Raceway attempting to answer this.

First we should discuss the subject of styling – not something I should be doing because I normally refuse to pass judgment on subjective aesthetics, but you need to know one thing about the GT – it somehow doesn’t quite work in photographs, but it really does in the flesh. If you’re drawing breath between a clenched jaw and shaking your head, just wait until you see one on the road – it’s a great shape. It looks short, wide, low and aggressive. The long bonnet, truncated bottom shape is undeniably Jaguar F-Type Coupe in silhouette, and it has purpose.

The cars we used on track were the Edition One launch specials with some rather inadvisable nose and tail additions – the standard looks far better to my eyes.

The GT is in effect a cut-down SLS. It uses the same track widths and much of that car’s floorpan. The front suspension is carried over too, as is the hydraulic steering rack. Both of these are very good news: the front suspension assembly is massively over-engineered and effectively of race specification, and we all know how well electric power steering appears to be going down with the enthusiast community. Entering a battle with the 911 carrying a hydraulic rack is like tackling Superman with a fluorescent green rock in your pocket – a very handy advantage.

So the wheelbase is shorter than the SLS’s, and into the rear is attached an all-new rear suspension assembly: multi-link in design, and on this ‘S’ model a transaxle dual-clutch gearbox that incorporates a variable locking differential.

Connected to this via a whopping carbonfibre prop-shaft is the new twin-turbo V8, codename M178. Wedged in behind the front axle line, it’s a packaging miracle with two turbochargers sitting in between the cylinder V – fed by an intake tract that runs down the length of the underside of the bonnet and directly into the heads – creating what AMG calls the ‘Hot-V’.

Capacity is four litres and the outputs place this car firmly in 911 turbo territory: 510hp and 479lb ft. That’s for the launch model GT S – a less powerful 462hp GT arrives next summer in the UK. It will be a more direct rival for normally aspirated 911s, but still way more potent than the Porsche.

It’s a very trick motor, dry-sumped and with minimal intake length to provide the best possible throttle response. It uses complicated engine mapping to create a torque curve that should feel almost normally aspirated. Interestingly, in full manual mode with the RACE setting engaged, a little more torque is allowed in the mid-range.

I only drove the car, a GT S Edition One, on track yesterday, so that’s the driving behavior we’ll discuss here. I’ll have a go on the road later today, but Mr. Editor Chris-R wanted his words pronto!

Joy of all joys, the driving position is perfect – it wasn’t quite in the SLS. The wheel pulls close to your chest, the special bucket seats are quite thinly padded but clinch in all the necessary places and the centre console is high and wide. On it are large, widely spaced buttons for all the chassis and transmission options. Three damper settings, numerous transmission settings, including a full-manual mode for the Getrag dual-clutch 7 speed ‘box which is heavily updated over the SLS – and needed to be.

Rolling away from the pit-lane exit at Laguna, the GT S feels instantly potent – and not just ordinarily quick – the turbo V8 spits it forwards with unexpected force and you instinctively grab another gear to calm the thing down. But it just keeps on pulling. The effective power-band is from 3000rpm to 6500rpm – the final 500rpm doesn’t add much beyond the ability to hold a gear into a braking zone.

And it’s a characterful motor – the volume is high, the urge is instant and the over-run crackles get louder the harder you try. It doesn’t quite have the same response as the last M156 normally aspirated AMG V8, but it counters by offering brutal mid-range and, dare I say it, an even better noise. As an exercise in attempting to replicate a high performance atmospheric engine with something blown, I think this is the best I’ve seen. BMW’s V8 (M5/X5M) and straight six (M3/M4) are great efforts, but this matches sheer performance and surprising response with real character.

The chassis is better still. That short wheelbase brings more agility than in the Gullwing, the car turns accurately and predictably and as a driver you feel more naturally positioned within the car than in the long-nosed SLS. The standard Pilot Super Sports grip really well at the front axle and traction is really superb – better than the SLS. But what really surprised me, and what confirms all the hard work on eliminating turbo-lag is the way you can adjust the line with the throttle several times in a given turn. The car feels adjustable and playful.

With the powertrain set to Sport Plus, the ESP in Sport mode and the dampers in the firmest position, anyone could drive the GT fast. The ESP and ABS intervention is so smooth and progressive you hardly know they’re working and you take huge liberties trail-braking into turns. The brakes, optional ceramics on the test car, are immense – no fade after four laps of Laguna. The whole powertrain is suspended on dynamic engine mounts that can stiffen when needed: you can feel them working on the track and it feels more nimble than the 1540kg kerb weight would suggest.

I expected this car to be belter, but it’s actually exceeded expectations. I need to go for a pootle on the road and try the gearbox in slush mode and see what the ride is like with the dampers in pillow mode and then tell you more about the packaging and the cabin and the size of the glovebox, but right now I love the quasi-hot rod character matched against some real track ability – wrapped in a body that works outside the sports-car cliché.

Will report back again when I’ve had a go on the road. For now, I’d put that F-Type R order on hold.