I picked up my GTC a week ago. It is a delightful car in every respect. It is uproariously fast and fun. I had a GTS for almost two years and this replaces it. Same color and interior leather package.

Before my GTS I had a BMW 335i convertible for three years and then an SL550 for three years. Living in Southern California having a convertible is really a wonderful thing. Of course the two previous convertibles were folding hard tops and this is a ragtop. The feeling of top-down driving and the clear sightlines everywhere except the rear are much improved. With the top down, the rear site line over the folded top is poor compared to the GTS, whether viewed through the rear view mirror or a turn of the head. I'm guessing that half of the view through the rear view mirror is gone.

The car handles very well although the rear wheel steering takes a bit of getting used to. The car's improved handling over the GTS is due to a number of things and I don't know how much each contributes. One is that I am driving on new tires! I have to admit my old Michelins we're getting rather scant. In fact I noticed that with my GTS on some of my favorite onramps and offramps I had to dial it back a little bit because the rear end wanted to come around a bit. It didn't feel as planted as normally it was. The tires just didn’t have the grip that they used to. So now here I am with new tires (Continentals - not expecting those) and a larger tire to boot. The rears have a wider section width - 305/30/20 vs 295 for the GTS and the fronts have 265/35/19 - same as the GTS. Plus the GTC has a wider rear track. The car corners flat. I don't feel any lean. The rear wheel steering helps the car turn accurately - quite smooth.

So how about power? I can definitely feel the horsepower and torque difference. The throttle is noticeably quicker and the fact that the GTC is geared differently also gives it more grunt. I believe it has a taller first gear so it can wind out more in first, but 7th is shorter as well as is the final drive ratio. The exhaust sounds wonderful and I'm not sure if it really different or it feels more immediate when the top is down or it is the extra horsepower.

In my GTS I didn't have the Burmester High-End Surround Sound system whereas in the GTC I ordered it. It is hard to do an apples to apples comparison because the acoustic environments are different. Top up - ragtop vs hardtop, and then there's the experience with the top down. However all that being said, the High End system is clearer with more distinct sound. In songs for which I didn't know the exact lyrics, I'm able to hear them more distinctly now. There are a number of settings I'm still playing around with, but overall this sound is substantially better. Whether the $4500 increase in price is worthwhile for you is of course an open question for each person and how much they value the sound quality. For those who will be putting an aftermarket system and of course there's no need to spend the extra money. But I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised by the difference. Much nicer.

BTW, the car came with the USB and SD card reader ports dead. The dealership replaced the multi media connection unit and it is fine now.

Below are four photos of the GTC and one at Laguna Seca a couple of days ago at the ADA Driving Academy. 8 luscious GTRs we were able to track. The grip that car has is unbelievable.

 

Thanks for the review. I’m new to all the sporty car driving , I’ve been an SUV guy. I wanted to take baby steps so i ordered a GTS long ago. They were not taking orders for GTC coupes yet.

i will be using the car for daily commuting except in bad weather days when i will be using my SUV.

Everyone has has been shouting about their new GTC and GTR. I feel inadequate with my GTS which hasn’t arrived yet. Will i be disappointed? Should i bail and try to get into a GTC coupe or GTR? I don’t want to regret my choice.

 

Nice review. Looking forward to seeing you at the meetup.

 

Gorgeous car; thanks for the review.

 

Nice car !! Thanks for the review .
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​​​​​​​How is the ride comfort of the GTC in comfort mode compared to the GTS ?

 

curious about this as well John.

 

Car looks amazing, congrats!

 

Certainly as good. Not too stiff. I had the Driver Performance Package with my GTS - and it is built in with the GTC roadster convertible. I found that actually my GTS was getting stiffer and picking up more road imperfections in the later 2-3 months I had it. Probably the result of tires that weren't in such good shape. Knowing that I had a GTC coming, which I spec'd back in March, I decided not to spend the money of a new set only to give it away in a couple of months.

 

Can you compare the ride to your old SL550? Currently driving a '13 SL550 and concerned that the GTC ride will be too harsh for daily driving. I also assume that the interior feels a lot more cramped than the SL due to the solid fabric top compared to the glass hard top of the SL?

 

Good review! How about an ADA Review next! I am heading to COTA in a few weeks and can not wait!!!!

 

Very nice write up and glad your enjoying your new ride!

Still enjoying the top down here in Cincinnati

 

The ride in my SL550 was good. I had the special ABC suspension and the car cornered pretty flat. This is better. A bit firmer but not at all too hard for daily driving. Of course that would depend on where you live and what the road conditions are...but I find it just fine. There are a number of suspension settings and the Comfort mode is just fine. I don't remember any difference is feeling cramped in one or the other. I think it's fair to say that the folding top is not as quiet.

 

Just briefly, the ADA experience is great. They have a first class experience with excellent instructors.

 

After a long wait, I took delivery of my GT-C last week... after a few days, some initial thoughts....overall, the car seems smaller than the pics show but the rear looks wider... the interior is really well done and the GT-C sport seats are just perfect... top goes up and down with little fuss and looks like it is molded to the body... access getting in and out is not a struggle....
Then there's the performance driving part...and I'm not sure what's going on...in the AMG GT line up, it's second to only the GT-R... 550hp and 502 ftlbs with a DCT tranny... one would think that you can exploit the hp and torque at almost any time.. but as I drove the car and keep trying to find the performance that I have been reading about for months, it just seemed to be elusive.. then to the owner's manual regarding performance settings and I was stunned to find that the reason for the elusive performance results are that (according to the manual) your engine/tranny combo are searching for the most fuel economic gear to default to in all modes except manual and even in race !!! So let's say you are in comfort, sport or sport + and come to a moment when you want to access the power you have acquired. Drop a few gears with the paddle shifters, wait a couple of seconds for the pass, hit the thottle and it's SOFT... well, M/B has decided you have not reacted quick enough after downshifting and decided to go back to Drive to conserve fuel... Yep, I spent $172k for the second best performing AMG product and the company is concerned about my fuel cost... I was in sport coming to an intersection with a left u-turn with no on coming traffic, paddle down shifted to second, turned the corner and before I got back on the throttle the tranny auto went back to Drive... I further confirmed with the dealer that if there is a traffic situation and you are in comfort mode (or any other mode) and want to really get it going, you have to first select the sport mode desired and then paddle shift down... the Porsche GT3 or 458 Ferrari will be gone...
The last observation is about the ride... it's stiffer than expected... sport and sport + are really tight... got a 04 CG/T and the ride is similar... but if you chose comfort mode for the ride, don't expect the engine to respond... oh, one last bit of engineering advice on pg 62.. WARNING, when sport mode is activated there is a greater risk of skidding and accidents. Only activate sport mode in these recommended conditions... in the very next paragraph it suggest using sport mode when using snow chains, when driving in deep snow and when on sand or gravel.... yes there will be skidding and accidents...maybe I've got a lot to learn about the car but for now, don't go picking on the competition unless you are in full race mode...

 

OP/John:

Congrats on your new blue baby. I had to pass on mine, car/seats are just too low to the ground for my touchy back to handle getting in/out of . Two years in S Coupes might have spoiled me too .
Wishing you many miles of big smiles...