ZephyrAMG

I think given emissions changes and hammering down of regulations/the quieting of engines and that AMG/Benz is moving to mostly all hybrid engines in 2021, the GT line is pretty much the last of the line of beastly gas powered V8s. I think this is it people. The last of the old school brute and sound...

Orcbolg

It's also one of the few cross-plane V8s you can get outside of the US makes, which makes it all the more appealing to me. I constantly hear the flat plane offerings from the like of Lamborghini, Ferrarri, McLaren, etc., and it's just so high pitched and grating. Then I start up the GT and am seduced by the low and throaty grumble of titans clashing behind the car when it's in Race Mode.

chris135b

Beautifully said!!! Race mode is intoxicating in Tunnels! :-)

-Chris

Pickett

Race mode is what drive in every day. My car just seems to behave better in that mode.

thebishman

These cars are modern, German quality ‘Muscle Cars’! lol

AMG 17GT

Have to agree. If you told me this three years ago I would’ve thought you were all just numbed up by Tesla. I really believe this is the end of combustible only powertrains and these 4.0s are the last of the “muscle” V8s.

If you put it in context it makes sense, it started with big block Americana .....then the normally aspirated Air cooled Porsche’s ....then water cooled non turbos and now ....water cooled turbos.

Electric is the future, just not my choice. I would just opt for a Gas burning monster or two in my garage for the limited time I can drive them.

j4kethedog

This is right on the money. One can never know about the future, but from right here it's looking like the GT is going to be a classic. I was dumbfounded when I read about them going hybrid/ev so soon. Sure, it makes perfect sense to keep up with the times etc. but I like to think I will never buy a hybrid/ev sports car.

DriveAMG

In a video posted by someone I follow in Germany on Instagram. First question I asked is did it sound the same? The answer is no. Similar but more muffled. I think the 2018/19 generations are going to be most valuable over time depending on how fast they go hybrid. Just my 2c lol

MercAMGgts2016

The difference between Race and Sports+ is traction control only right or?

DriveAMG

The transmission hold on to the gears much closer to redline in anticipation that you will be driving at or near full throttle. On the street RACE mode can be a bit harsh (my opinion) but is perfect for the track.

Enjoy!

thebishman

It will be a tragedy if 10-20 years from now engines such as ours are no longer available; especially since there will be plenty of fuel around what with everyone else driving a BEV! lol

That being said, a future ‘GT R’ that combines the existing drivetrain along with two electric motors on the front axle would be a staggering weapon, and one I’d lust after greatly!

Disclaimer: almost two years ago I purchased a Volvo hybrid for my DD that can go around 16 miles on battery alone, and I’m sold on BEVs since owning it. In the near future if solid state batteries become a reality, the ability to go 300-400 miles per charge and be able to re-charge in 30-60 minutes will be game changing. As it is, 90% of all of our needs are met today with current BEVs since most of us drive 50-100 miles per today and then can re-charge at night.

Bish

emericr

I will be the exception as I believe a hybrid version is actually the best of both world for the streets. Look at the GT73 coming out with over 800hp and keeping the same 4.0 V8. Look at the 918, LaFerrari and P1 trinity, Amazing vehicles and the technology is trickling down from the hyper cars to the sports cars. I am loving it.
I will probably relinquish my black series spot if it does not come hybrid and will just buy the next gen hybrid GT as long as it has a V8 option.

ZephyrAMG

I guess that the point is exactly that, that this is probably the last of the all gas, big engines. You can go out and get a hybrid, it will be ubiquitous and if you dig that sort of thing, more power to you. We will all eventually give in to hybrid or full electric, I am no exception. But as far as a track car or a high performance sports car and not concerned with the DD ability of it, this could be benzes last of the V8 big blocks. DD should be just that: economical, efficient, inexpensive (generally speaking), and door ding-able so that you don't have to worry about them. I don't treat my GT as a DD, but that's just me. Not that its a Bugatti or anything, I just think it is and will be a special car for now and to come...

Wolfman

The German police is cracking down in cities on modded cars and illegal street races. Any illegally modded car gets pulled out of circulation (as in towed on the spot). Recently performance exhausts have come under fire for noise pollution as well and some cars with stock exhausts were taken away as Police assumed that they were modded.
Manufacturers are starting to tone it down a bit.

badbenzz

The reality is here, my Tesla Model 3 goes over 300 miles on a charge and at a supercharging station it takes less than an hour to charge. Also I was able to clock 3.9 seconds 0-60 not bad for a DD.

BucsFan

1 hour on supercharge sounds great. But my parents live 240 miles away, so sitting on a hunting for a supercharger then sitting on a charge for an hour to come home, versus 5 minutes at a gas station seems like a waste of time.

MalibuScott

I had a BMW i8 for almost 3 years. Fun car at first because of the novelty. But when the novelty wore off it became boring as hell. I missed the snap, pop and crack I get as I decelerate the GT in S+ and the general engine sounds. I made a conscious decision to get about as far away from an EV as possible with the GT. I also really liked the styling once Mercedes adopted the Panamericana grille.

But I'm getting old. (74.) While electrification is inevitable what will keep me safely on the roads will be semi autonomy. (My Father, who died last year at 100, drove until he was 97 when I made him sell his car. He was not competent to drive after about 92, so I know the inevitable is coming for me. I just hope we get level 4 autonomy in the next 10-15 years or so.)

AMG 17GT

Meh. This tech is not ready yet.

The GT is already heavy enough. Adding 500 or 600 pounds of batteries and motors to this car will kill any handling dynamic.

ZephyrAMG

@ BadBenzz: Not saying that's a bad thing per se or that it's not inevitable... Just saying that that's where we are headed and this could be pretty much it...Everyone is going to be dribbling around in their George Jetson fish tanks soon and I will be going down this path too, kicking a screaming while downshifting in my V8....

xbox

Exactly - why you would drive the streets in RACE-mode is a mystery to me, unless in manual-gear mode.

Re FT & redline, I get what you meant, but there is no real correlation between FT and gear change point in any mode.

Orcbolg

Because the car sounds even more monstrous in Race mode.... And some of us enjoy a little extra excitement in life.

WildPete

Not for me either.....I figure if I want to drive an electric vehicle, I'll go play a round of golf....

cyberorth

I think the future performance hybrids are going to change your minds...

Orcbolg

Meh, I sidelined the NSX, after heavy consideration, because it just sounded so pitiful.... Sound is a major component of the visceral experience of owning a car like these, and the sound of vacuum cleaners has never done much in the way of getting my blood going.

nyca

An hour on a charger to go 300 miles, 3 minutes to get gas and my car has a 600 mile range and can be fueled anywhere. Sure, EV technology is "ready". It's being rammed down people throats by governments (EU loons and California leading the charge), who think the world is ending in 12 years from global warming. There is a huge day of reckoning coming for auto makers, pumping billions into EVs that "regular" people do not want. I will never buy one. Now the auto makers probably say "so what, he's an old man". OK sure, I am. But in the 20 or so years I have left, I am not going to be buying any new cars if my choices are EVs, I can get by perfectly fine buying pre-owned cars for the rest of my life. So the auto companies need to factor in zero new purchases from the older generation in their final years. Auto sales are going to slide ever lower year after year, the auto companies scrambling to merge and remove production capacity from the global supply chain.