Aaah! After months of spying, teasing and waiting, the all new 2016 Mercedes-AMG GT two-door V8 has finally been unveiled to the world that will be taking the baton from the much loved hooligan, the SLS AMG. The Mercedes-AMT GT is the new flagship sports car to roll out from Affalterbach, Germany and carries the DNA of the SLS along with the rich and illustrious heritage of Mercedes’ racing days. The new GT comes with an all-new power packed V8 engine as well as a host of new technologies and engineering to keep the sports car planted on the road at all times.
Dropping the ‘Benz’ nameplate from its name, the Mercedes-AMG GT is the first car ever to do so and is the brand’s second bespoke car after the SLS. Starting with the aesthetics, the GT is can be easily described as drop dead gorgeous. Mercedes has very cleverly managed to give the sports car a retro like feel with influences coming from the 300 SL and the SLS, with a single slat chrome bar and the bubble roof. The front fascia is instantly recognisable featuring an aggressive stance, while the lower air intakes further hint at the beast hiding under the hood. A special thing about the headlights is that they are not sporty when looked in isolation but compliment the aggressive stance amalgamating into the long and bulbous hood of the AMG GT.
The side profile is particularly beautiful, considering you witness the sloping roofline neatly merging with the wide and well rounded rear. The side looks well sculpted and gives the sports coupe a classic look to boast off, while the lines at the side further elongates the car’s profile. Moving at the rear, the Mercedes-AMG GT gets horizontally stacked tail lights that are leaner and gives a wide appearance to the rear fascia. You also get a neatly tucked in spoiler at the back that can be electrically controlled and deploys automatically at high speeds. The design elements surely bring the GT together remarkably and also offers functionality in the form of an aerodynamic design.
Inside the cabin, Mercedes-Benz has once again gone with aviation as its theme to further glorify the automaker’s heritage. The dashboard is reminiscent to that of an airplane wing; while the propeller shaped air-con vents emulate jet engines. With a low and cosy seating position, the driver’s seat of the GT is nothing short of a fighter jet. The cabin further gets the very interesting centre console featuring all the essential controls and free standing display unit at the disposal of the driver. Mercedes calls it the ‘AMG Drive Unit’ and has arranged it to replicate the V8’s cylinder layout, when viewed from the top. There is also the 8.4-inch COMAND system with seat heating. The cabin further gets a host of customisation options and materials for customers to choose from.
Coming to the powerplant, the 2016 Mercedes-AMG GT gets powered by the mammoth of a 4.0-litre V8 Bi-turbo engine that has been specifically developed for the GT with light weight construction offering high performance figures and lower fuel consumption. Coming to the specs, the two-door sports car is available in two models, the GT and the GT S. The base GT produces 462 HP at 6000 RPM while the GT S produces 503 HP of power at 6250 RPM. 0-100 km/hr in the regular GT comes up in just 3.9 seconds with the top speed electronically limited to 305 km/hr. The GT S on the other hand can do 0-100 km/hr in just 3.7 seconds, while the top speed increases to 310 km/hr.
The Mercedes-AMG GT comes with the Dynamic select system giving you options to choose between Controlled Efficiency, Sport and Sport Plus. There is also the new I or Individual option, which lets the driver customise the engine, transmission, dampers and other settings to his liking. For the GT S model, there is an additional ‘Race’ mode available for track focused settings. Along with the power, a ton of gadgetry is also at work to keep the GT planted on tarmac at all times. You get electronically controlled damping, AMG Ride Control, ESP On, ESP Sport Handling mode and ESP off. There is also the Dynamic Plus package for the GT S that improves the performance and agility of the car further and gives a stiffer setup.
Mercedes is also offering high performance braking with ventilated and perforated 360 mm disc brakes all round, while the GT S get 390 mm ones. Customers can also upgrade to carbon ceramic discs, while riding on 10-spoke forged 19-inch alloys. In terms of safety, the GT is loaded with active and passive systems including collision prevention assist plus, adaptive brake, attention assist, parktronic, Rear view Camera, Pre-safe system and tyre pressure monitoring system. You can also opt for lane tracking package that includes Lane Keeping Assist and Blind spot assist.
The Mercedes-AMG GT will make its public debut at the Paris Motor Show next month, while the sales are set to commence next year. The AMG GT has moved down a step compared to the SLS AMG and will be marginally less expensive than its predecessor. Primarily competing against the Porsche 911, the GT will make it to India by the end of 2015 as a completely built unit. Make sure to scroll down to check out all the videos and pictures below.
[youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_9Mw4VzGyI 540 375]
[youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIxuPR3v-7M 540 375]
[youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJbBUxeAiS0 540 375]
