2016 Mercedes-AMG GT S: First Drive

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG coupe was a unique sports car — crazy fast, equipped with crowd-favorite gull-wing doors and seriously expensive; it was a limited production machine meant for an exclusive clientele. When it came time to replace it, Mercedes-Benz decided that it would be better not to and instead go after a segment in which it previously had no entry: the high-end sports car market. Players like the standard bearer Porsche 911 as well as the Audi R8, Nissan GT-R, Dodge Viper and Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 all operate in this expensive yet still accessible niche, but Mercedes-Benz didn’t have a dog in that hunt — until now.

Related: 2016 Mercedes-Benz AMG GT: First Look (43 Photos)

Enter the new 2016 Mercedes-AMG GT S. Note that it’s not labeled a Mercedes-Benz — this is part of the company’s new branding scheme that has created two sub-brands aside from Mercedes-Benz: Mercedes-AMG and Mercedes-Maybach. While the Maybachs will be ultra-luxury cruisers aimed at Bentley and Rolls-Royce cars, AMGs will be serious sports machines, like the GT and the AMG variants of traditional sedans and SUVs in the brand’s lineup.

The GT, however, needs to prove if it is a true 911 fighter or not. I tested the GT S version on public roads and at the track to find out.

How It Drives

Under the long and shapely hood is a brand-new twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 engine, making 462 horsepower in the GT and 510 in the GT S, attached to a lightning-fast seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The combination is good enough for a 3.7-second zero-to-60-mph dash, according to Mercedes, in the GT S I sampled, with a top speed of 196 mph. It’s a fantastic engine: docile when it needs to be, blindingly powerful when called upon. While it doesn’t have quite the visceral, sky-ripping thunderous roar of the SLS’ naturally-aspirated 6.2-liter V-8, it still makes plenty of its own music, especially when you push the button that opens the exhaust flaps and amplifies all that glorious V-8 exhaust noise.

Like the Porsche 911, an astonishing amount of electronic minder technology has gone into the GT to keep you in control of all this power and agility. But unlike the Porsche, it provides a layer of refinement and luxury that acts as a firewall between the machine and the driver. A selector knob allows the driver to essentially dial in how thin they want that insulating blanket to be — keep it in Comfort mode and the GT is as easy to drive as the larger, calmer SL touring roadster. Start twisting the knob toward Sport or Sport Plus and you allow more feedback through the suspension, require more effort through the steering wheel and generate faster responses from the transmission. Twist it all the way to Race mode and the GT S turns into a track monster — shifts become extremely quick, torque is available instantly and the roar from the twin pipes out the back of the coupe becomes formidable.

Of course, you can also dial in various settings to create your own mix, using the Individual setting. I generally preferred to keep the suspension in Comfort mode, the steering in Sport Plus, the transmission in Sport and the exhaust as loud as possible.

Out in the hills and forests south of San Francisco, the AMG GT S is far more sporting and stiff than an SL, as is appropriate for the sports-car nature of the vehicle. Broken pavement does set up some jolts in the cabin even on Comfort setting, but it’s not harsh or uncomfortable. Out on the swoops and dips of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca racetrack, the AMG GT S shows just what it can do — and what it can do is go seriously fast. It is a wonderfully balanced car, with phenomenal amounts of grip for a rear-wheel-drive vehicle. One is able to rotate the car easily in turns using either throttle or steering wheel input, and the amazing amounts of grip mean that later braking into and earlier acceleration out of curves are possible.

Exterior

Whether moving fast or sitting still, the GT is gorgeous from just about any angle. Pictures do not do the shape justice — this may be one of the most expressive cars Mercedes-Benz has brought to market since the 1963 230 SL “Pagoda.” The shape evokes the old Jaguar E-Type in its proportions, with a long hood, short deck and quickly sloping roofline behind a bulbous top. It’s taut, clean and mean-looking, whipping just as many heads around outside the car as inside. There are distinct cues from other Mercedes-Benz vehicles in the GT’s lines, such as the taillights that look lifted from the stunning new S-Class coupe and a front end that evokes the CLA.

Nobody will mistake it for anything other than a Mercedes, but it’s in no way stodgy or reminiscent of a conservative past. Parked next to a current-generation SL, which happened to be on hand for Mercedes staff at the media launch drive in San Francisco, it becomes obvious that this is the future of Mercedes-Benz styling, and it’s a far more attractive design than the SL.

Interior

The GT is smaller than you might think, which becomes apparent when you walk up and open one of the feather-light aluminum doors. The cabin looks tight, but it’s remarkably comfortable for people of most shapes and sizes. Getting in and out is no more difficult than in a 911 or Audi R8, and once inside the multiadjustable seats and scalloped headliner (a glass panel roof is optional) provide plenty of position options.

In front of the driver is a massive, chunky steering wheel covered in faux suede and to the right is an extremely wide center console done up either in aluminum or piano black, depending on your trim options. An array of specific buttons control aspects such as engine stop-start, multimedia system volume, exhaust noise level and more. In the center of it is a multifunction track pad that partially covers the traditional Mercedes rotary knob selector. The multimedia system is no different than in any other Mercedes-Benz, making it familiar and relatively easy to use. The display itself is typical of Mercedes’ recent designs, planting an iPad-like tablet display in the dash, with the appearance of being an afterthought. It’s one of only two blemishes on this beautifully crafted cockpit.

The other issue with the interior is visibility. The windshield is extremely short, the A-pillars are rather thick and the rearview mirror/forward radar camera assembly takes up too much real estate. This means that the driver’s forward visibility is far more compromised than in a 911, with its taller, upright windshield, but it’s no worse than the R8, with its similarly low roof. It becomes especially troublesome in twisty left-hand bends, as you try and crane your head around the thick A-pillar to see the road ahead.

Is it Better than a 911?

The question then becomes: Is it better to drive than a Porsche 911, a vehicle many of us consider to be the aspirational sports car benchmark? The most accurate answer would be that it is simply different to drive than a 911, more resembling the Audi R8 in character and style. It can certainly keep up with a 911, but it goes about its mission differently, providing the owner with a blisteringly fast sport coupe that, like the R8, feels more exotic than the Porsche, especially in the styling department.

In a move that may be pretty smart on Mercedes’ part, it doesn’t seem to be aimed exactly at the 911 – in size and capability it may be, but we expect it will be priced where the 911 Carrera 4S starts, $106,625 including destination, if not more. Because it’s not trying to play to the $80,000-or-so 911 Carrera crowd it’s able to provide a level of luxury, style and overall refinement that the entire 911 lineup doesn’t have.

It will appeal to people who aspire to buy a 911 for its cachet, but who aren’t necessarily as interested in what top-end 911s can do. Instead, they will filter over to their Mercedes showroom, where there’s an equally capable yet more dramatically styled and luxurious option.

Cars.com photos by Aaron Bragman