Mercedes AMG GT (2016 SLS "successor"?)

[Eunos_Cosmo]

I'm gonna guess replace it.

SL will be the convertible, AMG GT will be the coupe.

Well that's disappointing...the AMG GT was really rad and it was nice to see them in the sea of 911s out there. I bet this thing will be 4500lbs.

 

[ND4SPD]

Is this on a new platform? It looks significantly less athletic than the current car which has pretty extreme cab-rearward proportions, almost like a viper. This looks a lot more ordinary.

That was one of the best parts about the old GT to me. Those extreme long hood short deck proportions. Now it looks like a fat bloated version of its former self.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

That was one of the best parts about the old GT to me. Those extreme long hood short deck proportions. Now it looks like a fat bloated version of its former self.

I think this is a case of the marketing department and the accounting department getting together and saying "c'mon, nobody is actually going to notice! Just add more hersepewers! Look how much money we save by putting it on the SL platform!" I really appreciated that the old GT was a genuine, bonafide sports car, a car that was a true alternative to the Porsche 911 both when it comes to quality but also performance (and not just the straight line kind) and design. And yes, the impossibly low, flat and long nose was one of the sexiest FR designs in decades.

 

[Keef]

Fortunately for us the real GTs will depreciate like rocks so we might be able to bag one for $50k not too long from now. Coolest thing since the Viper went out of production. Come to think of it, I see a serious opportunity for Dodge opening up....

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Fortunately for us the real GTs will depreciate like rocks so we might be able to bag one for $50k not too long from now. Coolest thing since the Viper went out of production. Come to think of it, I see a serious opportunity for Dodge opening up....

Not if they follow the path of the SLS

 

[McLaren]

Fortunately for us the real GTs will depreciate like rocks so we might be able to bag one for $50k not too long from now. Coolest thing since the Viper went out of production. Come to think of it, I see a serious opportunity for Dodge opening up....

You've got a while to go before that happens. Cheapest examples are still $80-85K and those are the 5+ year old cars pushing 10,000+ miles w/ service intervals probably coming up.

Otherwise, they're still a solid $110,000+ car. They're probably not going to bottom out much more in general b/c most aren't driven like a typical SL would be.

 

[TheCracker]

Fortunately for us the real GTs will depreciate like rocks so we might be able to bag one for $50k not too long from now. Coolest thing since the Viper went out of production. Come to think of it, I see a serious opportunity for Dodge opening up....

The earliest (2016) UK ones are at around £60k now with 30k miles on them. There are a few cheaper ones about at £55k, but they're all higher mileage.

 

[Keef]

Not if they follow the path of the SLS

You've got a while to go before that happens. Cheapest examples are still $80-85K and those are the 5+ year old cars pushing 10,000+ miles w/ service intervals probably coming up.

Otherwise, they're still a solid $110,000+ car. They're probably not going to bottom out much more in general b/c most aren't driven like a typical SL would be.

The SLS is rare, I've never even seen one on the roads. There are several GTs I see roaming around Dayton and if people here are willing to spend on them then they're relatively common in bigger cities. They may not get as cheap as I want them to be but they'll be discarded by their first owners just as quickly as any other AMG model when a new version comes out. I don't mind them being old with mileage - late 2000s and early 2010s AMGs are still excellent cars these days and C63s in particular are getting picked up left and right. My buddy's 2012 drives as well as most brand new cars.

 

[GranTurNismo]

I've never understood why the AMG GT is often compared with, and seen as the successor to the SLS AMG. Sure, they're both supercars and Mercedes' flagship sports car. But the SLS was always a more niche model, in the way that the BMW Z8 was, having prioritized exclusivity and a timeless, retro-modern design, hence its lower production volume and higher resale values. The AMG GT, on the other hand, strove for mass appeal, comparable to the 911 and Corvette, sacrificing a truly unique design and exclusivity, but instead having a plethora of trims/performance variants. Thus it makes sense for the AMG GT to essentially be a coupe SL. Neither of these approaches were necessarily "wrong", rather they just appealed to different markets. If you compare the AMG GT to the SLS, of course it may seem like a disappointment, but that would miss the point...

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

I've never understood why the AMG GT is often compared with, and seen as the successor to the SLS AMG. Sure, they're both supercars and Mercedes' flagship sports car. But the SLS was always a more niche model, in the way that the BMW Z8 was, having prioritized exclusivity and a timeless, retro-modern design, hence its lower production volume and higher resale values. The AMG GT, on the other hand, strove for mass appeal, comparable to the 911 and Corvette, sacrificing a truly unique design and exclusivity, but instead having a plethora of trims/performance variants. Thus it makes sense for the AMG GT to essentially be a coupe SL. Neither of these approaches were necessarily "wrong", rather they just appealed to different markets. If you compare the AMG GT to the SLS, of course it may seem like a disappointment, but that would miss the point...

It's right there on the tin. They have thus far been the only products entirely engineered in-house by AMG. They don't occupy the exact same market segments, but they are similar enough to call them cousins. They are also, in-fact, on the same basic platform (which is rumored to have Viper DNA in some capacity) so I think it's totally fair to call the GT a successor to the SLS.

The SL, by contrast, has always been far more of a lounge-y GT car, a roadster version of the CL (which itself is a coupe version of the S Class) The new one seems to be somewhere in the middle. This is how I see the spectrum*


Luxury | S Class -- CL Class ---- SL Class --------------(New SL/GT)--------------- AMG GT = SLS AMG | Sport

*The AMG GT Black series is probably more hardcore than any SLS variant, to be honest, so it would actually be to the right of at least the base SLS above.

 

[ProjectWHaT]

All new AMG GT

It seems like Autocar released their article early?

2024 Mercedes-AMG GT gets four seats, 4WD and 577bhp V8 | Autocar

Stiffened, overhauled V8 coupé launches at Pebble Beach – and we've already ridden in it

www.autocar.co.uk

Unveiled at the 2023 Monterey Car Week in California, the new GT has been comprehensively re-engineered in a programme that has seen its development twinned with that of the latest SL, alongside which it will be produced at the Mercedes-Benz's factory in Bremen, Germany.

As with the closely related SL, the GT adopts a fully-variable four-wheel drive system as standard for the first time. It replaces the rear-wheel drive arrangement used previously, providing the new coupé with what Schiebe describes as “a much broader spread of driving characteristics, together with greater traction and added security in all weather conditions”.

The fifth series-production road car to be developed ground-up by AMG will initially be sold in a choice of two guises - both featuring the company's hand-assembled, twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 petrol engine. The new GT 55 4Matic+ develops 469bhp and 516lb ft of torque, with the range-topping GT 63 4Matic+ offering 577bhp and 590lb ft - both upgrades over the equivalent versions of the first-gen GT.

The updated engine, which Schiebe says will be made compliant with Euro 7 emission compliance when required, operates in combination with a nine-speed AMG Speedshift automatic gearbox featuring a wet “starter” clutch in place of a conventional torque converter. Mounted directly to the end of the reworked V8, it replaces the earlier GT's seven-speed dual-clutch transaxle unit, which was sited within the rear axle assembly. Also included is an electronically-controlled rear-locking differential.

Despite differing specifications, Mercedes-AMG quotes the same 1970kg kerb weight for both of its new GT models. The 55 claims an official 0-62mph time of 3.9sec and a 183mph top speed, while the 63 offers a respective 3.2sec and 196mph, it says.

 

[Rossell2]

I have to say I quite like it. Better than what I was expecting.

 

[Keef]

Robb Report still has their article and photos up. You didn’t post the most important image which is the one that shows the coupe proportions. I think they’re trying to hide something with this extremely low-angle photo that exaggerates the length and lowness of the car.

The new car’s coupe proportions are incredibly soft and lame compared to the old car. Not impressed. It looks more like a Porsche 911 than something based on vintage Mercedes GT cars.

 

[Rossell2]

I think this is a better comparison as the above is a Black series, but I can appreciate the side shot being a little boring.

 

[FT-1]

I really like how they've evolved the design, this is the best-looking Mercedes revealed in ages.

I don't mind the greenhouse being a little bigger than before. While I'm aware this comes at the cost of looking less like other models from its lineage, the smoother and longer roofline looks far more appealing to me.

 

[LumpiestFish]

Headlights remind me a lot of the current BMW Z4

 

[Keef]

Headlights remind me a lot of the current BMW Z4

BMW, Maserati, and now Mercedes are throwing it back to 2004 with these vertical headlights stretched to the windshield. News flash: Nothing in the entire world that happened while I was in high school was cool, especially the mile-long headlight trend.

 

[Aphelion]

I can see why some might miss the old style, but for me it doesn't take anything away from how pretty this thing is. Best looking thing to come out of Germany in a while (that I can think of)

 

[Nessy]

Don't get me wrong, I loved the previous long bonnet look of the previous SLS, but this looks so much better. It just looks better proportioned with the new increased greenhouse, more practical too, plus far better styling touches.

 

[ND4SPD]

So they made the new SL a coupe and took away that awesome long hood, short deck proportions.

What I loved the most with the old car was basically how you sat right in front of the rear axle. Shame the driver is placed more in the middle now as well.

 

[GranTurNismo]

While it's far from ugly looking on the outside, I think the design is just a Coupe SL that simultaneously has the proportions of the 911, as pointed out by many others. Was hoping for something with a bit more uniqueness and flair.

Though the biggest pitfall is the interior. It's a massive downgrade. The previous gen's cabin looked like it actually feels special, almost making you feel like you're inside a fighter jet cockpit. The new car’s interior just looks like a regular MB interior and that's it.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Yeah this reads like massive cost cutting all around to me. I think MB tried really hard on the first gen GT, and when it couldn't conclusively beat the 911 at its own game, I presume that the executives threw in the towel and reverted this car to a volume platform because they felt like it was good enough, as most buyers probably can't discern the difference.

 

[AshenGraey]

Did they make it shorter? Cause it looks shorter. I don't really mind the new look, cause I like it better than the outgoing model even though the 911 similarities are very "in your face".

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Did they make it shorter? Cause it looks shorter. I don't really mind the new look, cause I like it better than the outgoing model even though the 911 similarities are very "in your face".

I'd guess that its actually longer (being based on the SL and all), but also taller and certainly less dramatically proportioned, which is probably why it looks shorter.

edit: "Measuring the 4728mm long, 1354mm tall, 1984mm wide, and riding on a 2700mm wheelbase, the new GT coupe is 182mm longer, 66mm taller, 45mm wider, and has a 70mm longer wheelbase than the outgoing model." Source

That's 7" longer and nearly 3" taller.

 

[AudiMan2011]

I really want to see if the 2025 GT3 that this will inevitably spawn is going to have the twin turbo V8 so AMG can put the old 6.2 out to pasture.

 

[AshenGraey]

I'd guess that its actually longer (being based on the SL and all), but also taller and certainly less dramatically proportioned, which is probably why it looks shorter.

edit: "Measuring the 4728mm long, 1354mm tall, 1984mm wide, and riding on a 2700mm wheelbase, the new GT coupe is 182mm longer, 66mm taller, 45mm wider, and has a 70mm longer wheelbase than the outgoing model." Source

That's 7" longer and nearly 3" taller.

Interesting. Looking at gap between the front wheel arch to the door hinges, that gap is definitely smaller than the previous model and that is why I thought it was shorter. The hood also looks shorter. Oh well, still interesting to look at IMO.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Interesting. Looking at gap between the front wheel arch to the door hinges, that gap is definitely smaller than the previous model and that is why I thought it was shorter. The hood also looks shorter. Oh well, still interesting to look at IMO.

Proportions can be deceptive. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 looks like it should be the size of a VW Golf, but its actually closer to the size of a Hyundai Sante Fe. I'll be really curious to see a first gen AMG GT parked next to the second gen. I have a feeling they'll look like cousins more than siblings.

 

[Keef]

Proportions can be deceptive. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 looks like it should be the size of a VW Golf, but its actually closer to the size of a Hyundai Sante Fe. I'll be really curious to see a first gen AMG GT parked next to the second gen. I have a feeling they'll look like cousins more than siblings.

I bet the first gen will look like an assertive battle cruiser of a rear-drive sports coupe, a la Viper, versus the second gen’s svelte and comfy grand touring 10-ply proportions. Kind of like how the Audi A5 might be an effective car but isn’t remotely inspiring to look at.

The first gen’s design is so imposing that it makes people a little concerned about its capabilities. No Porsche 911 has done that to anybody, ever. If I were worth enough that buying a car like this makes sense, I don’t want it to look “nice”, I want it to look like people need to get out of my way.

 

[GranTurNismo]

Unlike the CLS, the AMG GT 4-door will live on, as the second generation of it has been spied. It is rumored to have around 1000hp in top form and will be lighter than the outgoing generation.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

I still dislike that MB AMG had the audacity to call that thing a 4-door AMG GT. It's clearly a completely different platform and basically a E63 with different styling.