2017 Mercedes-AMG GT R

Mercedes-AMG’s coupe comes without a dramatic change in design when compared to its donor.

It was probably easy for the designers at Mercedes-AMG to make this model, as they just had to follow guidelines from the specialists in the wind tunnel, and then shape the rest of the vehicle as aggressive as they could without spoiling the drag coefficient.

We might have caused things sound too easy here, but it is clear that this version of the GT does not come with dramatic styling changes.

What it does have is aggressiveness, and lots of it. It looks like it is going to go full transformers when you press the key fob to open the doors, and that it might eat the car next to it before starting up. Did you park in a secluded spot? Tough luck, kid, it might devour you.

The rear looks just as menacing as the front, with a massive rear wing that is fixed, so that any guy that will buy this will not have to feel embarrassed when driving in the city with the wing up, as it does not do down.

The rear bumper has a large diffuser to ensure that the car stays tucked on the road as well as possible. The sides of this vehicle are less threatening, but so are some species of the snake family when they are standing still without making any noises. You know, just before they strike without warning.

The performance version of the Mercedes-AMG GT does not bring a dramatic change to the interior, either. In some aspects, some might say that the difference between the GT and the GT-R is smaller than when a BMW 3 Series is compared to an M3 in the passenger compartment.

Mercedes-AMG skimped out on photos of the interior, but we do have a few quality shots of the German coupe.

As you can observe, two thin bucket seats have replaced the standard units of the GT, which were not bland by any measure. Now, the seats are close to those found in racing cars, but they can be adjusted and still provide a suitable level of comfort and padding. It is worth noting that they have not gone for the full-on racing look.

The center console has not changed one bit, but the dash is now trimmed with a yellow thread, and Alcantara covers the surfaces that are not leather. The steering wheel also comes in the synthetic fabric, because it provides more grip in racing gloves than leather steering wheels.

The door cards have not changed in design, but they have been blacked out using Alcantara and leather, instead of just leather. The seat belts are also yellow, so that they match the rest of the accents present in the interior.

The multimedia unit has not been visibly altered, but the gauges have a new graphic design. The rest of the interior seems largely unchanged. It is safe to say that Mercedes-AMG has already invested a considerable sum into the development of its two-seater, and the interior did not require a significant update with the introduction of the GT-R.

Mercedes-AMG’s GT-R is a marvel of modern engineering, just like many cars from its segment.

The customer gets to enjoy a level of performance that used to be reserved for race cars, while comfortably sitting in a chair that can be heated for his or her convenience. In the case of the bucket seats of the GT-R, seat ventilation is not possible, but that would take things to another extreme.

The car comes with an advanced audio system, dynamic cruise control, a speed limiter function – so you do not get fined to the end of days on public roads, and with many convenience features.

The GT-R also has a climate control system with dual zone adjustment, a multimedia unit complete with the latest features from the German brand, and even keyless access and start-up.

The level of power and acceleration provided by this car is not unprecedented, and it can probably be matched by a heavily modified car from the 90’s or 2000’s, but they will never be as reliable as this model, while also performing to the limit of the laws of physics and contemporary tires.

From this point of view, being able to get a car that will probably set a respectable time on the Nurburgring Nordschleife, the most demanding track in the world, along with all the amenities of modern cars is why we say that the  GT-R is a marvel of modern engineering.

The same goes for Porsche’s top-tier 911 models, Nissan’s GT-R, and all creations from exclusive brands that provide sporty cars.

The amount of performance technology hiding underneath the GT R’s fabulous curves is overwhelming. Let’s start with the engine, a handcrafted 4.0-liter V8 biturbo, putting out 577 horsepower (585 PS) and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm) of torque, between 1,900 and 5,500 rpm. That’s 74 horsepower more than the GT S.

Using a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, the rear-wheel-drive GT R shoots to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and can hit a top speed of 198 mph. Drivers can use the AMG Dynamic Select controller to change between the various modes: Comfort, Sport, Sport Plus, Race, and Individual. Pressing the separate “M” button on the center console will activate the manual transmission mode, in any drive mode.

In addition to the Dynamic Select settings, the driver can switch the ESP between on, off, or Sport Handling Mode. In the off mode, further handling customization is available by preselecting the amount of wheel slip allowed on the driven axle, in nine levels.

Borrowed from the AMG GT3, the system is controlled via a rotary switch on the center console, with the active setting indicated by an LED strip around the dial and on the central display of the instrument cluster.

But wait, there are even more settings to mess with, because the GT R is fitted with a continuously variable, adaptive damping system. Three modes are available: Comfort, for public roads, Sport, for bumpy tracks like Nurburgring Nordschleife, and Sport Plus for flat tracks like Hockenheim.

The AMG GT R uses rear wheel steering, with a maximum toe angle change on the wheels of 1.5 degrees. Up to a speed of 62 mph, the rear wheels are turned in the opposite direction to the front wheels, improving agility when cornering or parking. Finally, the GT R features a carbon fiber underbody component which, at speeds above 50 mph and in Race mode, lowers by about 1.6 inches to improve downforce.

The Mercedes-AMG GT has not been tested by any organization that performs crashworthiness examinations. The same can be said about the GT-R version.

Cars like these are considered exotics by these organizations, and by the rest of the world, so buying a few of them just for tests like these would be regarded as a waste of money.

This happens because of multiple reasons, which are led by estimated sales volumes. Simply put, Mercedes-AMG will not sell enough of these cars a year or ever to make EuroNCAP, the NHTSA, or the IIHS consider performing crashworthiness testing. Even if they did sell a bunch of them, it would still be too expensive to buy a few to crash them.

In the case of this model, we would not be concerned about our safety in the unfortunate event of a crash. That is because Mercedes-Benz has an excellent safety record behind it.

The brand only has two ratings of less than five EuroNCAP stars in the past seven years, and both of these ratings came from rebranded utility models from one of its partners.

Moreover, the GT-R comes with a broad array of active and passive safety systems, all borrowed from its parent brand. Except for an autonomous braking system in the event of an imminent frontal impact, it has all the bells and whistles that Mercedes-Benz fits on its passenger cars.

The ESP and traction control systems are also advanced in operation and development, as they have been developed to provide maximum performance in any conditions. They can only do you wrong if you turn them off or drive like you are in GTA. Please keep that driving style for the game, not real life.

The GT-R is a model that was perfected and designed through extensive testing on the Nurburgring. This might explain why its exclusive shade is called “AMG Green Hell Magno,” and not just “insanity green.”

Through this model, the AMG division of Daimler AG has managed to perfect what was already considered its masterpiece. After all, the Mercedes-AMG GT is a car developed independently by this division, with the occasional part borrowed from the Mercedes-Benz bin, but there is nothing wrong with that when the result looks like this.

With that in mind, we cannot wait to find out the Nurburgring time of this model, which should keep people talking until AMG unveils its first hypercar, which is expected by the end of 2017.