Mercedes-AMG GT and GT PRO 2019 Review

There is nothing wrong with the Mercedes-AMG GT but that has not stopped it getting an extra injection of goodness.

No more power or torque has been added to a car that some call the kraut Corvette, since a spread from 350-430kW across the range is more than adequate, but there is extra cabin refinement, an update to the driver-assistance package, new daytime running lamps… Oh, and an updated ‘goldilocks’ car, the Mercedes-AMG GT C, that combines the relatively low-key approach of the Mercedes-AMG GT S with the wider rear track of the Mercedes-AMG GT R for extra stability and driver enjoyment.

A new GT superhero, the racer-quick Mercedes-AMG GT Pro, is not coming to Australia but shines like a supernova at the global press preview drive in Germany. Running hot laps at the Hockenheim, home of the German Grand Prix, it is blisteringly quick while remaining surprisingly easy to drive.

But, for people who want to go all-out on the GT front, there will be a madder, more track-focussed Mercedes-AMG Black Series car sometime in 2020 that promises to make the Pro look a bit, well, pedestrian.

Mercedes-Benz Australia says the updated Mercedes-AMG GT thunderboxes land in Australia in the third quarter of 2019, with pricing likely to run at circa $300,000 for the GT S, $335,000 for the C-car, and $350,000 for the Mercedes-AMG GT GT R.

The GT is the second true AMG car from the Mercedes-Benz sub-brand and first landed in Australia in 2015.

It follows the Benz SLS Gullwing, but was developed from the start at Mercedes-AMG headquarters in Affalterbach, Germany as the company’s own, sharply-focussed and motorsport-inspired, two-seater hero car.

The AMG SLS was more of a grand tourer (with a thunderous soundtrack and its signature hinged doors) but cleared the way for a car which could be much more of a Porsche fighter. It has since also been developed into a racer for both GT3 and GT4 sports car competition.

The GT Roadster joined the coupes, but has never been a huge seller in Australia, then a four-door GT was added to the line-up earlier this year, previewing at the Bathurst 12-Hour race, and is a definite Down Under.

It’s partly down to the new E and CLS-Class based four-seater that the original GT is getting an update, as it brought a range of changes which needed to be passed across the garage.

“We call it a face-lift. With the GT, it’s a little bit special, because we maintain it for the whole lifespan,” says the GT product manager, Jonathan Schopp.

“Now we have the four-door coupe we wanted to bring all the elements together. The headlamps, with the DRs, you can clearly see the two-door and four-door belong together,” Schopp tells carsales.

“We wanted some updates to the exterior, but most things were in the interior. To make it more digital inside. We have a fully-integrated dashboard with new switches in the centre console, like the four-door,” he added.

The visual changes are minor, very minor, on the outside. Apart from the DRLs, there are minor tweaks to the rear lamps, tailpipes and diffuser.

Inside, the car is same-same, but different. The digital instrument display is bigger and clearer, with three ’theme’ choices, and the central console is cleaned up with switches that are bigger and easier to use.

AMG’s latest steering wheel, which already makes the updated C 63 more driver focussed, is also bolted into the updated 2019 Mercedes-AMG GT.

“You have all the functions that you normally have to look down for, away from the road, on the wheel. That’s the next level of personalisation. You can choose the functions you use very often,” Schopp explains.

That means infotainment and cruise control, but also the rotary dial (at five o’clock) to set the driving mode and two switches (at 7 o’clock) that adjust the stability control and, in the AMG GT Pro, the level of intervention from the traction control.

The wheel is the link but it’s also connected to another improvement.

“We also added the AMG Dynamics. It is always one step improved from the programs we had before,” Schopp says.

“It is a more flexible adjustment of the stability control, which includes the torque you can put on the rear wheels. It now has specific settings for each driving program. Every step is different. In Comfort you have got a very stable car, a very comfortable car, and then in Sport Plus and Race it is very direct.”

Best for keen drivers is that the Dynamics package can see into the future.

“The car tries to predict what will come next, so it is pre-loaded. The system uses a lot of different data from all sensors: steering, wheel speed, yaw, ESP [traction and stability control]. It is much more agile but it also has much more stability,” the program boss says.

At its core the GT range is largely unchanged. Under the bonnet is AMG’s now-revered 4.0-litre hot-vee twin turbo V8. The transmission is a twin-clutch transaxle with drive resolute rear-only. Unlike the GT 4 Door, the AMG GT’s structure is bespoke and not shared with any other Mercedes-Benz model.

The GT R Pro is not coming to Australia, but it’s impossible to ignore.

Bernd Schneider, champion racer and lead driver for Mercedes-AMG customer programs, says the Pro is almost as quick as the GT4 racing version of the GT, and that car runs on slick racing rubber with a fully-stripped cabin and all the track pack stuff.

“Speed comes from the new suspension technology which is a lot more adjustable to the driver’s wishes. We have some weight-loss techniques,” says Schopp, as he highlights carbon-fibre seats, a carbon-fibre strengthening panel that bolts below the chassis, and a meaty carbon-fibre front anti-roll bar.

Walk around the car and it’s like investigating a racecar. There are ‘flicks’ on the deeper front spoiler, a more comprehensive rear diffuser, and other air-channeling bits and pieces.

“The biggest focus is on aerodynamics and suspension. Everything together means we shave off 7sec compared to the GT R on the Nordschlieffe,” he says.

There is also a bolt-in rollcage (a no-cost option) and four-point racing harness in a package that’s equivalent to that offered on the Porsche GT3 RS.

On the suspension system, there are easily-adjustable dampers at each corner and super-sticky Michelin tyres on forged alloys, as well as carbon-ceramic brakes. Then there is the electronic package, which puts more emphasis on the track-focussed stability and traction control. There is a button on the wheel that arms a multi-position switch on the centre console so the driver can set the amount of nanny they want -- or not!

The result?

“It’s a car you can have in the garage, drive to the track and adjust the suspension, then drive home again,” Schopp proffers.

On our test drive starts in a parking garage in central Stuttgart which is warm and dry but the roads to Affalterbach, where the press briefing will be held at AMG HQ, are slimy. Light, cold, showers are falling regularly.

So I’m happiest to jump into the updated Mercedes-AMG GT C, to see if I can feel the improvements promised by the engineers.

First impressions of the updated GT range are good, with a more user-friendly interior and a dash that is brighter and clearer, but there is zero chance to check the grip or turn or braking performance. The weather is against us. In a big way.

It’s the same, later, with the GT S and GT R, as pelting rain and traffic jams on the autobahn reduce our pace to a stumbling crawl.

There is fun in playing with the latest steering wheel, and its driver-helper software systems, but there is only one chance to belt the car up to 200km/h in a brief dry spell with minimal traffic.

It’s also likely that the GT will be noisy on Australian roads, although no noisier than now. It also will be interesting to see how the C model’s suspension works in local conditions.

There is no chance to check the car’s potential threat to Porsche in the sports car wars… Although recent time in the all-new 911 shows it’s likely to be more refined and comfortable than the AMG heavyweight on the road.

It’s a pity, a giant pity, that the GT Pro is not coming to Australia. Because it’s a stonker.

Hockenheim is greasy as I’m strapped into the Pro car for my first track laps, following German touring car legend (and sometime Bathurst racer), Bernd Schneider.

“Stay off the kerbs, they are very slippery. Just take it easy,” he says on the two-way, before firing across the first kerb and throwing a wall of spray onto the windscreen of my car.

Straight away, the Pro feels more like a racer than a road car. Yes, even the regular GT with its taut suspension and thumping 4.0-litre turbo V8.

The brakes are sensational, the balance is great, and it whacks me in the back on the exits from the slow corners as the old-school drive goes to the rear end. There is no need for manual shifting (even with the excellent feel from the paddle shifters), as the car’s electronics do a better and smooth job on right-timed downshifts and full-punch upshifts.

Schneider is laughing when we stop, but gets more serious for my final run.

He leans into the cabin, switches the AMG Dynamics controller to Race, then activates the nine-position traction control system for slip without scariness.

“If you feel okay, then keep dialling it down,” he says.

And then we’re off. And running. And the Pro is fantastic.

The front-end bite is genuine, the mid-corner grip is close to a competition car, and all the power goes onto the road without drama.

Once, just once, the back flicks sideways in the middle of Hockenheim’s first turn, but I can catch it with a flick of my wrists. Further around the lap, there a couple of yellow blinks on the dash [showing the stability control has kicked in], so I dial the safety net back towards the minimum and the car still stays planted and fast.

Schneider says the car would be quicker on the Michelin Pilot Sport tyres, instead of the Pirelli P Zeroes which coped better in the greasiness, but the Michies also make the car a touch more difficult to handle.

But I don’t care, because I’m going as quickly as I can and the GT R Pro is making me feel like a star. I’ve forgotten about the new console layout and the big dash display, and even the rollcage behind me and the competition seats and four-point belts which have me locked in place.

And that’s the point. This truly is a car to give you a racecar feel without having to buy something super-costly and single-focussed.

Someone clearly likes me, and Bernd, as the rain starts again on our cool-down lap.
As I’m downloading the dynamic reactions of the Pro car, and laughing like a loon, the clouds get thicker and blacker and closer to the ground.

So the return run to Stuttgart airport is tedious and tiresome. The Mercedes-AMG GT R I’m sitting in for the airport leg is a big dog on a short leash.

It will be great to let it run when the updated GTs land in Australia but, for now, the news points to more refinement and a touch more comfort in AMG’s latest.

And the Pro? I have great memories and, for the people who have the cash and commitment to go all the way, there will be a Black Series of the GT. It promises to be truly, madly, deeply into the crazy zone.

How much does the 2019 Mercedes-AMG GT range cost?
Price: from $300,000 (see text, plus ORCs)
Engine: 4.0-litre eight-cylinder twin-turbo-petrol
Output: 350-430kW/680Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch
Fuel: 11.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 261g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: N/A