Mercedes-AMG GT R 2019 Review

If you want some tough love then strap into a Mercedes-AMG GT R, which tops a facelifted GT two-door range -- at least until the Black Series hypercar arrives next year.

It’s a bruiser and a belter, capable of cracking down any road with the sort of speed and response that creates giant smiles.

Accessing the performance is easy, it has a comfortable cornering balance and it talks to you if it’s not happy or you’re doing something silly.

Turn it loose on a closed circuit, where it’s possible to tap deep into one of the best action tracks in the business, and it is a revelation. In some ways it’s even better than a Supercars racecar for feedback and enjoyment.

What’s not to like, especially now the two-door GT has just been given a tickle that picks up some of the pieces from the newer GT 4-Door with more elegance in the cabin and up to 430kW of rear-drive V8 performance? Not much.

Australia’s Mercedes-AMG GT line-up has been trimmed to three cars, partly thanks to the introduction of the more family-friendly GT 4-Door, which isn’t a huge seller but is giving Porsche Panamera buyers something with a three-pointed star to consider.

The new GT starter is the S Coupe with 384kW and a price tag of $311,142, followed by the GT C Roadster at 410kW and $329,843. The range is now topped by the GT R Coupe at $361,042 with the full-fat engine package of 430kW of power and 700Nm of torque.

Missing from the latest line-up is the basic GT, which Mercedes-Benz Australia says was not a strong seller despite its lower $260,770 showroom sticker, while low demand for the open-air model means there is just one Roadster.

Also out of the local line-up, although available in other countries, is the AMG GT PRO, which is considered a little under-done and there is little appetite for the car in Australia.

But that’s because things will change radically next year with the introduction of the Mercedes-AMG GT R Black Series -- a fire-breathing super-coupe that’s expected to set a new standard for track work with a new-generation twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 that’s predicted to have a flat-plane crankshaft and more than 500kW.

There is nothing official on timing or technical specifications yet, but the Black Series will definitely cost more than $400,000 when it arrives by the end of next year.

The most powerful GT ever will be followed in 2021 by a new generation of AMG’s dedicated model family with all-wheel drive, mild-hybrid tech and in excess of 490kW and 950Nm.

On the outside, the only significant visual difference on the updated Mercedes-AMG GT cars is daytime running lamps and an LED refresh of the headlights. If you look very closely you might spot minor changes to the tail-lights, exhaust outlets and rear diffuser.

Inside, the centre console and instruments pick up the work on the GT 4-Door and -- inevitably -- there are big new display screens.

The digital instrument cluster is bigger and clearer, with a 12.3-inch display, and the driver can choose from three ‘theme’ choices including a track-focussed layout that gives you a big and bold tachometer and readouts for the essential go-faster stuff.

The centre console is now cleaner, with a smooth surface and switches that are bigger and easier to use: just what you need for a burst of ‘loud’ from the exhaust or to toggle straight into the sports suspension.

The infotainment system is snitched from the GT sedan too, with a 10.25-inch display that includes both CarPlay and Android Auto, and the package now runs to a front-mounted parking camera, Traffic Sign Assist and an app-linked package to access vehicle data and service information through a smartphone.

Best for the driver is the latest AMG steering wheel, and not just because it is noticeably thinner than the previous fat-sausage rim. It gives predictable access to the infotainment and cruise control, but there is a rotary dial --in the five o’clock location below the flat bottom -- to set the driving mode. Alongside it, at seven o’clock, is another switch to adjust the stability control.

In the centre of the console, without any labelling to advertise its contribution to the car, is a rotary dial that allows the driver to adjust the level of intervention of driving assistance on traction and slip.

It’s possible to access data from racetrack work through the AMG Track Pace package, but that’s not all. The car comes with AMG Ride Control adjustment in the suspension, from firm to track, an electronic limited-slip differential and the switchable exhaust that turns growls and grumbles into thunder and lightning.

The quickest cars also gets composite disc brakes and asymmetric wheels, with 19-inch alloys on the front and 20s at the back, plus Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber at all four corners.

Since it’s a Benz, there is also a full array of safety systems including blind-spot monitoring and lane-keeping assistance, as well as the Pre-Safe package that prepares the car for an imminent crash.

But it’s the go-faster stuff that counts, and who knows what extra niceness will come with the Black Series…

After a long week of mundane motoring in country Victoria, the welcome sight of the latest Mercedes-AMG GTs gives me an instant lift. When my key trips the alarm on the GT R, and not the GT S parked beside it, I’m very, very happy.

Not that this is my first dance. I’ve driven the GT a number of times since it came to Australia in 2015, even lapped Bathurst in the GT3 racing version, and most recently had time in Germany with the updated 2019 cars.

But that was Europe in pouring rain so bad there was not one moment when I could drop the top in the Roadster, and the only real chance for some serious speed was in the GT PRO car on the Hockenheim race circuit.

So the Mercedes-AMG GT R is instantly familiar, from the hunkered-down noise to the big rear wing, and fires with the sound of distant AMG thunder.

The cabin looks a little cleaner than before, the new wheel feels more comfortable and I’m happy to see the new driving mode switches.

It’s Friday evening, the sun is finishing for the day and I’m mumbling through the explosion of new suburbs on the north-western outskirts of Melbourne.

The Mercedes-AMG GT R is turning heads, I’m looking forward to every red light and the car feels like it’s been carved from granite.

At times it’s a bit too rock-solid, with thumps from the road and too much tyre growl, but that’s the price you pay at this level.

The seats are not my favourites either; they’re sports buckets rather than the race-style capsules. The shape gives me a numb bum after 40 minutes of slow-speed work, and there’s not enough grip to pay back that discomfort around some enthusiastically-driven roundabouts.

Everything changes when I turn onto Peter Brock’s favourite test road, up to Kinglake. It’s where he would fang and tune his HDT Commodore road cars and, even if the speed limits are far lower today, it’s still a great place to play.

With everything switched to Eager, but leaving all the safety nets in place, the Mercedes-AMG GT R thunders through even the briefest straights. The sound is great, the shove is fantastic, and the Benz belter is in its element.

I’ve driven this road many times, even alongside Brock, and the GT R is my favourite car on it so far. It’s as quick as I want it to go, but feels special even while respecting the limits and the conditions on dusk, and always offers fantastically accessible performance.

I turn and it turns. I brake and it wipes off speed. I crack the throttle and it stays balanced through the turns and catapults me down the next straight. AMG says it will do the 0-100k/h sprint in just 3.6 seconds and it feels like it, again and again.

But there is no chance, or need, to challenge the claimed top speed of 318km/h. That's a job for a return trip to Germany.

But the Mercedes-AMG GT R still feels like a car, not a Le Mans prototype with road plates. A Porsche takes more concentration and commitment, a McLaren is too focussed and too fast, and a Ferrari tells everyone you’re being naughty.

In a lot of ways, the GT R is like an HSV Commodore or a Tickford Falcon. The engine dominates the experience, with incredible twin-turbo torque and that V8 sound track, but you don’t have to be a racer to extract plenty of pace and enjoyment.

You can be clumsy; just turn the wheel and stomp the pedals, and it will make you look good. Take a bit more time, exploit a bit more talent, and it becomes a supercar on this road.

Over the top and into more flowing roads, the R car is just as good. It’s easy to arrive too quickly into downhill curves, relying on the big brakes and brilliant front-end bite, but it’s never a drama or anything less than a friend.

Back into Melbourne-town and stop-start traffic, and the AMG hero is less enjoyable, thanks to its tight cabin and plenty of blind spots.

The next morning, with chilly bitumen and cold tyres in the carpark, I also experience the tyre chatter (when the tyres drag across the surface with nasty kicks through the steering) that some AMG owners have reported. I don’t like it, but it’s a small price to pay.

That’s in contrast to the price tag of the Mercedes-AMG GT R, which makes it an expensive exotic. Yet it gives back even more than it takes and that makes it a winner.

How much does the 2019 Mercedes-AMG GT R cost?
Price: $361,042 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Output: 430kW/700Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 11.4L/100km
CO2: 259g/km
Safety rating: Not tested