Vs. AMG GT S

[ASAP]

I think for a crazy price like this, you jump into different classes of car... and at the 130K price point, the AMG GTS is the sexiest thing on earth... Yes, it won't be a definitive track car like the two named here but I would take that car in a heartbeat over a GT3, R8,M4 GTS or whatever in this price class. The GT3 and M4 GTS are useless unless you consistently track, and in my case... that AMG would fit the bill way better.

[Gearhead999s]

Originally Posted by ASAP

I think for a crazy price like this, you jump into different classes of car... and at the 130K price point, the AMG GTS is the sexiest thing on earth... Yes, it won't be a definitive track car like the two named here but I would take that car in a heartbeat over a GT3, R8,M4 GTS or whatever in this price class. The GT3 and M4 GTS are useless unless you consistently track, and in my case... that AMG would fit the bill way better.

Drive a AMG GTS like I did for a couple of days and your opinion will change after dealing with the wonkey steering with virtually no feedback and the crashing of the suspension over sharp bumps.And yes I tried all the different settings.

[hellrotm]

Originally Posted by Gearhead999s

Drive a AMG GTS like I did for a couple of days and your opinion will change after dealing with the wonkey steering with virtually no feedback and the crashing of the suspension over sharp bumps.And yes I tried all the different settings.

That is interesting, I had the complete opposite feelings after driving one. I got to really thrash on one multiple times at AMG driving academy. I went in with preconceived notion it was going to be a lazy GT car, definitely not what I experienced. Honestly not a single thing I disliked about the car. But it is definitely for a different buyer than someone looking at a GT3 or M4 GTS.

[Gearhead999s]

Originally Posted by BlackJetE90

That is interesting, I had the complete opposite feelings after driving one. I got to really thrash on one multiple times at AMG driving academy. I went in with preconceived notion it was going to be a lazy GT car, definitely not what I experienced. Honestly not a single thing I disliked about the car. But it is definitely for a different buyer than someone looking at a GT3 or M4 GTS.

Drive it on the street not on the track and see how your opinion changes.

My Clients comments about this car.

For me the GT-S is not a car I hopped into, and fell in love with immediately. In fact I still haven’t fallen in love with it, but it has turned out to be a really enjoyable, fun car. The more I drive the car the more I like it. Unlike some other cars, it takes a while to learn how to drive the GT-S to extract the most enjoyment from it. Like most of us would do with a ‘supercar’, the tendency is to jump in the car and want to drive it flat out. Now this approach works for something like a Ferrari but for me to get the full enjoyment out of the GT-S, I needed time to bond with it and learn is strengths and weaknesses and work with them.

Like all AMG’s the engine takes center stage in the GT-S. And this is a pretty good engine. Would the car be better with the old naturally aspirated 6.3 liter engine? Yes but that is a moot point now that the 6.3 is no longer available, so I won’t say anything else about that. As far as turbocharged engines go, this one hides the turbo better than most. Whether or not that is a good thing is going to be up the individual. Sometimes I wished the thrust would built up a little slower to encourage you to run the car up the rev range (it tends to be fairly linear on full throttle), and then sometimes I wished there was zero lag and the car just launched anytime the accelerator is nudged. In reality the lag is probably something like a half a second but it is still enough to remind you that this car has a turbo and this puts the character of the engine somewhere between my two ideal behaviors.

Having said all that, this is a very fast car. It never leaves you wanting for more power. In fact I am convinced Mercedes is underrating the horsepower in the GT-S based on how well it goes given its heft. In isolation it feels a rapid as any other car I have driven short of something like the F12.

Mercedes has done a commendable job making the GT-S sound like a big bruising V8. This is the best sounding modern turbo engine. There is no hint of turbo whine or waste gates. It sounds nasty just off idle and very muscular when driving around town. The sound of the downshifts is brilliant with the perfect amount of backfire (are you listening Jaguar?). However it is when you are really pushing the car that the sound begins to falter. When you run the car flat out through a gear, the engine note becomes very one dimensional and there isn’t a lot of difference between the sound at 2500 rpm vs. 7000 rpm. I find this takes away from some of the enjoyment of the car as there is not much reward for winding the car out to the redline through the gears. The sound falls a little flat and the car runs out of steam somewhere beyond 6000rpm.

The biggest letdown with the GT-S and the main reason I haven’t truly fallen for the car is the steering. It is just awful and out of character with the rest of the car. It has the lightest steering of probably any car I have driven (including my Fiesta ST) and does not load up at all in the corners…at least a street speeds. This creates a massive disconnect for me and prevents me from truly exploiting the handling even though there is tons of grip. The GT-S is a wide, long car with a massive hood and a muscle-car sound. The steering should have more heft - you can get this car to dart right to the apex using just your pinky finger. Some additional heft in the steering and a more progressive turn-in would really suit the character of the car better.

Mercedes has finally almost got their dual clutch transmission just about right. Upshifts are good and give a little kick in the aggressive mode but downshifts still have a slight delay between pulling the paddle and the car responding. It would also be nice if they used a regular gear stick instead of their pointless toggle stick currently employed.

So has Mercedes hit a home run with this car? Not quite yet, but it is really enjoyable and rewarding and they have made it different enough and special enough to steal some buyers away from Porsche. It is as “good” as something like a GT3? No, but it is more engaging and more fun to use every day on the street. Is it “better” than the SLS which it kind of replaced? Yes, much much better - in almost every conceivable way. Do I “like it” more than the SLS? Nope. The SLS was not a really “good” car, but it was immensely “special”.

[hellrotm]

Originally Posted by Gearhead999s

Drive it on the street not on the track and see how your opinion changes.

My Clients comments about this car.

Hmm, interesting. What is he comparing the car to as a basis of opinion, I see he mentioned supercar? It definitely isn't a supercar. I found the steering better than the electronic steering in the base 911 and 911 S. He does know it is the hydraulic steering from the SLS. I tend to compare it to the 911 Turbo, no question I would rather have the AMG GTS. Is the 911 a bit more of a precision tool, yes. But every other intangible is heavily in favor of the AMG. Like I said, I went in thinking it was going to be a let down. But, personally I couldn't find any fault with the car. They really could charge more for it, $90k less that the SLS is actually a bargain.

[Gearhead999s]

Originally Posted by BlackJetE90

Hmm, interesting. What is he comparing the car to as a basis of opinion, I see he mentioned supercar? It definitely isn't a supercar. I found the steering better than the electronic steering in the base 911 and 911 S. He does know it is the hydraulic steering from the SLS. I tend to compare it to the 911 Turbo, no question I would rather have the AMG GTS. Is the 911 a bit more of a precision tool, yes. But every other intangible is heavily in favor of the AMG. Like I said, I went in thinking it was going to be a let down. But, personally I couldn't find any fault with the car. They really could charge more for it, $90k less that the SLS is actually a bargain.

He has a few other cars to compare it to including a 458,F12, 991 GT3 & 991 GT3RS,Dodge Charger Hellcat and basically has owned every car in the years that I have known him.

[ASAP]

Originally Posted by Gearhead999s

He has a few other cars to compare it to including a 458,F12, 991 GT3 & 991 GT3RS,Dodge Charger Hellcat and basically has owned every car in the years that I have known him.

I'll be honest I havent driven a GT S but I have driven a C63s and if its as bad as the steering in that car, than yeah I agree w him..

[hellrotm]

Originally Posted by ASAP

I'll be honest I havent driven a GT S but I have driven a C63s and if its as bad as the steering in that car, than yeah I agree w him..

Two completely different systems, GT S is old school. The AMG GT S has the hydraulic steering rack from SLS Black. C63S is electric steering. Like I said, I found the GT S steering feel to be superior to that of C2 and S 991(which is electric). Still hoping one day to drive a 991 GT3. My buddies 997.2 GT3 is perfection in that area.

[BRBM]

Originally Posted by BlackJetE90

That is interesting, I had the complete opposite feelings after driving one. I got to really thrash on one multiple times at AMG driving academy. I went in with preconceived notion it was going to be a lazy GT car, definitely not what I experienced. Honestly not a single thing I disliked about the car. But it is definitely for a different buyer than someone looking at a GT3 or M4 GTS.

Precisely. So what next?

In steps the Mercedes-AMG C63 Black Series Coupe.......whenever that comes out. Likely at or around 600HP, hopefully at least mid-500s for torque, with insane DTM car handling. (Think AMG GT-like downforce and handling prowess, as experienced during MT's 2015 Best Driver's Car competition.) Source one of those for (likely) around the same $130K.

Or if you can't wait, C63s Coupe will be a slightly tamer monster and certainly - base on spec (slightly lower, even wider tracks, wider rubber) - a better performer than the sedan, arguably not too far from C63 Black.

Question is: Will BMW-M and AMG ever stop raising the bar and ceiling? Who cares. Better for us cash-carrying, money-spending consumers.

[Bimmer6]

Interesting thread. Honestly my GT3 actually needs no more power because it's all usable, and 3 Sec 0 to 60 on the straights and enough torque to exit the turns. At some point all this horse power stuff is pointless because you can't use it unless you want to drag race mash and go. I think the AMG is a beautiful car if you want a two seater, but I would never swap for the GT3 which is actually a treat to drive on mountain roads. The beauty of the car is you can drive it right to the track, and race and not change a thing. However you will eat up 2k in tires really fast.

[dkhm3]

I would love to have a gt s. amazing car, amazing sound.

but wow in that price range there are some good choices...

gt3 for a bit more, gts for a bit less... i wonder with the awd jag f type R would it be a better handler?

choices....

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by dkhm3

gt3 for a bit more, gts for a bit less... i wonder with the awd jag f type R would it be a better handler?

I started writing a post in this thread just minutes ago about that very same car, but didn't end up submitting it. For a two door car, I like roadsters, and the AWD would give me a reasonable come back when people ask why the hell I am driving a sports car in the winter. Plus, helps get that 550hp to the ground. And as a bonus its barely over $100k.

But yeah, like the OP, I don't need a track car. A Z06 would be another to consider. An R8 (also mentioned by OP) is another good one, but the price climbs steeply. Aston Martin Vantage V12 has the same issue (V8 model is a non-starter).

[TahoeM3]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

I started writing a post in this thread just minutes ago about that very same car, but didn't end up submitting it. For a two door car, I like roadsters, and the AWD would give me a reasonable come back when people ask why the hell I am driving a sports car in the winter. Plus, helps get that 550hp to the ground. And as a bonus its barely over $100k.

But yeah, like the OP, I don't need a track car. A Z06 would be another to consider. An R8 (also mentioned by OP) is another good one, but the price climbs steeply. Aston Martin Vantage V12 has the same issue (V8 model is a non-starter).

I really like the Jag...probably the best sounding car on the road, looks great, and is very quick. I do wish it was a few hundred pounds lighter, though. The AMG is faster, but I like the Jag much more.

The Vantage looks and sounds great, but I'm waiting to see what they do with the new version with Mercedes engines. To me, for a new sports car, the decision between the Jag, a Z06, and the new Carrera 4s (or GTS 4 when it comes out), is very tough. But I would take them all over the M4 GTS since they are much more usable in daily driving (not to mention that you can actually buy them).

[vladberca]

M4 GTS might have a price close to AMG GT S', but it was built with track purpose. Main rival is P GT3, yet is more exclusive.
P GTS with Sport Chrono is another good alternative, sportier than AMG GT S.
And the R8 still has that great NA V10.