The New Mercedes AMG GT Is A 503bhp V8 Super Coupe With Mega Sex Appeal

At last the endless run of teasers are over, and we can finally dine out on all the juicy details and pictures of Merc’s new two-seater coupe. This sexy brute is a successor to the SLS, but it’s not a direct replacement: it’s smaller, lighter and cheaper than the outgoing grand tourer.

The family resemblance is clear, but the GT has a much more sloping, fastback-style rear, a fresher front-end with styling cues from other current Mercs, and unlike its predecessor, entry is via a regular set of doors, rather than heavier gullwing items.

It’s based on an aluminium chassis and body structure which borrows bits from the SLS, with double wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension. It uses a front/mid-engined transaxle layout, and has a weight distribution of 47/53. The standard GT model weighs 1540kg, while the range-topping GT S is 1570kg.

The engine up front is Mecedes-AMG’s brand new M178 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, which Mercedes revealed extensive details of a few months ago. In the GT S model, it’s good for 503bhp at 6250rpm, and 479lb ft of torque from 1750 to 4750rpm. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

It’s chock full of innovative tech, including a ‘Nanoslide’ cylinder bore lining to quell friction loss, and a cylinder head made from Zirconium-refined aluminium. The turbos are mounted between the cylinder banks, too, keeping the engine compact and the centre of gravity low.

The GT S is good for 0-62mph in 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 193mph. The GT isn’t far behind, with its 456bhp and 442lb ft of torque propelling it from 0-62mph in four seconds dead, and on to a top speed of 189mph.

Nothing awfully surprising given the power on tap, but the economy figures are another story: despite having burly V8s under the bonnet, both the GT and GT S have claimed combined MPG figures of 30.4 and 30.1 respectively, while those twin-exit exhausts will puff out 216g/km and 219g/km of Co2. Not enough to make it a likely candidate for a Greenpeace company car, but impressive nonetheless.

As well as extra power, the GT S also gets a plethora of extra features to aid handling. There’s an electronically-controlled locking differential (versus the GT’s mechanical locking diff), electronically-controlled three-stage damping, and automatically tightening engine and transmission mounts.

To bring the coupe’s mass to a standstill, the GT gets a pair of 360mm discs on the front, while the GT S’ front rotors measure 390mm in diameter. Spec the optional ceramic composite stoppers, and that grows to 402mm.

On the inside, a dominant centre console slopes down the beefy transmission tunnel, with an imposing display of four air vents at the top and - sadly - a tablet-style 8.4-inch media display screen. The nappa leather interior is awash with posh carbon fibre and aluminium bits, and looks like a jolly nice space to us. The rear, meanwhile, features a lift-back tailgate, which opens up a useful 350 litres of boot space.

Want to know how much all that costs? Tough, prices won’t be revealed until the order books open next month. However, the GT is rumoured to be around the £100,000 mark, while the GT S is expected to cost around £20,000 more. Much cheaper than the old SLS, which set you back the best part of £170k, but it does put the GT against some tough competition, such as the Porsche 911 Turbo and the considerably less expensive Jaguar F-Type R coupe.

The GT does look very promising, though, and we can’t wait to see if it cuts the mustard. It’ll arrive in the UK in April 2015