Mercedes-AMG GT S India review, test drive

Mercedes-AMG’s second in-house-developed sportscar is here, and in true AMG fashion, it’s loud, charismatic and a riot to drive.

Published on Nov 05, 2015 11:42:00 AM

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Mercedes-AMG GT S India review, test drive

The Mercedes-AMG GT S is the company's new flagship sportscar

It has a similar shape to its predecessor, the SLS AMG, but is smaller

A long bonnet, sleek headlamps and gaping grille dominate the look

Te rear is subtler, but looks really wide and planted

What’s it like on the inside?

The good news is that it has a cabin that stands up to the ‘GT’ part of its name. Pull open one of the doors – conventionally hinged, not gull-wing like the SLS – and you’ll step into one of the nicest looking cabins around. Soft leather, cool metal, lacquered carbon fibre and patches of Alcantara are what greet you, and all of it is put together as fastidiously as in an S-class. The SLS cabin was well built too, but honestly, it looked like any other Mercedes interior. The AMG GT is different; the visual link to the S-class remains, but it’s a design all of its own. The dash looks wide and is dominated by the four central AC vents. They taper down into a centre console that houses two rows of rather crucial buttons like damper control, ESP, manual mode and of course, the engine start button. And this is where you notice some ergonomic flaws in the cabin. For instance, it’s all too easy for your elbow to hit one of these buttons while steering aggressively; I once unknowingly turned the dampers to Sport mode. Then there’s the gear selector, which is a tiny lever placed so far back, it’s almost between the seats – not a problem once you’re moving, but a pain when doing a three-point turn. Less important controls like the hazard lights and seat heating are placed on the roof above the rear-view mirror.

Slip into the driver’s seat, grip the chunky, Alcantara-lined wheel and look out over that long bonnet, and it feels properly racy. The seats themselves are firm, snug and similar to the ones you get in other AMGs, but unusually, they don’t offer bolster or thigh support adjustment to get you that perfect sporty driving position; the ones in the CLA 45 do. This is, of course, a two-seater and behind you is a huge hump beneath which sits the gearbox and rear suspension. Beyond that is a decently sized hatchback boot, but it is fully exposed, save for a retractable parcel shelf, and this lets a bit of noise – good or bad – echo around the cabin. Rear visibility is not great thanks to thick pillars, but that is a small price to pay for the wonderfully executed styling.