0972018 MERCEDES-
AMG GT R
VEHICLE TYPE: front-
engine, rear-wheel-drive,
2-passenger, 2-door
coupe
BASE PRICE:
$199,000 (est)
ENGINE TYPE: twin-
turbocharged and
intercooled DOHC
32-valve V-8, aluminum
block and heads, direct
fuel injection
DISPLACEMENT:
243 cu in, 3982 cc
POWER: 577 hp
@ 6250 rpm
TORQUE: 516 lb-ft
@ 1900 rpm
TRANSMISSION:
7-speed dual-clutch
automatic with manual
shifting mode
DIMENSIONS
WHEELBASE: 103.5 in
LENGTH: 179.2 in
WIDTH: 79.0 in
HEIGHT: 50.6 in
TRUNK VOLUME:
12 cu ft
CURB WEIGHT: 3650 lb
PERFORMANCE
(C/D EST)
ZERO TO 60 MPH:
2.9 sec
ZERO TO 100 MPH:
6.7 sec
1/4-MILE: 11.1 sec
TOP SPEED: 198 mph
FUEL ECONOMY
EPA COMBINED/CITY/
HWY: 17/15/21 mpg
(C/D est)the GT and GT S models. But its ratios
tighten, which allows the driver to drop
into the lowest cog in tight corners. The
final drive is shorter at 3.88 versus the
GT S’s 3.67 ratio.
Considerable expenditure went toward
lightening the GT R. The roof, the adjust-
able wing, the front splitter, the rear dif-
fuser, and the front fenders are carbon
fiber, as are three underbody braces and the
torque tube connecting the engine and
transaxle [see tech highlight]. Carbon-
ceramic brake rotors (15.8 inches front, 14.2
inches rear) are optional and come with
six-piston fixed front calipers.
However, the addition of an active front
splitter, grille shutters, and rear-wheel
steering nets only a 33-pound reduction.
Expect the GT R to hit the scales at about
3650 pounds—not light for a car meant to
challenge the best from Weissach and, let’s
be honest, Bowling Green.
Those carbon-fiber front fenders cover
a 1.8-inch-wider front track while the rear
track increases 2.3 inches over the GT S.
The forged aluminum wheels increase one
inch in width at both ends (10 x 19 front,
12 x 20 rear), too. Confirming its status
as a track-day special are Michelin Pilot
Sport Cup 2 tires.
Adjustability is a key component of the
GT R’s personality. Height-adjustable coil-
overs at every corner allow for ride-height
tweaks and corner balancing—should
GT R owners be so ambitious. Inside, the
chassis and powertrain response get tuned
via five drive modes: individual, comfort,
sport, sport-plus, and race. Separate but-
tons for the dampers (two positions), the
exhaust, the transmission’s manual shift-
ing mode, and the stability control allow
direct tuning of the car even once it’s com-
mitted to a particular setting. But it’s the
addition of a nine-position traction-control
system managed by a center-dash knob
that is the most important tunability
upgrade from lesser models.
Switching off the stability control acti-
vates this traction-control playscape,
though it seemingly lacks the elegance of
some competitors’ systems. The power
oversteer is managed, sure, but the sys-
tem’s abrupt halt to even modest slip angles
sometimes interrupts the flow of a well-executed corner exit. We
never tried its most aggressive (i.e., lenient) setting, however, so
the verdict, for now, is still out. Chevy’s Performance Traction
Management offers similar control but with more discriminate
intervention, allowing the tail to subtly step out before modestly
reeling it back in.
Despite our very brief drive, several things became clear:
Otherworldly braking is likely the GT R’s greatest asset. Not just
braking, in fact, but braking while turning—the technique that
Schneider endorses as quickest. The addition of rear-wheel steer-
ing, which works with the quicker variable-ratio rack up front,
relieves the front tires of some turning work during heavy braking,
when they most need the help. Below 62 mph, the rear wheels turn
opposite the fronts, and above that speed they turn in the same
direction—up to a maximum of 1.5 degrees. A new calibration for
the limited-slip diff aids in controlling yaw during heavy braking.
Even if you’ve switched it off, the stability-control system remains
an ever-present Hand of God during braking.
It’s virtually certain that the GT R will prove itself to be among
the world’s quickest production track cars when it goes on sale later
this year. Lap times, however, aren’t the sole measure of a great
driver’s car. Driving fulfillment is a product of many factors—some
tangible, some not. W hether the GT R’s electronic aids, which
make it highly controllable at the raw edge of grip, diminish the
driving experience remains to be seen.
Schneider, we’d bet, still won’t care.The GT R’s traction
control has nine
positions. If AMG goes
for 10, it might have to
barf up a lung.