New Mercedes AMG GT C review

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Well, it’s £11,500 cheaper than the equivalent roadster, for starters. However, the coupe is only initially available in limited-run ‘Edition 50’ spec, marking fifty years of the AMG performance brand, whereas the roadster can also be had in standard form. Edition 50 brings matte grey paint, black chrome trim and wheels, plus quilted upholstery, but means the GT C coupe is just £1,400 less than a roadster without those trinkets.

The coupe is also 70kg lighter than the hard-top car, on account of the removed roof mechanism and reduced chassis strengthening required. To be honest, though, you’ll be hard-pushed to notice the pounds shed on the road. What you will notice is the increase in boot space, making this a true long distance GT car.

But what makes this GT C a more appealing prospect than the (albeit improved for 2017) GT S is its breadth of dynamic ability. The stretched rear track makes it feel impressively planted and composed where lesser AMG GT’s lack finesse, scything through fast bends with barely any body movement. The steering is another real improvement – it’s still super direct, so takes a bit of getting used to, but there’s more feel and natural weighting than in this car’s cheaper siblings. All of this combines to make for a really confidence-inspiring experience, allowing you to jump from corner to corner, building speed and exploiting the grip.

The momentous traction, combined with the GT C’s near two-metre width, means this isn’t a playful, lairy AMG car. While it was a reasonably easy car to place on the road on our German test route, we suspect Britain’s narrow B-roads may make it seem more intimidating.

It’s far from straight-laced – and you can thank the engine for that. We’re very familiar with Affalterbach’s hand-made 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, but it remains a dominating feature of the car. All 680Nm of torque arrives at 1,900rpm, and from there on the GT C builds speed with explosive urge. It rifles through the gears rapidly, particularly in the racier drivetrain settings, and despite a fairly modest 0-62mph time of 3.7 seconds, it feels every bit as accelerative in-gear as anything Porsche can offer. It’s also impressively responsive for a turbocharged engine, and always wants to rip right to the redline.

Key specs
Model: Mercedes-AMG GT C
Price: £138,060
Engine: 4.0-litre 8cyl twin-turbo petrol
Power: 550bhp
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, rear-wheel drive
0-62mph/Top speed: 3.7s/193mph
Economy/CO2: 24.8mpg/259g/km
On sale : Now

image source : http://www.autoexpress.co.uk
full review and article source : http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/mercedes/amg-gt/100816/new-mercedes-amg-gt-c-2017-review