Share

Motoring: Mercedes’ supersonic tigress

accreditation
supplied

The hardest thing about reviewing the sporty new Mercedes is trying not to sound like a besotted fool, writes Melinda Ferguson

Mercedes-Benz AMG GT S

Price: AMG GT R1 642 000

AMG GT S R1 981 000

.....

‘How fast was that!?” I screech.

“We just touched 260km an hour,” is the reply.

I am well below windscreen level, curled in a ball on the Napa ­leather passenger seat of the new Mercedes-Benz AMG GT S, hardly able to open my eyes. Never mind, look as Donovan, my driving partner and AMG advanced instructor, catapults off the track into the pits. This is the fastest first-hand speed I have experienced and I’m feeling pretty supersonic. Alright, nauseated.

“Now it’s your turn,” he grins.

We’re at the Gerotek High-Speed Oval in Gauteng, putting Merc’s 0-100km in 3.8 ­seconds sports baby through a few rounds of incredibly impressive paces.

Packing 375kW and 650Nm torque, the AMG feels like she was born on the track and hand-reared by racers.

In fact, the GT S is ­currently Formula 1’s ­chosen safety car and made its debut at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix.

In terms of legacy, the two-door, two-seater AMG GT/GT S follows hot on the heels of the discontinued SLS, which was the first sports car to be developed entirely in-house by the German manufacturer.

There are some definite SLS influences. For one, the passenger cell is almost identical, ­although the SLS’s gull wings have been ­replaced by normal doors, the GT S’s front end is just 50mm shorter and, although the rear end has been tightened up and redesigned, it’s pretty much the same.

But the GT S is far from a clone.

By perfectly combining a newly developed AMG 4.0 litre V8 biturbo engine, which sits 55mm lower in the chassis, with factors like aluminium lightweight construction, a front mid-engine design with a rear transaxle, ­double wishbone front and rear suspension, and air-water intercoolers, a close to perfect sports car has been born.

It’s little wonder the AMG GT S was crowned world performance car 2015 at the World Car Awards.

But don’t think this sporty tigress just wears a track tiara – move her on to suburban streets and her wild side adapts impeccably.

As we took her out into ­bumper-to-bumper traffic, ­after a quick switch from sport plus to adaptive cruise control and with the driver selector in comfort mode, she took to her new surroundings like a sedate, well-behaved C-Class.

Inside, she is all high-end finishes with ­premium leather, genuine metals and top-tier carbon fibre. With outside wind and road noise almost nonexistent, as we cruised the busy outskirts of ­Atteridgeville in our almost two-bar ride, kicking back to Kanye West on the Burmester sound system, it felt like we could have driven on pure love forever instead of 9.4 litres/100km.

Although we didn’t manage to squeeze any of the admiring onlookers into the nonexistent back seat, impressive space in the way of an easily accessible and pretty spacious luggage compartment is one of a number of areas in which the AMG could out impress her most vociferous competitor, the legendary Porsche 911, which has until now ruled this exclusive premium sports segment.

Although I didn’t have my clubs with me, I was assured that two golf bags could easily fit in her rather ample rear.

Try as I may, it’s impossible for me to find fault with this ride, which combines pure ­driving dynamics and first-class racetrack ­performance with unsurpassed everyday practicality, and supercool efficiency.

The only gripe I have is that I don’t own one of these beauties.

When it’s my turn to clock time around the Gerotek track, I manage to touch 230km per hour. Thankfully, I kept my eyes open this time

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you believe that the various planned marches against load shedding will prompt government to bring solutions and resolve the power crisis?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes
20% - 103 votes
No
80% - 403 votes
Vote