2024 Mercedes

AMG reinvents its sexy performance coupe with a greater focus on luxury and practicality.

Over the years, two-door Mercedes-AMG sports cars—from the SLS Gullwing to the first-generation GT, and even the Benz-branded SLR McLaren before them—all have mixed flamboyance and performance to hedonistic degrees. But the company’s go-fast wizards seem to have taken a broader approach with the redesigned 2024 GT coupe, which in borrowing heavily from the latest SL roadster, embraces more of the grand-touring side of the spectrum.

Elegantly sculpted with a plunging snout and bulging haunches, the new C192-series GT still looks the part of a six-figure rocket yet is easier on the eyes than before. Its structure is composed of an aluminum space frame with steel, magnesium, and carbon-fiber elements, and overall dimensions have increased slightly over its predecessor. It’s now 7.1 inches longer, 1.6 inches wider, and carries an additional 2.8 inches between its axles. Active aerodynamic systems can be found in the front underbody as well as with the active rear spoiler; an optional Aerodynamics package will bring additional front air deflectors, a more pronounced rear diffuser, and a fixed rear wing.

AMG says the overriding mission of the GT’s redesign is to satisfy existing customers who’ve asked for greater practicality without a drop in performance. To that end, the outgoing car’s rear-wheel-drive layout is gone, replaced by a standard variable all-wheel-drive system that can route up to 50 percent of the engine’s torque to the front wheels or 100 percent to the rear axle. That engine is AMG’s familiar twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8, which will pump out 469 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque in the GT55 model and 577 horses and 590 pound-feet in the GT63. However, the new car’s transmission—a nine-speed automatic with a clutch pack in place of a torque converter—is situated directly behind the engine, rather than positioned in back as with the previous GT’s rear-mounted dual-clutch transaxle. As a result, the blown V-8 now sits atop the front axle line, rather than behind it—a compromise that benefits interior space at the likely expense of front-to-rear weight distribution.

Additional mechanical highlights include rear-wheel steering, an electronically controlled limited-slip rear differential, an optional nose-lift system that can raise the front end 1.2 inches, and a semi-active hydraulically linked suspension with adaptive dampers. As you’d expect, AMG’s Dynamic Select system offers a variety of drive modes, as well as a Race Start launch-control program. Though curb weights likely will increase beyond the two-ton mark, the GT63 should be able to hit 60 mph in around three seconds. Conventional cast-iron brake rotors will be standard, while carbon-ceramic units spanning 16.5 inches up front will be optional. The example we saw sat on Michelin Pilot Sport S5 summer tires mounted on 21-inch forged aluminum wheels (20s are standard). While the model range will initially encompass the GT55 and GT63, the high-load HL rating of the new car’s rear tires, combined with sightings of development mules with charging ports, indicate that a more-powerful plug-in hybrid model will be added down the road.

Compared to the old GT, the new car’s cabin is more luxurious, spacious, and easier to see out of, especially with the optional panoramic glass roof. From its turbine-like circular air vents to its 11.9-inch center touchscreen interface, the interior is an attractively high-tech setting that will be immediately familiar to anyone who’s peered inside a new SL. Enveloping sport seats with an available massage function will be standard and can be upgraded to more aggressively bolstered performance seats. Significantly, additional room behind the front seats makes for handy space to stash stuff, or the fitment of optional fold-down rear seats for two extra passengers—provided they lack heads.

Additional convenience can be found around back, with the hands-free power-actuated rear hatch opening to reveal a generous cargo area that should accommodate two golf bags. And you’ll want to opt for the collapsible rear jump seats if you plan to maximize the GT’s cargo capacity, as models without them get a fixed bulkhead behind the passenger compartment.

With all-wheel drive, additional feature content, and a greater focus on overall usability, the new GT appears squarely focused on competing with today’s quintessential everyday supercar, the Porsche 911 Turbo. Though traditionalists may lament AMG’s decision to steer the GT away from pure sports-car territory, we’ll soon have a better idea of its tradeoffs once we get behind the wheel. Pricing has yet to be announced, but we expect it to fall relatively close to the current SL55 and SL63’s entry points—$142,350 and $184,050, respectively—when it goes on sale in the first half of next year.

Mike Sutton is an editor, writer, test driver, and general car nerd who has contributed to Car and Driver's reverent and irreverent passion for the automobile since 2008. A native Michigander from suburban Detroit, he enjoys the outdoors and complaining about the weather, has an affection for off-road vehicles, and believes in federal protection for naturally aspirated engines.

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