FIRST IMPRESSIONS: 2016 Mercedes-Benz AMG GTS

As a senior graduating high school, a lot of "exciting" and "emotional" things are going on. You begin to say good bye to your old classmates, college decisions are finalized, and all sorts of fun senior class activities are planned. Among all the craziness I was asked to instruct at a Washington DC Region SCCA Solo school the same weekend as my senior prom, which to a normal student might create quite a conflict. Even though I had already made my decision, a friend of mine decided to sign up for the school with his brand new 2016 Mercedes-Benz AMG GTS, to get a feel for it's potential. So when it came down to either going to my senior prom, or getting the chance to get behind the wheel of Mercedes' latest sports car, the choice was clear.

The Mercedes-Benz AMG GTS is successor to the gullwing-ed SLS AMG, built lighter and nimbler to take on Porsche and the mighty 911. Currently in its second model year, the car has received quite a bit of notoriety, receiving the award of Motor Trend's 2015 "Best Driver's Car". Given how giddy the car made Randy Pobst, I knew I would be in for a treat.

Here's the low-down on the 2016 Mercedes-Benz AMG GTS:

KEY FEATURES

MSRP: $129,900*

Passenger capacity: 2

Trunk capacity: 12.3 cu ft

Transmission type: 7-speed AMG SPEEDSHIFT® DCT

Engine: 4.0L AMG biturbo V-8

Power: 503 hp @ 6,250 rpm

David enjoys his AMG GTS crossing the country participating
in road rallies, and has already put 6500 miles on the car.

Acceleration, 0-60 mph: 3.7 sec

City fuel economy: 16 mpg

Highway fuel economy: 22 mpg

EXTERIOR DIMENSIONS

Overall height: 50.7 in

Overall length: 179.0 in

Overall width: 76.3 in

Wheelbase: 103.5 in

Coefficient of drag: 0.36

Curb weight: 3,688lbs (48/52)

ENGINE

Engine: 4.0L AMG biturbo V8

Net power: 503 hp @ 6,250 rpm

Net torque: 479 lb-ft @ 1,750-4,750 rpm

Compression ratio: 10.5:1

Construction: Diecast alloy block and heads

Fuel requirement: Premium unleaded gasoline

Fuel capacity: 19.8 gal

DRIVETRAIN

Automatic transmission: 7-speed AMG SPEEDSHIFT® DCT dual-clutch rear-mounted transaxle

Drive configuration: Rear-wheel drive

Final-drive ratio: 3.67:1

PERFORMANCE

Acceleration, 0-60 mph: 3.7 sec

CHASSIS

AMG Adaptive Suspension: 4-wheel independent double wishbone with forged aluminum arms and hub carriers. Electronically controlled shock absorbers with two driver-selectable modes (Sport and Sport+).

Steering type: Variable-ratio rack-and-pinion with speed-sensing power assist.

Turning circle: 37.7 ft, curb-to-curb

TRACTION CONTROL & STABILITY

Electronic Stability Program (ESP): This safety breakthrough first introduced by Mercedes-Benz continually monitors your driving inputs and the vehicle's motion to help keep it going in your intended direction, especially in corners and during evasive maneuvers. If it detects wheelspin, severe understeer (plowing), or oversteer (fishtailing), ESP® can brake individual wheels and reduce engine power to help bring the vehicle under control.[*4]

BRAKES

Braking system: Perforated, slotted and ventilated 15.4-inch front discs with compound rotors and 6-piston calipers. Perforated and ventilated 14.2-inch rear discs with 4-piston fixed-type calipers.[*5]

Antilock Braking System (ABS): ABS senses impending wheel lockup under heavy braking and pumps the front brakes individually or the rear brakes together. This intelligent system can pump the brakes as needed up to 30 times per second, to prevent lockup and preserve the driver's steering ability.[*5]

Brake Assist (BAS®): Brake Assist senses emergency braking via the speed at which the driver presses the brake pedal and immediately applies maximum available power boost. Brake Assist can potentially reduce the overall stopping distance by eliminating the delay caused by a common human tendency not to brake hard enough, soon enough. Letting up on the brake pedal releases Brake Assist.[*5]

WHEELS/TIRES

Wheels: 9.0x19-inch front/11.0x20-inch rear AMG® twin 5-spoke

Tires: 265/35R19 front and 295/30R20 rear, high-peformance


David's GTS also included the AMG Carbon-Ceramic Braking system as a $8,950 option, and the Exclusive Interior Package.

With rain approaching quickly, we jumped in the AMG for a few Autocross runs to further test how agile the 3700lb beast really is. Ride along in the right seat to hear my first impressions:

You can tell by the number of times "super" and "phenomenal" were said in the video that the AMG GTS truly is a super car.

Earlier in the day we tested the car's transitioning ability in a slalom drill, including two 7 or 8-cone slaloms with a turnaround in between. The AMG was very stable, and responsive to lift-throttle oversteer when tossing the car back and forth, but settled the rear quickly with gradual input of the gas pedal. The best time of 20.4 seconds was very comparable to cars much smaller and lighter than the Mercedes, including a 2007 Lotus Elise with which I completed the course in 20.1 seconds.

On the full course I struggled to use all of the power the AMG had to offer, but the surface is extremely low-grip compared to most race tracks, and even other Autocrossing sites. There was absolutely no lag from the 4.0l Biturbo engine, and with 479 lb-ft of torque being sent to the rear tires at only 1,750 rpm, there was no waiting around when exiting the tighter corners. Although some slip angle was almost a constant, the Mercedes not once felt as if it was going to snap around, even with all of the traction and stability aids disabled.

Bringing all of that power to a halt was no problem for the AMG GTS either, as the carbon-ceramic brakes grabbed instantly to reign the car in magnificently. The brakes are almost a little too touchy for daily use if you aren't used to them, I apologize to David for the unsuspected whiplash when inching the car to the stage line.

The 2016 Mercedes-Benz AMG GTS utilizes all of the great aspects of modern technology and performance in automobiles, without sacrificing a raw and natural feel for the driver.  It will definitely go down on the list of one of the best cars I have ever driven, and makes for the perfect prom date.