Published:
19 May 2017
Mercedes-AMG GT R
It remains a slightly unusual car, the AMG GT R.
Most cars, when they become track-focused specials, ramp down the weight and ramp up the interaction.
The thing about the GT R – and it’s quite a nice thing – is that the theatre and drama that comes with the regular Mercedes-AMG GT coupe isn’t just present, it’s also amplified.
What’s unusual, then, is that the levels of engagement, while rising, don’t increase to the top-most tier of analogue involvement.
If you’re looking for the outright focus of, say, a Porsche 911 GT3, or the brutal feedback of a Nissan GT-R Nismo, you’ll not find it.
Yes, the GT R is harder than a regular GT, but the additional kicks come from the angrier looks, the lashings of Alcantara and the splendid noise.
Then you take it on a circuit and have quite a nice time but get the impression that the GT R is trying perhaps a bit too hard to make you look good and impress you with the sound and the go.
The stopwatch doesn’t lie, though, and it says the GT R is, in fact, the real deal. With that all in mind the AMG GT R takes fourth spot in our top five ahead of the Lamborghini Huracan LP 580-2 but lagging behind the McLaren 570S Track Pack, Ferrari 488 GTB and the formidable Porsche 911 GT3.
