Mercedes-Benz AMG GT (2024 - ) review

Even the cheapest AMG GT lists at over £100,000 so let’s ditch conventional ideas of value for money and instead ask if a Mercedes can cut it as a worthy rival to Porsche, Aston Martin or Ferrari at this level? Mercedes would argue it can, given cars like this have competed – and won – against all of the above in various forms of motorsport over the years. And in luxury, performance and technology this is the brand’s pinnacle, and a showcase for all it can do. Back in the real world this second-generation of GT also includes the previously unheard of option of a four-cylinder engine, even if it’s not that much cheaper to buy and still pretty thirsty. At the other end of the spectrum is the electrically boosted E Performance plug-in, which can do a token few miles on battery power alone but is more about bringing a taste of F1’s hybrid era to your driveway.

Luxury brands don’t always get a great showing in reliability surveys for the fact when things do go wrong they cost a lot to fix. Add to that the sheer complexity of a car like the GT and you might worry the warranty is only three years. There is the scope to extend by a year, two years or on a monthly pay-as-you-go basis but this won’t be cheap.

Mercedes is rightly proud of its long-standing commitment to safety innovation and the GT comes brimming with tech to keep you on the straight and narrow, the influence of performance arm AMG meaning it’s less intrusive on the driving experience than more mainstream cars. For the first time this new generation of AMG GT is also available with 4Matic+ branded all-wheel drive, meaning you can enjoy the performance with a lot more confidence than you could on its sometimes lairy predecessor. Even a heavy right foot on cold winter roads couldn’t unstick this new one, which is a reassurance all but the most hooligan-minded owners will appreciate.

Laughably Mercedes boasts this new GT is now a 2+2, with rear seats apparently viable for children up to 1.5 metres in height. Perhaps if they’re happy to sit cross-legged, given backs of the front seats butt up against the rear bench. But otherwise consider this additional storage space, not seating. To be fair this and the coupe body with its hatchback style boot opening do make it more practical than the soft-top SL equivalent. And as glitzy long-distance transport for two the GT more than lives up to the promise, not least thanks to its gloriously luxurious cabin, comfortable seats and many and various wellness features. This is a very, very swish place to spend time, be in no doubt. We’ll meanwhile spare you chapter and verse on the incredibly complicated and advanced suspension system Mercedes has developed for the car, other than to say it has impressive bandwidth between soft and cushy and hard and sporty depending on which of the many modes you select or configure. Having said that even in its supposedly most refined setting it’s still quite aggressive, and the roar from the fat tyres does intrude on the otherwise excellent refinement.

As you’d hope given the price every GT feels suitably lavish in terms of trim and kit, soft Nappa leather standard and getting progressively fancier as you work your way up the range while the interplay between this and trim parts of aluminium, carbon fibre and wood is a masterclass in tactile and aesthetic delight. Mercedes leads the field with interiors at the moment but this is next level, with cool ambient lighting effects and a pleasing mix of high-tech and trad luxury, the way the screen based instruments nestle between leather-trimmed ‘wings’ and circular metal finished vents a prime example. The MBUX operating system powering this and the large, vertically-oriented screen in the middle is one of our favourites as well, Burmester audio, the Navigation Premium, 360-degree parking camera and more all standard on every model. All but the base one get a fancy head-up display and augmented reality nav as well beyond which options for fancier and more colourful trims stretch as far as your wallet can take you.

We didn’t drive the four-cylinder GT but we have had a go with the equivalent SL43 and were impressed with the power of what is a relatively small engine in a big and heavy car. Saying that running costs are unlikely to be the primary factor for buyers at this level and we’d expect most to go for the 55 or 63 models that really do the GT justice, thanks to performance as thunderous in pace as it is in sound from the 4.0-litre turbo V8. A bewildering range of configurability and adjustment for how angry you want it to feel is meanwhile made easier to get your head round with custom modes you can dial up from a button on the steering wheel. The stats are suitably impressive when comparing them with your Porsche owning pals but we’ll confess out on the road the porkiness of the GT perhaps blunts its edge compared to some of the more thoroughbred alternatives. The answer to that is, perhaps, the 816 horsepower E Performance hybrid. We’ll let you know when we’ve had a chance to drive it!