Mercedes-AMG GT 4, A New Rival For The Porsche Panamera

A surprise was looming at the Geneva Motor Show by Mercedes, and it has finally seen the light. We are talking about the Mercedes-AMG GT 4, or what is the same, the four-door version of the sports car par excellence of the German firm. This extra practicality makes it the most formidable rival to the Porsche Panamera.

It comes with a design that combines the best of the AMG GT and the new Mercedes CLS. To distance itself from the latter, it has been chosen to provide the car with a much sportier behavior, since this is a family sports car and not a coupe-looking saloon.

Exterior design

Externally, the new sports car of the star brand has the latest design language of the brand, with sharper and smaller Full LED headlights , in addition to a multitude of curved surfaces, which play with the volumes of the body. It also includes the Pan-American vertical bar grill.

By way of differentiation between the 6-cylinder and V8 versions, the body will feature exclusive aerodynamic attachments for the larger engines. This is a lower and more aggressive front, with greater air intakes. The tires will be larger in diameter and will include a more generous diffuser with trapezoidal exhausts.

Interior design

The cabin is available in a four- or five-seater configuration  and is presented with a mix of concepts. While the center console is clearly inspired by the Mercedes two-seater sports car, the dashboard inherits the shapes of the latest releases, including the two 12.3-inch LCD screens.

It should be noted that the rotating dials on the center console have given way to small tactile buttons  that, although they may be the panacea, slightly detract from the interior design due to their squared shape. On the other hand, the steering wheel is also new, with touch panels and covered in leather, alcantara and aluminum.

Versions

At the moment, the Mercedes-AMG GT 4 range will consist of three variants for all tastes:  two of them with a V8 Twin-Turbo engine and a last with a supercharged inline 6-cylinder engine and microhybridization.

Starting with the V8s, they are the AMG 63 and AMG 63 S versions. Both start from the same 4.0-liter V8 Twin-Turbo engine. While the first of them delivers 585 hp of power and 800 Nm of torque  (equals the Mercedes-AMG GT-R), the second version increases its power to 639 hp and 900 Nm of torque.

Below would be the AMG 53, with a 6-cylinder in-line engine and 48v microhybridization. It delivers up to 435 hp of power and 520 Nm of torque, which is the same engine already seen in the Mercedes-AMG CLS 53 and Mercedes-AMG E 53.

All of them will share the 4MATIC + all-wheel drive system, while the transmission –with 9 relationships in both cases– will be a double clutch for the V8 and a torque converter for the 6-cylinder. If you want to experience rear-wheel drive, you will have to activate the Drift mode of the rear electronic differential.

Leaving us pure figures, the microhybrid version is capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 km / h in 4.5 seconds and reaching 285 km / h of top speed. For the AMG 63 and AMG 63 S these records will be 3.4 and 3.2 seconds at 0-100 km / h, the peak will be 310 and 315 km / h, respectively.

Mercedes-AMG GT 4 data

• 4 doors.
• 4 or 5 seats.
• 4MATIC + all-wheel drive.
• Micro-hybrid six-cylinder engines and V8 Twin-Turbo with powers of 435, 585 and 639 hp.
• Consumption and emissions: not specified.
• 9-speed automatic transmission (double clutch and torque converter).
• Price: pending confirmation.