Want to get behind the wheel of Mercedes’ new sports car, but can’t quite stretch to the $131,200 asking price for the GT S? If you’re in the United States, you have been out of luck until now. But along with the new GT R, the German automaker is also introducing the base AMG GT in the States.
At $111,200 (plus a $925 destination fee), the “base” coupe is $20,000 less expensive than the S, but it has a less-potent version of the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 with 456 instead of 503 HP.
The 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) time as a result is down from 3.7 or 3.5 seconds to 3.9, and top speed from 193 or 198 to 189 mph. Moreover, the entry-level GT lacks features like adaptive exhaust and suspension, performance seats and Burmester sound system that come as standard on the S.
Practicaly, what the price difference means is that while the S model goes up against the Porsche 911 GT3, the base GT goes after the Carrera S. Pricing for the GT R has yet to be announced, but you can expect that to enter the territory occupied by the GT3 RS ($175,900), Turbo ($159,200) and Turbo S ($188,100).
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