2013 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT Coupe and Roadster

The SLS AMG’s short run has run its course; and with an emphasis on fuel efficiency resulting in engine downsizing, you could be forgiven for thinking that surely this is the end for AMG’s fire-breathing 6.2-liter V-8 as we know it, too. After all, AMG’s twin-turbo 5.5-liter V-8 lies in wait, making monster power from relative sips of fuel. The Times, They Are A Changin’, you could say. Like Ron Burgundy, the skunkworks crew in charge of the SLS AMG GT has never heard that song. So as we say goodbye to the 563-hp SLS AMG, we welcome the 583-hp SLS AMG GT.

More Power, More Noise

The newly powerful engine makes maximum horsepower at the same 6800 rpm as the outgoing version. That increase comes via the manipulation of timing, fuel injection, and spark to improve combustion. Despite the power gain, the improved 6.2-liter’s torque production remains at 479 lb-ft. All that backside-compressing power is fed through the same seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic as the previous model. However, the transmission receives new gearchange logic paired with updated engine mapping, which Mercedes promises results in quicker shift times. (Although our complaints regarding AMG’s DCT unit have been few and far between, its only-slightly-sluggish response time is the most frequently heard.)

The result of those 20 extra miniature horses crammed underneath the GT’s long hood is, Mercedes estimates, a 0-to-60-mph time reduced by 0.1 second, to 3.6 seconds—we’ve hit 60 in 3.5 seconds with an SLS coupe—and an electronically limited top speed of 197 mph, which is the same as your grandfather’s old SLS AMG. If shaving a tenth from the 0-to-60 sprint doesn’t do it for you, take comfort in knowing that the GT comes with “passionate acoustic feedback for the driver.” That’s more of thesnap, crackle, and pop off-throttle we’ve grown to love. Audio enhancement is done naturally, Mercedes tells us; that means no synthetic exhaust notes piped through the stereo system like some other German brands that shall remain nameless.

The previous-gen Adaptive Suspension is swapped out in favor of AMG’s new Adaptive Performance Suspension, featuring stiffer and more aggressive spring and damper tuning for both of its two modes. The stiffness being conveyed through the even-stiffer-than-before suspension is met at the other end of the equation by standard matte black/polished face (three other colors will be made available), 19-inch, 10-spoke aluminum wheels at the front and 20-inchers in the rear. Housed in those spoke-tacular rollers are the same 15.4-inch vented discs in the front and 14.2-inchers at the rear as were in the pre-GT SLS; carbon-ceramic discs again will be an option.

Same Gooey Inside

Much of the interior is covered in Mercedes’ Designo leather, with faux-suede accents present on the seating surfaces, the grips of the recontoured steering wheel, and elsewhere throughout the cabin. The GT’s center console, door panels, and air vents are trimmed in a high-gloss black finish (carbon fiber again is available as an option); even more black can be found in the gauge cluster, which features new black dials and black accents surrounding the LED shift lights. In contrast to all that darkness—and to make sure your passengers are aware they’re in a sporty vehicle—the GT gets red seatbelts, red-trimmed floor mats, and red contrast stitching on the seats, center console, dashboard, and door panels. To go with all that black, you can option your SLS AMG GT in color combinations of mocha brown/porcelain, titanium gray/porcelain, and mystic red/porcelain. We wonder how red seatbelts will look in a mocha brown interior.

About the only part of the SLS AMG GT that isn’t soft—well, not counting the suspension in Sport and Sport Plus modes—is the exterior. The hard candy outside is subtly updated with head- and taillamps that have been given a darker look, as well as gloss-black finishes to the grille fins and three-pointed star. There’s also a GT badge next to the AMG emblem on the rear.

The SLS AMG GT will go on sale this November in both coupe and roadster form. Pricing information is not yet available; expect details to emerge closer to the reinvigorated supercar’s on-sale date.

sourse : http://www.caranddriver.com