Always seen as an expensive toy, any car with the Benz logo can make demand respect and make some envious. It doesn’t matter where you are in the world, more than a half-century of familiarity with this luxury name and what it stands for makes other choices a compromise in comparison.
Always tantalizing car aficionados, Mercedes is currently offering different flip-top Roadsters in its seven-model lineup of AMG GT, with the Roadsters leading the pack. Best viewed with its top down, top-down is always expected in the Mercedes-Benz’ tradition of open sports cars.
If you are in the market to buy a new car be sure to read our complete Mercedes Benz buying guide.
Topping off its 50 years of partnership with two versions of Roadsters, Mercedes-Benz and AMG had its outstanding designers and engineers in Affalterbach, Germany design a fast 469-horsepower, 188-mph standard and 465 lb-ft of torque AMG GT Roadster and its wilder derivative, the sixth GT model in AMG’s lineup, a 550 horsepower and 502 lb-ft of torque, wide and yellow-bodied AMG GT C Roadster. Both cars have Benz’ handcrafted 4.0-liter biturbo V-8 (internally code-named M178) with the 7-speed AMG Speedshift dual-clutch transmission. The GT can hit 60 mph in 3.9 seconds with a top speed of 180 mph. The GT C hits 60 mph in 3.6 seconds having a top speed of 197 mph. Both have the AMG Track Pace iPhone app which records lap times and takes videos of your hot laps.
Though pricing is yet to be announced, it is expected that the GT C convertible might be around $150K to appear in dealerships by fall of 2017.
Real Beauty
Gone are the single chrome bar and three-pointed star. Having its thick, vertical, gleaming Panamericana grille fronts restyled lends it a proud metal-mouthed grin. This contains the 14 active louvers of Mercedes’AIRPANEL active air management system wherein the vertical louvers that is behind the front bumper, opens and closes in less than one second for aerodynamic balance and aero performance.
The trunk lid is made from a Sheet Molding Compound (SMC)/carbon-fiber mix. This combination is the world’s first.
Visually lowering and widening the car is its shark snout and the new floating A-wing fascia.
The thicker-gauge aluminum in the space frame of the door area and its additional aluminum strut, hidden below the roof and fixed hoops, links and stiffens the body.
For its lovely top-down, a headliner switch closes or opens the three-layer fabric, lightweight, steel,magnesium and aluminum constructed, soft rooftop within 11 seconds at speeds of up to 33 mph. You can choose to have it in red, black and beige. This roof really works well because the AMG GT line was suspiciously designed to be a roadster from the start.
Evoke by the compact, muscular rear end, long hood and low profile are the classic roadsters of the 1950s and 1960s.
As it attacks difficult roads, it roars a baritone. Off throttle, and you get dignified, natural snaps, crackles and pops unlike the farty sounds present in a lot of cars.
Everybody knows that style and luxury have never been a concern for Mercedes. The AMG GT C Roadster comes with a leather and microfiber trimmed steering wheel, has a great Burmester audio system, nice-looking porthole vents, glossy carbon fiber trim, gorgeous stitched black leather, AMG seats and the glare-resistant screen and COMAND infotainment system. Seats may be rock hard but they come with a continuous support made possible by the adjustable side and bottom bolsters even at 300 miles of driving. A useful pair of cup-holders, a trunk able to hold a pair of sizable weekend bags and a decent glovebox complete this Roadster’s beauty marks.
How AMG CT C Roadster Rolls
The AMG CT C Roadster’s rear fenders have a 2.25 wider rear axle track and an also wider Continental ContiSport 6 tires. However, its lithium-ion battery makes it lighter than it could possibly be. Rear wheels turn up to 1.5 degress. The pair of adjustable links replaced the fixed toe links on the rear axle. For maneuverability, the rear wheels turn opposite its front wheels for a faster turn-in. Expect only fewer degrees of steering input happening at speeds below 62 mph (100 kph). Past 62 mph, the rear wheels move with the front wheels for stability with a quick buildup of lateral forces for faster ability to change directions. To help it exit corners faster, the minimal wheelspin is made possible by the GT C’s electronic limited-slip rear differential. The horizontal vent that slices under the trunk lid, expels air.
AMG’s standard adaptive sport suspension, switch-selectable performance exhaust, adaptive dampers and larger front brakes are already expected with its carbon-ceramic brakes, being a key option. Four, fiction-free effort at speed, driving settings are available: Comfort, Sport, Sport Plus and Race with a Race Start launch-control function.
GT C’s seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual transmission gets revised with the first gear having a higher ratio and the seventh with the lower one. This is very much in effect and appreciated when in Sport+ or Race mode. The engine automatically knows when to downshift when braking hard.
After a day of hammering this great chassis of a vehicle, don’t be wonderfully surprised to see around 18.5 mpg in the in-dash mpg meter. Very surprising indeed for a car made to run all day at triple digits. Don’t worry. All is just fine.
Drawbacks
Honestly, many car lovers are subjective to feedback when viewing things as okay. In my opinion, there is really no comparason between this beast and say luxury sports cars from Audi, BMW, Lexus, Lotus or Jaguar.
- A great part of the V-8 being pushed behind the firewall makes the AMG GT C Roadster a little wider in the exterior than needed.
- The front-midship powertrain placement causes the vehicle to need a taller and blocky center console. This could explain what some people view as its ergonomic deficiencies.
- Its cockpit could use a little more space.The footwells are too short to be comfortable and there is no space for storage. That space for storage is the most obviously subjective of all. A sizable amount of luggage depends from person to person.
- It could be difficult to squeeze that long hood in tight corners.
So, we know. Like you, you want people to go crazy and hear the proud, luxurious sound of your AMG GT C Roadster. So, drive it. It’s guaranteed to stay composed and dignified no matter how fast you drive it. It’s a Benz after all.
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One of my favorite models by far. I owned one back in 2018 up to 2021 and actually ended up learning a few things I didn’t know before. I wish this car was still in production and you could lease them. I never like to own a luxury car because of the high maintenance costs.