Mercedes-Benz AMG GT 2015 review

AMG pits two-door with twin-turbo V8 against Porsche's baddest.

Superheroes fit turbines to their cars to let them chase down the bad guys.

AMG fits two to its latest halo car, the $294,610 GT S. You don't even need to wear underpants over your tights because the twin-turbo V8 is encased in a lithe, sportback-styled coupe that is the motoring equivalent of a spandex suit, designed to minimise drag and maximise musculature.

The soundtrack is a booming outpouring of agitated air that physically throbs if you're lucky enough to be ensconced in the two-seat cabin during a "spirited run" in the car's Sport+ setting. Then the bi-model exhaust opens up to vent enough agitated gas to fill the House of the Representatives.

It is the settings, or mode dial, that gives this car such a massive breadth of capability.

Leave it in the default comfort mode and the adaptive dampers (and adaptive engine and transaxle mounts) become compliant enough to pretend the GT S can do duty as a daily driver.

We were advised not to play with the Race setting

The exhaust noise is partially muted, throttle response is dulled — relatively — and the seven-speed dual-clutch auto flicks into ridiculously high gears at low speeds as it feigns interest in fuel economy.

Sport hardens the responsiveness and Sport+ unleashes the beast.

We were advised not to play with the Race setting, which loosens up the stability control to allow controlled drifts.

Via the Individual mode, owners choose their own preferences through the eight-inch screen.

To preserve the kidneys, CarsGuide recommends keeping the suspension in comfort but fettling the engine and transmission response.

The interior continues Mercedes' aero-inspired design approach, from the six circular air vents to the "wing-form" leather dash. The centre console is the focus of attention, though, housing eight buttons to operate everything from the engine start to the auto stop-start function.

This is also the only Mercedes to have the buttons for the electric seats mounted on the seat side rather than in the door.

Standard equipment includes digital audio, cruise control, 3D satnav, blind-spot and lane-departure assist, LED lamps all around and reversing camera.

The options and packages are extensive and run from $17,500 for a set of carbon-ceramic brakes to $400 for a luggage net on the shelf behind the seats.

Adaptive cruise control is a $1900 add-on. Why? The embossed three-pointed star mounted in the diamond effect-studded grille has to be replaced by a flat emblem … and a lot of drivers will prefer to keep the high-profile visual effect. Besides which, AMG GT S drivers won't typically spend much time behind another car.

On the road 

Sublime steering feel is the AMG GT S's forte, the hydraulic setup possessing an immediacy that quickly becomes second nature — look at the corner and the long bonnet obligingly tucks in and turns that way. The weight feels ridiculously light at urban speeds yet proves stable and solid at pace.

The braking response is just as impressive, even without resorting to the carbon-composite stoppers. The pedal travel progresses from mild to massive retardation with the same inevitability as bank profits.

And then there's the engine. Beyond the aural theatrics, the 4.0-litre mill cranks out its peak 650Nm between 1750rpm and 5000rpm. It is a chunky wad of willingness that propels the AMG in stratospheric fashion.

AMG GT S buyers will find themselves performing heroic acts every time they slide behind the wheel

AMG reconfigured this engine to do away with the sump and thereby fit it 55mm lower in the chassis. A lower centre of gravity equates to a higher grip threshold, especially on the optional Michelin sports rubber that owners can spend $1200 to fit. And that's for all four corners, not a tyre.

On price the GT S's competition is the likes of the Porsche 911 GTS but the reality is you need to climb higher up the Porsche food chain to find a vehicle that can match the Merc's performance.

The highlight is how accessible that performance is. There are faster cars fitted with AMG badges but none that flatters quite so convincingly or with the same level of neck-swivelling style.