Mercedes-Benz AMG GT vs Aston Martin DBS

What's the difference?

This is no Lotus, but damn if it ain't a hell of a good time, and proof positive that electrification can enhance the V8 experience, rather than ruin it.

The Aston Martin DBS Superleggera is an instant classic, likely heading over a high-end auction block in years to come with a final price far higher than the 2020 ask. But don’t buy it as a collector's item, although it is a beautiful object. Buy it to enjoy. Stunningly fast, thoroughly engineered, and beautifully made, it’s a phenomenal car.

It's a mean, but somehow still sleek, looking beast, this big AMG, but it's also immediately recognisable as a thing of intent.

Up front, there's the huge vertical-slat grille that looks like it drove straight out of a Stephen King novel, a massively domed bonnet, and these vacuum-like side intakes that look like they could suck in stray animals.

Then, at the back, there are twin dual-pipe exits (for four in total), and an automatic wing that pops out of the rear bodywork. And all of that's capped off with these massive 21-inch forged alloy wheels hiding golden ceramic-composite brakes.

Mean, yes, but not quite as aggressive as you might expect the most powerful AMG to date to come across, perhaps.

Inside, it's more subdued again, with the AMG presenting a pretty passenger-friendly space, with all the Benz tech you'd imagine, including the massive screens, and — thanks to its air suspension and drive modes — the ability to tailor the ride to your liking, meaning a comfortable and premium experience, despite the power under your right foot.

The term Superleggera (Italian for Superlight) is normally associated with Italian automotive coachbuilder Carrozzeria Touring, which has historically applied its fine eye and hand-crafted aluminium body technique to a host of local brands, including Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lancia, and Maserati.

As well as some American, German, and British liaisons, the latter covering classic Aston Martin and Lagonda models through the 1950s and ‘60s (your Silver Birch DB5 is ready for you 007).

But rather than hand-beaten aluminium, here the body panel material is carbon-fibre, and the look and feel of this DBS is the product of Aston Martin’s head of design, Marek Reichman (his name might sound German, but he’s a Brit through-and-through), and his team at the brand’s Gaydon HQ.

Based on the DB11 platform the DBS is a fraction over 4.7m long, just under 2.0m wide, and less than 1.3m tall. But it’s only when you’re close to the Superleggera that its intimidating muscularity comes into focus. 

A giant, black honeycomb grille defines the car’s face, and the single-piece forward-hinging ‘clamshell’ bonnet includes a raised central section defined by longitudinal strakes either side, with deep vents above the front axle line to aid the exhaust of hot air from the engine bay below.

Broad ‘shoulders’ around the front wheel arches are balanced by powerful rear haunches to give the car a beautifully proportioned and imposing stance. But there’s scientific function behind this purposeful form, too. 

The Aston vehicle dynamics team went all out with wind tunnel testing, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling, aerothermal and performance simulations, as well as real-world track testing to refine this car’s aero efficiency. 

The DBS Superleggera’s overall drag coefficient (Cd) is 0.38, which is commendably slippery for a brawny 2+2 GT. But it’s the fact that in parallel with that number it’s able to generate a humongous 180kg of downforce (at 340km/h VMax) that’s remarkable.

The aero trickery includes a front splitter and airdam working in unison to accelerate airflow under the front of the car, delivering downforce and cooling air to the front brakes. 

From there the ‘open stirrup and curlicue’ device at the top of the front wheel wells vents air to reduce lift, and create vortices which reattach the aero wake from the front wheels to the side of the car.

The ‘C-Duct’ starts with an aperture behind the rear side glass funneling air through the underside of bootlid to a subtle ‘Aeroblade II’ spoiler at the rear of the car. A close to flat underside also feeds air to an F1-inspired double diffuser under the rear end.

No gaudy wings or giant spoilers, just a subtly effective and thoroughly engineered aero profile.

Slim but distinctively Aston Martin LED tail-lights combine with a series of horizontal character lines across the rear to enhance the car’s visual width, and giant 21-inch dark rims fit the car’s proportions perfectly.

Slipping behind the wheel is the full hand-in-leather glove experience. The broad dashtop is split by a vaguely teardrop shaped centre stack with the classic ‘PRND’ transmission buttons and an illuminated push-button starter in the centre.

The compact instrument binnacle, housing a configurable digital display, imparts a quiet sense of purpose, and the Mercedes-AMG sourced media system, complete with rotary control dial, feels familiar. Overall, simple, subtle, yet hugely impressive.

It's not overly practical, given its size, with AMG locking in a four-seat configuration with a fixed rear pew that limits boot space. You can get folding seats, but only as part of an option package.

What you're left with is a vehicle that stretches 5054mm in length, 1953mm in width and 1447mm in height, but that serves up rear seating for only two – albeit very comfortably – and, because of the electric battery and motor being housed at the rear, boot space of just 335 litres.

There is triple-zone climate control, and the rear seating is lounge-like and luxurious, while the up-front space is ample for two full-size riders, too.

There's no spare, with AMG's 'Tirefit' puncture repair system on board.

The notion of practicality doesn’t naturally align with a 2+2 GT, but a wheelbase measuring 2805mm means there’s enough space between the axles to provide generous accommodation for front seat occupants at least.

And the usual compromises presented by long coupe doors are reduced by the DBS’s swinging slightly up as they open, and down as they close. A genuinely useful touch.

The driver and front seat passenger are snug but not cramped, which feels right in this context, and they’re provided with a lidded central box, which doubles as an armrest between the seats.

Flick the switch and its power-operated top slides back in stages to reveal two cupholders and a general storage space with a 12V power outlet, two USB-A ports, and an SD card input at the rear.

There’s a small coin tray in front of the multimedia dial in the centre console and long door pockets, but bottles will be a struggle unless you’re happy to lay them on their side.

The ‘+2’ seats scalloped out of the rear bulkhead, look super cool (especially with our car’s Triaxial quilt trim) but for anyone in the vicinity of average adult height they’ll feel distinctly inadequate.

Legs or a head aren’t viable options so this space is best reserved for the kids. And there are two 12V sockets in the rear to help keep their devices charged, and them calm.

Boot volume is a useful 368 litres, and the aperture curves forward at the top which helps with loading larger cases, but remember the rear seats don’t fold.

There are small lockers hidden in the back wall, one containing a flat tyre repair kit, so don’t bother looking for a spare of any description.

The DBS Superleggera is like a finely tailored suit. Impressive, but not flashy, while the finish is impeccable, the materials used are top-shelf, and attention to detail is remarkable. And like anything that’s been carefully crafted and largely hand made, the price is substantial.

Before on-road costs like registration, dealer delivery charges, and compulsory insurance, this Aston will set you back $536,900.

The $500K ballpark contains some heavy-hitting competition, the most closely aligned being Bentley’s 6.0-litre W12-engined Continental GT Speed ($452,670), the 6.3-litre V12-powered Ferrari GTC4 Lusso ($578,000), and Porsche’s 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six 911 Turbo S ($473,900). All 2+2s, all insanely fast, and bristling with luxury features.

So, aside from the safety and dynamic tech detailed later in this review, what does this special DBS deliver in terms of standard equipment?

First, there’s the Aston Martin, nine-speaker premium audio system (including 400W amp and digital radio, but no Android Auto or Apple CarPlay), a multimedia system managed via an 8.0-inch LCD screen and console touchpad/dial controller system (sourced from Mercedes-AMG), satellite navigation, a Wi-Fi hub, and a 360-degree camera with ‘Parking Distance Display’ and ‘Park Assist.'

Standard upholstery across the seats, dash, and doors is ‘Caithness’ leather (Aston says a dry-drumming process gives it a particularly soft feel) combined with Alcantara (synthetic suede) and ‘Obsidian Black’ leather on the faceted (think square-ish) sports steering wheel, finished off with the DBS logo embroidered into the headrests. 

The ‘Sports Plus’ performance seats (with memory) are 10-way electrically-adjustable (including lumbar) and heated, the steering wheel adjusts electrically, ‘interior jewellery’ (trim elements) are ‘Dark Chrome’, and cabin inlays are ‘Piano Black.’

Also included are a configurable digital instrument display, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry and start, rain-sensing wipers, cruise control (not adaptive), auto LED (high and low beam) headlights and DRLs, as well as LED tail-lights and dynamic indicators.

The ‘Exterior Body Pack’ consists of gloss-finish carbon-fibre across the rear bumper, bootlid flap spoiler. rear diffuser, and front splitter, and the standard rims are 21inch forged ‘Y spoke’ alloys, with (big) dark anodised brake calipers behind them.

All up, a subtle and exclusive approach to an equipment package that’s as much about the overall quality of the car’s design, engineering, and execution as it is about individual features. 

But on the subject of features, ‘our’ car was kitted out with a series of special options, namely: Bang & Olufsen audio - $15,270, ‘Leather colour option special’ ‘Copper Tan’ (metallic) - $9720, contrast stitching - $4240, vented front seats - $2780, power seat bolsters - $1390, Triaxial quilting - $1390, headrest embroidery (Aston Martin wings) - $830.

That’s $35,620 worth, and there were still other boxes ticked, like a colour keyed steering wheel, smoked rear lamps, plain leather headlining, ‘Shadow Chrome’ rims, even an umbrella in the boot... but you get the idea. 

And if you really want to personalise the car, ‘Q by Aston Martin’ offers a collection of “unique enhancements beyond the scope of the core option range.” Then ‘Q Commission’ opens up a bespoke, atelier-style collaboration with the Aston Martin design team. Possibly an entirely custom car, or just machine guns behind the headlights.

It's not just what's under the bonnet, but what's at the rear axle, too.

But let's start at the front, shall we? Here, a familiar twin-turbo V8 engine lurks, producing a potent 470kW and 900Nm, which is fed through a nine-speed automatic, complete with paddle shifters and several drive modes, including the traction-limiting 'Race'.

But that is then joined at the rear by an electric motor with its own two-speed transmission, and which produces 70kW and 320Nm – or up to 150kW for 10-second blasts under heavy acceleration.

Combine both, and you're tapping into around 620kW and in excess of 1000Nm, enabling a sprint to 100km/h in just 2.9 seconds, and a flying top speed of 316km/h.

The DBS Superleggera is powered by an all-alloy, 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12, featuring dual-variable camshaft timing and direct-injection to produce 533kW (715hp) at 6500rpm and 900Nm from 1800-5000rpm. 

In line with the personal nature of this car’s build, a brushed metal plaque sits on top of the engine, proudly stating ‘Hand built in England’, and noting that a final inspection was carried out (in our case) by Alison Beck. 

Drive goes to the rear wheels via an alloy torque tube and carbon propshaft to a (ZF-sourced) eight-speed automatic transaxle, incorporating a mechanical limited-slip differential, with manual shifts available via wheel-mounted paddles.

Fuel efficiency is surprisingly impressive for a vehicle this big and powerful, with Mercedes claiming 7.7L/100km and 175g/km of CO2 on the combined cycle.

Helping that is a the 6.1kW battery, which delivers just 12km in all-electric driving range, but helps reduce overall fuel use.

This AMG is AC power only, meaning you can't recharge using fast chargers, but the brand says its secret trick is its ability to recharge itself using captured kinetic energy incredibly quickly – largely negating the need to plug in unless you want to unlock that EV range – with Merc suggesting that, on a race track for example, the battery will discharge and charge itself continuously as you're lapping.

Claimed fuel economy for the combined (ADR 81/02 - urban, extra-urban) cycle is 12.3L/100km, the DBS emitting 285g/km of CO2 in the process.

In just under 150km with the car, covering city, suburban and freeway running (as well as a sneaky B-road session) we recorded an average of 17.0L/100km, which is a sizeable number, but kind of expected for a roughly 1.7-tonne, V12-powered meteor on wheels.

Stop-start is standard, minimum fuel requirement is 95 RON premium unleaded, and you’ll need 78 litres of it to fill the tank (which translates to a real world range of approximately 460km).

There's a lot of big numbers surrounding the Mercedes-AMG GT63S E Performance, but let me throw another one at you – 245km/h.

That was the high score I saw pop up on its digital speedo as the big and electrified Mercedes flew down the main straight at Sydney Motorsport Park (formerly Eastern Creek), before my courage ran out and my foot found the brake.

That kind of velocity is mind-bending in a vehicle this big, and so is the way that power is delivered, with the AMG's big brain deciding how and when to maximise power from the engine and electric motor to deliver a constant surge of torque that shoves you back, and the GT63S E Performance into the future.

But big acceleration is hardly surprising with that much power. What is a little more impressive is how easy this four-door supercar is to wrestle around a racetrack.

Sure, the feeling-out process is a little more involved, as you figure out how and when you'll feel the weight shifting, and as your brain struggles to compute how what's happening is even possible, but after a couple of laps the AMG settles into an easy, flowing rhythm that, while never feeling light on its feet, also doesn't feels like you're piloting a bus.

At least part of that is down to the wizardry on board, like the 'AMG Air Suspension', the rear-axle steering and the limited-slip diff, all of which combine to make the GT63S feel tighter and sharper than it would otherwise.

But it's also partly down to the prodigious power on offer – perfect corner entry and exits are less relevant when you have a cruise missile strapped to your right foot that doesn't just quickly make up for any driver errors, but shrinks the space between corners to the blink of an eye.

Yes, it's heavy, and there isn't much that's pure about the go-fast experience, but it left an ear-to-ear grin on my face, and isn't that priority one for any new AMG?

How does it drive on the road? That I don't know, as this was a track-only drive day. But we will get one on a proper test soon and let you know.

Once you dip under three and half seconds for the sprint from 0-100km/h strange things happen to your field of vision. Faced with that kind of acceleration, it instantly narrows, your brain instinctively focusing attention on the road ahead because it senses something borderline unnatural is going on.

Claiming just 3.4sec for the DBS Superleggera to hit triple figures (and 0-160km/h in 6.4sec!) we felt obliged to validate the number, and sure enough peripheral vision blurred into nothingness as this brutal machine delivered its shock and awe performance.

And the aural accompaniment is suitably intense, thanks to the electronically-controlled (stainless steel) exhaust, with active valves and quad tail pipes, orchestrating the brilliantly guttural and raucous ‘sound character.’ 

Pure pulling power is immense with all 900Nm of maximum torque available from just 1800rpm all the way to 5000rpm. Mid-range urge is prodigious, and Aston claims the DBS Superleggera will blast from 80-160km/h (in fourth gear) in 4.2 seconds. That’s a number I didn’t verify, but I’m not going to doubt it.

It might share essentially the same bonded aluminium chassis, but thanks to its carbon-rich bodywork the DBS Superleggera is 72kg lighter than the DB11, with a ‘dry’ weight (no fluids) of 1693kg. The engine is also set low and far back in the chassis, to the point where it’s actually a front-mid location, delivering a 51/49 front/rear weight distribution.

Suspension is double (forged alloy) wishbone front, multi-link rear, with adaptive damping standard, and there are three set-up stages available via the flick of a switch on the left-hand side of the steering wheel.

On the opposite side of the wheel a similar mode control allows you to cycle through ‘GT’, ‘Sport’, and ‘Sport Plus’ settings, tuning various functions including the throttle map, exhaust valves, steering, traction control, and shift response. Steering is speed-dependent electrically-assisted.

Brakes are professional grade vented carbon ceramics, with thumping 410mm rotors at the front clamped by six-piston calipers, and 360mm discs at the rear sporting four piston calipers.

Managing this car’s phenomenal thrust as it morphs into lateral g-force, is a surprising experience. Of course, it grips like a Trump handshake, with a specific ‘A7’ version of Pirelli’s ultra-high performance P Zero tyre on a 21-inch forged alloy rim at each corner.

The 265/35s at the front are big, and monstrous 305/30s at the rear deliver a strong mechanical connection with the road. But it’s the car’s steering and overall agility that’s unexpected.

It doesn’t feel like a beefy 2+2 GT. And while it’s not in the 911’s league when it comes to response and dynamic feedback, it’s a long way down that road.

I found Sport and the middle suspension setting to be the backroad sweet spot, and with the seven-speed auto in manual mode the lightweight DBS simply lights up.

Shifts on the way up the ratios via proper alloy paddles in manual mode are rapid and precise, and the car remains stable and balanced, yet entertainingly athletic in enthusiastic cornering.

When squeezed hard on initial application carbon ceramic brakes don’t ‘bite’ in the same way steel discs do, but the system’s ability to rapidly wash off speed, while the car remains in a steady state, is exceptional.

At the same time, shifts down through the gears are accompanied by a variety of aggressive pops and bangs (a feature of Sport and Sport Plus modes) and the DBS points accurately yet progressively into a bend.

Road feel is excellent, the sports front seat is grippy and comfortable, and the car’s ‘Dynamic Torque Vectoring’ (via braking) system chips in to ensure understeer is kept in check.

In a more sedate mode, thanks largely to the active dampers, the Superleggera is surprisingly comfortable around town, despite the big rims and low-profile rubber.

Under the heading of ‘random thoughts’, the simple interior layout (including the spot-on digital instrument cluster) is great, the auto stop-start is a little jerky on restart, and including the front air dam, ground clearance under the nose is only 90mm, so be mega-careful in and out of driveways, or prepare yourself for the sound of scraping carbon (happily avoided this time around).

The Aston Martin DBS hasn’t been assessed by ANCAP or Euro NCAP, but the ‘expected’ array of active safety tech is in place including ABS, EBD, and BA, as well as traction and stability controls.

There’s also blind spot monitoring, a tyre pressure monitoring system, a 360-degree camera with ‘Parking Distance Display’ and ‘Park Assist.’

But more recent crash-avoidance tech like active cruise control, lane-departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert, and most notably, AEB, are missing in action.

If an impact is unavoidable there are eight airbags to help protect you - dual-stage driver and front passenger, front side (pelvis and thorax), front knee, as well as two-row curtain.

Both rear-seat positions offer top tethers and ISOFIX anchors for secure baby-capsule or child-seat location.

The GT63S E Performance is covered by Mercedes' five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, and you can pre-pay your service costs to keep the prices down.

Service pricing for the electrified model is yet to be confirmed.

In Australia, Aston Martin offers a three-year/unlimited km warranty, with 24-hour roadside assistance included for the duration.

Servicing is recommended every 12 months or 16,000km, whichever comes first.

Aston also offers extended service contract options, renewable after 12 months, including features like transfers and accommodation in the event of a breakdown, and coverage while the car is being used at official Aston Martin events.

There’s also a collection and delivery service (or courtesy car) to sweeten the servicing deal.