THE PROS & CONS
-
- WHAT’S BEST: Jaw-dropping looks, love ’em or leave ’em; prodigious performance — going, stopping or cornering; fewer compromises than most convertibles extract.
-
- WHAT’S WORST: Interior a bit cramped; limited luggage capacity; I need a raise …
-
- WHAT’S INTERESTING: Mercedes is offering an ever-increasing array of AMG models — will you be able to find just the right one for you?
PHOENIX, ARIZ.-The latest sports car from Mercedes-Benz is heavier than its closest sibling, yet it is no more powerful.
Its aerodynamics aren’t as good. Its structural stiffness isn’t as good. And it costs more.
Yet, I’d buy one in a heartbeat, if I had the choice (which, at an MSRP of $178,000, I don’t).
Why would I choose something that appears to have all these drawbacks?
Because the Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster is a convertible. If you are buying a sports car for fun — and what other reason is there? — why would you not go topless? Top-down motoring is about as much fun as you can have in a car with your clothes on. A beautiful spring or fall day. A warm summer’s evening. In about 11 seconds, one of the best-engineered soft tops in the car game is out of your way.
Even on cooler days or nights, crank up the heater and use the AIRSCARF system, which wafts warm air down over your shoulders. If it gets too cold or inclement, zip that top back up. It provides a well-constructed, well-insulated shield from the elements.
You can actually operate the top while on the move at up to 50 km/h, but I strongly disapprove of (a) this capability, and (b) you using it, because for about five or six of those seconds, you cannot see a thing coming from behind you. Not that much is likely to be gaining on you, but still …
To me, this feels very strange coming from a company with such a strong and well-deserved reputation as a leader in automotive safety. Heck, you can’t even move the car when you’re trying to adjust it for photos if the door is slightly ajar because it automatically sets the parking brake. GRR-R-R …
If you ignore this feature, as you should, the car and its roof are a treat.
The GT C gets the dry-sump 4.0 litre, twin-turbo V8, assembled by one operator in the AMG factory in Affalterbach, Germany, complete with a plate signed by that individual. It generates a massive 550 horsepower, and an equally massive 502 pound-feet of torque from as low as 1,700 r.p.m. (Note that the lesser and marginally slower GT-without-the-C model is not offered in Canada. It is left to those poseur Americans).
The C Roadster has slightly shorter gearing to help compensate for the marginal weight gain over the coupe. It weighs in at 1,735 kilograms, just 35 kg more than the coupe, thanks largely to the fact that many of the stiffeners needed to compensate for the open top are lightweight alloys. And, the deck lid is carbon fiber.
The urge is sent to a rear-mounted, seven-speed dual clutch manumatic transmission via an electronically controlled, limited slip differential. You get just the right amount of grip at whichever rear wheel can best take advantage of it. Several shift programs are available to suit your mood and the road; it’d take way longer than the day we had with the car to master them all fully.
And given where the shifter control is located — almost behind you — you require Cirque du Soleil levels of agility to use it, so you’ll be tempted to just let the technology do the job. Chances are it can shift better than you can, anyway.
The seats are configurable about a million ways; it may take some time before you find just the right combination for you.
Despite it being a large (and fairly heavy) car, it is also a bit snug inside. Nor can you take much luggage. Hey, if you can afford this car, you can afford to FedEx your suitcases.
Rear-wheel steering helps you get around corners at the prodigious speeds this car can muster. It is counter-phase — the rears steering the opposite way to the fronts — to about 100 km/h for improved agility, then gradually swings over to in-phase for improved stability.
The C also gets massive brakes — our car had the optional carbon-fiber units; stopping power is predictably prodigious.
The roads north and west of Phoenix provide lots of opportunities to test a car’s performance and handling. Just have to watch out for the Smokeys, of course.
Like the classic roadsters of old, you sit well back in the AMG GT C. Initially, this seems to make it a bit tricky to position the car, especially in the tighter bends. You soon get the hang of it.
The car is wicked-fast — 0-100 km/h in under four seconds — with virtually no sense that it has a turbocharged engine. Fearsome acceleration is but a right-foot stab away, accompanied by an exhaust growl, which is either satisfying or maybe a bit too intrusive, depending on your taste. Suffice it to say that people will hear you coming long before they see you coming; either way, you are going to make your presence known.
The ride is definitely on the firm side — how it will behave on Ontario’s battle-scarred pavement remains to be seen.
So does the Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster, at least in Mercedes showrooms — it arrives this fall.
It’s about time the Porsche 911 Turbo and Audi R8 had some serious competition.
2018 Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster
BODY STYLE: Two doors, two passengers, premium convertible sports car. Rear-wheel drive.
PRICE: $178,000.
ENGINE: 4.0-litre V8, double overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder, twin-turbocharged.
POWER/TORQUE, horsepower / lb-ft: 550 @ 5,700 r.p.m. / 502 @ 1,750 — 4,700 r.p.m.
FUEL CONSUMPTION, Transport Canada City/Highway, L/100 km: n/a, premium unleaded fuel.
COMPETITION: Audi R8, Porsche 911 Turbo.
WEBSITE: Mercedes-benz.ca
Show Comments
Keyword: 2018 Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster Cranks up the Fun Meter – WHEELS.ca