Should Mercedes sell the 6cyl AMG GT 4dr in the UK?

You don’t see many Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Doors around. That’s because they’re expensive cars – over £140,000 here in Britain, where the only one you can buy is the eight-cylinder, 630bhp ‘GT63 S’. A chunky markup over the only slightly less powerful E63, which costs from ‘just’ £100,000.

Elsewhere in the world Mercedes does a cheaper six-cylinder GT 4dr – the GT43 and GT53. It’s those models Merc is using to roll out a few updates for its pricier four-door coupealoon (the other being the CLS). There’s the usual smattering of extra wheel, trim, colour and upholstery choices as well as something a bit more fundamental – new suspension.

Yup – the AMG GT 4dr is getting new adjustable dampers with “so-called pressure limiting valves”. Merc says these valves “allow the damping force to be adjusted even more precisely to different driving conditions and drive programs”. One is responsible for rebound and the other compression – something Merc claims makes the GT comfier and sportier at the same time. Righto.  

The V8s will get the same setup, but the sixes arrive first. August, probably, if you live in Germany.

Both the GT43 and 53 use Merc’s familiar 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder engine – as seen in other 43 and 53-badged Mercs – with 362 and 429bhp respectively. In Germany the GT 43 costs comfortably less than €100,000/£86,000 – a €70,000/£60,000 saving on the big V8. Would you?