Mercedes-Benz AMG GT review

In the old GT you were basically sat on the back axle, peering out over a Batmobile bonnet. It was cramped, the gear selector was mounted too far back and it made you feel unsettled. All of that has been rectified.

The glass area is bigger so it’s lighter inside and easier to see out of. You’re not as far back in the chassis as there are now rear seats (if you want them) and a bigger boot. The hatchback lid is large and electrified and apparently there’s room for golf clubs (blame customer focus groups for that) in the non-hybrid cars.

The one-piece seat back folds to boost the load bay from 321 to 675 litres if you haven’t gone for the E Performance. If you have, you’re looking at a more awkward space to load and just 182 litres with the rear seats in place.

How about the rear seats? Will people fit?

Depends on the people. This is not a luxury rear compartment in the mould of a Conti GT. It’s cramped back there, taller folks only accommodated if the driver is short and the front passenger prepared to stuff themselves forward; not easy when the footwell isn’t deep. It’s best to treat these seats as an extra luggage zone, but the reason they’re there is that owners wanted to use the car at weekends with their kids. Just like a 911. Small ones will fit. Booster seats can be used. Just bear in mind that the seats are optional on some models, so have a play on the online configurator (or ring your dealer if you’re having a digital detox).

How's the driving environment?

The standard seats are good. They’re firm but they sit you well in the car, so you’re reasonably confident positioning its width in town. Unless you find yourself dealing with cobbles and width restrictors, where the GT – still 1,984mm wide – struggles and isn’t as easy to place as a 911. But then what is?

We had more issues with the screens and menus. The 11.9-inch portrait infotainment screen is full of submenus. Mercedes loves a jazzy graphic too and here there are many, many different dash designs to choose from. Luckily one of them gives you a pair of dials. The swipe pads on the steering wheel appear to be getting better at responding to inputs but still aren’t quite right, inadvertent thumb brushes still occasionally triggering things you don’t want. 

At least you’ve got ready access to the dynamic controls using the switches and dials in the lower half of the steering wheel. Those operate logically, although in the E Performance they perhaps control too much. Still, they can be customised and modes removed so that you only need to flick through the ones you actually use. There’s a shortcut here to access the nine-stage traction control, too: a quick press, then long press of the traction control button on the left-hand dial will bring up the option to turn down the traction control using the right-hand dial. Doesn't sound like a shortcut, does it?

Does it come fully loaded?

With driver safety systems? Absolutely. Luckily, it’s pretty easy to disable them with only a few screen presses once (again…) you’ve set up the necessary shortcuts. Elsewhere you get Burmester surround sound, an augmented reality nav, lots of leather and can choose between black, brown, red and sage grey for no cost even on the ‘entry level’ Premium Plus trim. Going up the trim levels adds things like aero packs, extra carbon fibre, and performance seats.