Tested: 2018 Mercedes-AMG GT R Is a 911 Predator (2024)

Precision in communication is a critical skill not all primary schools stress. Say "top-rung Mercedes," and pillowy-soft sedans driven by people in gray suits and matching hats come to mind. Add "AMG" to the previous statement, however, and the image is completely different. In case you've been hiding under a rock for the past few years, you'll recognize that top vision as the Mercedes-AMG GT R, a car that the Affalterbach wing of Mercedes-Benz built to go toe to toe with the best from Porsche. AMG might list a whole slew of capable sports cars in its list of competitors for the GT, but the Porsche 911 is the bogey for virtually every manufacturer in this segment. This AMG GT, the one with the R in its name, is the raciest in the lineup—at least until the 2020 AMG GT R Pro arrives—and its one goal is to better the 911 GT3 and Turbo models on the track.

We've already seen what the GT R can do on track. Two years ago, it came within a few tenths of setting what was then a Lightning Lap record with a 2:43.3 lap time of Virginia International Raceway's Grand Course. Porsche's latest GT3 and 911 Turbo S are about 2.5 seconds slower. Granted, the GT R in these photos is nearly $200,000 (911 Turbo S money), but it starts at $157,995, which undercuts the 911 GT3. The nearly $40,000 in optional equipment could be trimmed extensively. AMG Green Hell Magno paint, while attention-grabbing, will only make you turn the same color when you find out it's a $9900 extra. Same goes for the $8750 in carbon-fiber options. At $8950, the carbon-ceramic brake rotors are about the going rate for high-tech stopping power, but unless you plan on tracking the car for relatively long stints, the standard iron rotors will do you just fine and are far cheaper to service.

A Story of Two Tires

However, the one option we couldn't do without on track is the tires. Stock GT Rs come on Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 summer performance rubber, but for no additional cost (at least in the United States) AMG will fit the GT R with slightly wider Cup 2 tires from the Chevrolet Corvette's optional Z07 package. (If you don't opt for the upgrade tires from the factory, just give Tire Rack a call. The Corvette-spec rubber currently goes for $1843 a set versus $1659 for the Mercedes version.) We tested the GT R both ways. We expected the Corvette tires to provide more grip, and indeed, with them fitted the GT R held on to the skidpad at 1.14 g and stopped from 70 mph in 133 feet. Those are better results than the Benz-spec tire by 0.07 g and four feet. But what we didn't expect was a slight dropoff in acceleration.

Dusting off a quarter-mile in 11.2 seconds at 130 mph is hardly considered slow, but it is slower than the 11.1 at 131 mph the GT R accomplished with the base tire on its $1700 set of forged wheels. (The same wheels were used for both tires.) The zero-to-60-mph time was similarly separated by a tenth, at 3.2 and 3.1 seconds. The difference in acceleration is so small, and statistically insignificant, that we're not sure there is a difference at all, but it is worth noting that each of the run-flat Corvette front tires weighs five pounds more than its Mercedes-spec counterpart. The rears also are about an inch smaller in overall diameter. Slight differences in rolling resistance and gearing, but differences nevertheless.

Getting a Grip

Finding a difference between the two tires on the road is difficult. All the feels—steering, brakes, ride—are about the same, which is to say crisp and to the point. There is a subtle stiffness to the GT R's control-arm front and rear suspension that can be described as al dente; any stiffer and the car would be unpleasant to digest. Blasting from corner to corner is brought to life by a 577-hp version of GT's familiar 4.0-liter V-8, an engine that does such a nice job of hiding its turbocharged intake plenum that it leaves you wondering why many folks are so infatuated with natural aspiration.

The GT R's nine-position traction control (TC), however, is generally not suited to street use. It's not totally unusable, but you have to be moving really quickly for it to work to its intended purpose. This is a feature you won't find on any Porsche, mind you. And on a track, the traction control is a wonderful tool and even a great teacher of throttle control. Send a novice driver out on course with the TC in its most aggressive setting and instruct them to attempt driving without activating the electronic helper. (They'll know it's working because a ring at the base of the adjustment dial flashes and the exhaust changes its tone from a deep rumble to a staccato machine gun.) Progress slowly through the TC's stages, and the importance of fine throttle control becomes increasingly apparent.

Following the success of the gullwing SLS, the AMG GT is clearly a better car with the speed, control, and fun needed for success in a tightly contended segment. It is apparent that with this GT R, AMG is breathing heavily on the neck of the 911. It may not be there quite yet, but as AMG continues this charge, it will go from targeting other models to being the target. And we're willing to bet that Benz executives have been crystal clear on their expectations.