Affalterbach’s low sedan is timidly modernizing, notably through new damping, pending the arrival of an overpowered GT 73 version.
Many were probably expecting more sport, Mercedes-AMG is making them wait by promising them more comfort. In fact, the subtle update of the AMG GT 4-Door does not quite have the expected effects; it heralded the appearance of a new mechanism, that of the overpowered GT 73 in particular, in vain.
It is hardly if there is question of a restyling as it turns out to be invisible or almost. And this is not bad faith. No modification is made to the line of this low sedan.
The catalog includes just three new shades, including the Spectral Blue Magno visible here in the image. The 6-cylinder versions can also now adopt the front end of their V8 counterparts as an option, in particular their more widely perforated shields.
On board, new colors and material combinations are appearing, but the most noticeable change is the arrival. an AMG Performance steering wheel imitating the one recently discovered on the restyled E-Class; its flattened rim now encircles a pair of horizontal double spokes.
Which is not necessarily good news. Not for aesthetic reasons, which remain a matter of taste, but ergonomic. This design goes hand in hand with the disappearance of real buttons and the adoption instead, under a black lacquer, of tactile controls with haptic feedback, that it is not uncommon to request fortuitously during maneuver.
In fact, the AMG GT 4-door shows above all a new refinement in terms of suspension. Most often available as an option, the AMG Ride Control + system remains true to air shock absorbers. But these are now accompanied by a pair of valves each, piloted continuously, allowing them to independently control the movements of compression and relaxation.
Mercedes-AMG thus claims that their precision is improving and that their operating range widens in favor of both comfort and behavior depending on the driving mode adopted by the driver. These modifications are in addition to new undercarriage chocks which appeared at the end of 2020.
The muscular body of the sedan with the star does not therefore conceal other major technical novelties for the moment. The official communication simply dwells on the fact that 6-cylinder engines GT 43 and GT 53 will be the first to benefit from these tiny changes, starting in August. Their 3.0 turbo always receives the assistance of an electric compressor of 16 kW and 250 Nm to accumulate respectively 367 and 435 hp.
But don’t worry, the German manufacturer should soon unveil the detailed characteristics of at least two plug-in hybrid versions, including a GT 73 adding an electric machine to the V8 4.0 twin-turbo petrol previously operating under the hood of the GT 63. Combined power is still expected around from 800 hp to keep the 700 hp of the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid at bay. Long live the ecological transition …
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