THE Mercedes-AMG GT is arguably the best car the company has ever built.
It steers better than a Porsche 911, it’s far more planted than a Jaguar F-Type, and it’s more fun than an Audi R8 carving up a racetrack.
It’s also the quickest AMG road car to date and makes a bellow from its new twin-turbo V8 that sticks two fingers up at the political correctness of rival car makers and their six-cylinder turbos.
The two-seat pillarless GT coupe is the second AMG-developed model, after the gullwing SLS on which it’s based, but it is not simply a shrunken SLS.
Sure, its wheelbase is 50mm shorter, and the nose is also 50mm shorter, but everything ahead of the A-pillar is unique and shows how AMG has developed since it launched the SLS back in 2010.
On the outside, this beast is unmistakably Mercedes, yet its skin – designed by Mark Fetherston, the Brit who also penned the SLS – reeks of classic sports car proportions.
While Fetherson admits that it’s been toned down in terms of muscular edges for a softer, more cohesive look, the long nose and short rear deck are still cloaked in a solid, visually substantial body.
Testament to its looks are that all the various colours at its launch complement its lines; there’s not a bad colour in the palette. Yet it can look awkward from some angles, and those “faster curves” of the swooping rear pillar are at odds with the gaping front.
Inside, there’s Space Shuttle-tight build quality, with a Ferrari-like centre stack loaded with beautifully textured silver dials for things such as the engine start, the four drive modes and the exhaust settings, and in the middle is the beautifully sculptured COMAND controller that arrived with the new C-Class.
There is plenty of supple leather, decent seats with adjustable bolstering for the backrest and base, and a three-spoke Alcantara steering wheel that is your window to both the clean and simple digital instruments and the abilities of the GT’s driveline and chassis.
The 3982cc V8 is AMG’s idea of downsizing after its now discontinued 6208cc atmo V8, but at Affalterbach, this downsizing doesn’t mean downgrading.
In the GT S we drove in Los Angeles, it makes 375kW (35kW more than the base GT, which goes on sale some months after the S), courtesy of 1.2bar of boost against the base car’s 1.1bar.
The pair of turbos – nestled in the vee for better packaging, thermal management and throttle response – are identical, and are simple mono-scroll units, not variable vane as in the Porsche 911, against which this car is benchmarked.
The GT is a monster, but only if you want it to be.
On the open road, the rumbling, old-school V8 idle goes from respectable, sophisticated mechanical rhythm to an angry, intimidating bark when you flick the exhaust switch or change from Comfort to Sports Plus settings.
Here, the GT shows that it can walk the walk, with brilliant throttle response, even at high revs, where its 650Nm feeds the power seemingly endlessly.
It also has the backing track to match, though it’s not as violent or raucous in either sound or execution as the SLS; this is a more precise, honed sports car in everything it does, from its cabin finish to its dynamics.
The ride is comfortable yet firm, even in Sports Plus, which despite the step up in throttle response and steering feel, is fine even around town. The polished performance makes the GT S entirely liveable for everyday driving (a la Porsche 911).
The steering is so responsive you can place that wide nose easily in traffic, or crush corner apexes on a winding road.
Traction is brilliant; even a ham-fisted stab of the throttle in miserably wet conditions didn’t set the tail on a collision course, the remarkable bite of the rear rubber and power transfer making this a supreme point-to-point machine.
And when you back off, it will reward you – not bombard you – with a well-earned pop when you lift off the throttle.
It’s much sharper than the SLS in every sense, with the crisp steering one of the best on a modern road car, and the balance and roadholding bringing it all together for a car that delivers a personality, with adjustability, controllable slides and competent road manners.
It works with you to offer a rewarding drive without forcing you onto a knife-edge to get there; it feels just as easy to drive as an Audi R8, yet it’s much more involving and satisfying when you push it hard to link corners.
Then, back in town, it’s as well-mannered as a 911, but won’t melt into the crowd, as its visual theatre and that delicious timbre ramble on.
You can, of course, select Comfort and soften the exhaust note, where the refinement is good apart from some wind noise between the window panes at freeway speeds, but you’ve just spent almost $300K on a sports car, so flaunt it.
The AMG GT S is a class act. It has to be one of the best front-engined V8s ever built, with a grand sense of occasion whether you’re at the wheel or in the passenger seat.
It’s not faultless, or peerless, yet it’s proof that the performance car can meet a plethora of ever-tightening laws and regulations, and still have a devilish soul.
Model: Mercedes-AMG GT S Engine: 3982cc V8 (90°), dohc, 32v, twin-turbo Max power: 375kW @ 6250rpm Max torque: 650Nm @ 1750-4750rpm Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch L/W/H: 4546/1939/1288 Wheelbase: 2630mm Kerb weight: 1570kg 0-100km/h: 3.8sec (claimed) Fuel economy: 9.4L/100km (EU) Price: $270K (estimated) On sale: June 2015
THE hydrogen-powered Audi A7 Sportback H-tron has been shown at the LA motor show as the brand’s tech boss, Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, admits the company won’t be backing a push for infrastructure to support hydrogen-powered vehicles.
The zero-emission H-tron is one of several fuel-cell cars at the show, with Toyota and Honda lifting the lid on their fuel-cell products, but the A7 is only large, premium fuel-cell car on display.
It’s a plug-in hybrid powered by two electric motors that are fed by a fuel cell boosted by an electronic compressor, for a total 170kW/540Nm sent through a sophisticated electronic E-Quattro all-wheel drive system.
Audi says it has a 500-kilometre range, can reel off 0-100km/h in 7.9secs and power on to a 190km/h top speed.
Yet the company’s technical director admits that there is no push for infrastructure to support such a vehicle. “What we are demonstrating with this car is that we are prepared for hydrogen cars as well,” said Hackenberg, referring to the multiple fuel types it offers in other models.
The poster child so far is the A3, which – as well as petrol and diesel models – is sold in Germany as a natural-gas powered A3 G-tron (“G” for “gas”) while the plug-in hybrid Audi A3 E-tron goes on sale in Australia in March 2015.
The arrival of a hydrogen-powered A7 doesn’t mean Audi believes this to be the way of the future. “I think there is a competition between the fuel cell and the next generation of battery-operated cars,” Hackenberg said. “The performance of batteries is also increasing – for the future it will be possible to have a range of 500km in a normal passenger car with batteries, so we have to compare which technology is the winning one: we can’t answer that now.”
This means that the possibility of the A7 Sportback H-tron becoming a production reality is based upon customer demand, with Hackenberg saying the company will bring it to markets that demand it. Alternative fuel-friendly California is likely to be among those that adopt such technology early – hence the H-tron’s reveal at Los Angeles.
Right, what is it?
It’s the GLA45 AMG – Mercedes Benz’s psychotic full stop on its new crossover range.
AMG? It must be fast, then?
Well, it’s basically an A45 AMG that’s been jacked up 40mm. So, yeah, it’s got a 2.0-litre inline-four with 265kW and 450Nm plus all-wheel drive. With a successful Race Start launch it’ll fling you to 100km/h in 4.8sec.
Wow! Hang on. That’s slower than the A45 AMG.
It is, by two tenths, but only because the GLA45 AMG is heavier than its hatchback brother. You can thank strengthening of the rear body structure for that. The upside is it’s also a little bigger in the back.
Does it handle?
The GLA45 steering is direct and well-weighted, and the Alcantara steering wheel it’s connected to is a delight to grasp.
The ride’s firm but the increase of ride height means it’s more compliant than you think.
What’s really impressive though is how the car responds to more challenging roads.
But come on, it looks like the A45 Clive Palmer edition!
Yes, the GLA45 AMG’s bigger measurements mean roll, dive and squat are a tad more pronounced than the A45, but its body control is excellent. And even when you dig your spurs in and push it hard, it barely flinches. The chassis is composed, balanced, and it grips like a rabid bulldog.
What’s not to like?
It’s no oil painting to look at, and opting for the optional $3990 Edition 1 pack’s aero bits and stickers would be hard to justify to your mates at the pub.
Then there’s the ’box. We love dual clutches, but they can be idiosyncratic. The GLA45 AMG’s seven-speed is no different. From rest it can be manic in ‘S’ mode, then too sleepy in ‘C’ mode. You spend too much attention on your throttle input.
What’s the damage?
Cabbage wise, at $79,990, it’s $4K more expensive than the A45 AMG and $7K cheaper than the CLA45.
Should I buy one?
Well, it’s every bit as fast as the optional hellish aero wings promise it to be. Which means you’ll like driving it.
Its ride sets it apart from its hatch counterpart, meaning there’s a chance your better half might like it too, while the extra rear passenger and boot room rectify the CLA45’s flaws.
Contention may lie within the task of looking at it. But as they say, beauty is in the eye…
If you’re interested, though, you’re going to have to get in line. All first deliveries have been snapped up and Mercedes tells us new orders won’t arrive until mid-next year.
Ludicrous, but so is the car.
THIS is the new Lexus IS Convertible that’s set to go on sale in 2016.
The new drop-top is based on the two-door version of the IS sedan, the Lexus RC coupe, and will cross swords with the BMW 4-Series and Audi A5 Cabriolet, as well as the Mercedes C-Class cabriolet, for summer lovin’.
Revealed at the LA motor show, a prime location for ostentatious drop-tops among its tall, palm-fringed avenues, the glorious gold concept car is led by the Lexus signature trapezoidal grille, bristling in black and chrome, with the same scheme on the huge wheels, and gloss black skirting around the trumped-up body kit.
Inside, there’s cool white leather and chrome detailing, with the head restraints of the two-seat concept leading to turret-like sculpting over the boot area.
That’s the key difference with this model: gone is the old IS250 C’s metal roof, and instead there will be a folding cloth top. The head of Lexus design, Yasuo Kajino, told Wheels that the soft top had its benefits. “We wanted to prioritise the aesthetic of the car with the roof down,” he said, referring to the compact packaging benefits of the soft-top compared with a metal folding roofs, which allows more freedom in the design.
It also saves weight, cost and complexity, as the 1780kg RC Coupe already weighs as much as a 4 Series convertible. “There’s not much of a weight difference [between the Lexus coupe and convertible],” Kajino explains, “because initially, the RC Coupe was built to be stiff enough as a convertible.”
Lexus maintains that this car is strictly a concept, but it’s production viable and a key part of its success in North America, its biggest market where it outsells BMW, Mercedes and Audi. The production version on the LF-C2 will use the IS250’s 2.5-litre V6, but we’re hoping Lexus readies a rival for the BMW M4 Convertible by dropping in the RC F’s 5.0-litre V8.
The Lexus RC convertible, as it may be known, is expected in Australia in early 2016.
MAZDA has confirmed it is developing a new-generation four-cylinder turbocharged engine.
To be based on the latest SkyActiv design – currently in 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5-litre configurations – the turbocharged engine is expected to power the second generation CX-9, due in 2016.
Speaking at the 2014 Los Angeles motor show, Mazda managing executive officer Masahiro Moro confirmed the engine was under development.
“We do,” he said when asked directly if Mazda was developing a turbo powerplant.
But he refused to detail what cars it would be used in.
“We develop the gasoline turbocharged engine and where we use, I’d like to refrain from making comments at this juncture. We will tell you about more detail when the time is right.”
However, rumours Mazda is gearing up to again offer high-performance MPS models suggests the new direct injection four-cylinder turbo could also be used in a Mazda 3 or 6.
Mazda previously produced a front-drive 3 MPS and all-wheel-drive 6 MPS, each in previous generations.
The two helped cement Mazda’s “Zoom-Zoom” branding as a manufacturer with a bit more excitement.
It also gives Mazda some firepower against the likes of the Subaru WRX and Volkswagen Golf GTI (in the case of the Mazda 3 MPS) and the Subaru Liberty GT (for the 6 MPS).
It’s unlikely an MPS of either model – or other Mazda variants – would appear before 2017, with Mazda instead focusing on its volume selling models that provide much needed profits to invest in image builders such as the MPS.
When denying there was a program for a rotary powered sports car – many have suggested it could revive the RX-7 name – Moro reiterated the importance of cementing Mazda’s core models and ensuring they were performing well.
“Our focus is how we’re going increase sales … with existing product line. That’s our focus for the next two years.”
The program manager for the just unveiled CX-3 small SUV, Michio Tomiyama, also suggested an MPS-badged version of that car was not a priority.
“We like to look at the sales performance and the customer feedback … to think about what we can do,” he said. “Right now at this moment there is nothing that is specifically decided yet.”
A high-output twin-turbo V6, BMW 3-series proportions, rear-drive and aspiring luxury are attributes of Cadillac’s newest addition to its high-performance V series, the ATS-V, which might have Munich worried.
Cadillac had its muscled up ATS on display for all to fear at the 2014 LA Motor Show ahead of the V-branded sedan’s launch next year.
That V badge means the ATS receives a gamut of performance upgrades, plenty of which are found inside its 3.6-litre twin-turbo V6. Titanium has been used for the engine’s connecting rods and turbos’ exhaust propellers to help it muster 339kW and 603Nm, channelled rearward by a six-speed manual or eight-speed auto.
For comparison, that’s 22kW and 53Nm clear of a BMW M3 and means the ATS-V is good for 97km/h (60mph) in 3.9sec, according to Caddy.
With such speed, Cadillac’s paid attention to its chassis to ensure it’ll corner as ferocious as it accelerates. So there’s more bracing throughout the ATS-V than a high-school kid’s smile, reaping a 25 per cent increase in structural stiffness, and adjustable magnetic dampers at each corner. Slowing things down are a set of Brembo grabbers married to 370mm discs at the front and 339mm discs at the rear.
Cadillac will build the ATS-V in both coupe and sedan body styles and offer an additional ‘Carbon Fiber’ pack which, you guessed it, swaps out various body items (rear spoiler, rear diffuser, front splitter and that huge hood vent) with carbon versions.
Track-goers can option a ‘Track’ package which adds a lightweight battery and performance data recorder to the previously mentioned carbon addenda.
Meanwhile the interior is promised to have ‘handcrafted cut-and-sew elements’ and feature 16-way-adjustable Recaros, so it’ll have the luxury to suit its mojo.
Its US price isn’t yet known, but expect the ATS-V sedan to aim for BMW M3’s $62,000 starting price. And expect to be jealous of the yanks when it’s revealed come March.
Mercedes-Benz design vice-president Gorden Wagener has said that the Maybach name may find itself on more than one Mercedes model.
Speaking at the LA motor show overnight, where Mercedes unveiled the new Mercedes-Maybach S600 in the metal for the first time, the design boss said the customisation and hyper-luxury of the Maybach-badged saloon could easily be applied to other cars in the range – even an SUV.
That means that the Maybach range may, for the first time, stretch not only from the S-Class saloon to the svelte-looking coupe, but also as low down the Benz hierarchy as the CLS.
A Maybach ML-Class – or GLE-Class, as it will be known under the brand’s new naming format announced last week – would make a suitable rival not only to the forthcoming Bentley SUV, but also the yet-to-be-confirmed Rolls-Royce SUV. “Why not?”, Wagener told journalists with a wry smile when asked about the SUV.
Maybach models aren’t specifically targeting BMW-owned Rolls-Royce, despite the fact that the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class will be priced at around $545K – the same ask as that of a Rolls-Royce Ghost, which has just been de-contented and given a $100K price cut.
The competition from Mercedes-Maybach should only push Rolls-Royce harder.
DON’T expect the return of the Mazda RX-7 – or any Mazda rotary – any time soon.
Mazda says rumours of the return of the RX-7 sports car are premature, with the brand’s managing executive officer emphatically saying the project is “entirely off”.
“Using [a] rotary engine has been completely off,” said Masahiro Moro, in Los Angeles for the global reveal of the CX-3 compact SUV.
But the man in charge of global marketing for Mazda said development of the rotary engine continues, with the door left open to return the iconic engine configuration to the brand in the longer term.
“Rotary engine development has continued – the engine development project itself,” said Moro. “If we use this rotary engine into mass production car, that project has not been on.
“We have not put our entire resources, we have allocated some resources.”
But he was adamant there was no approved program and work had not started on adapting the rotary engine to the Mazda MX-5 platform, something that has been rumoured since the early 2000s.
“We never ever put a program of a sports car,” said Moro. “That is not on or off – [it is] entirely off. Using [a] rotary engine has been completely off.”
Moro suggested there was lots of work to be done to ensure the rotary engine met future fuel economy and emissions requirements.
“We have continued to develop until that is relevant to today’s environment and requirement.”
Moro also said there were various applications where the rotary could be used, including as a generator or range extender for an electric or hybrid car.
The rotary has a wider variety of capability,” he said. “It could be used for generator, could be used for hydrogen, could be used for normal combustion engine.”
Moro said the focus for Mazda for until at least 2017 was on core models, such as the just-released CX-3 and CX-5 SUVs, and the 2 and 3.
“Our focus is how we’re going increase sales … with existing product line. That’s our focus for the next two years.”
He also pointed to upcoming emissions regulations and the upcoming introduction of SkyActiv 2 engine technology – claimed to reducing fuel use by 30 percent – as crucial for the second half of the decade.
“At this juncture I think the biggest hurdle we jump over is 2020 in Europe – 95 grams of CO2 emissions.
“We have lots of study [to see] what technology enables us to [achieve that].”
Is this the new A9? Audi’s not saying, but rumours are strong that this Prologue concept previews a range-topping coupe-limo designed to take on Mercedes’ S-Class Coupe.
Whether or not that is true, elements of the Prologue’s design will appear on future Audis, with Head of Design, Marc Lichte, stating the concept offers “A foretaste of the future of Audi.”
Bar its lower height, the Prologue’s dimensions – length, width, wheelbase – are virtually identical to the current A8, and the car’s new design language will likely debut on the new-generation A8, due next year.
The enormous grille dominates the front of the car and is both wider and set lower than on current production models. Matrix laser headlights, technology first seen on the R8 LMX, sit to each side.
At the rear, slimline taillights sit below an LED strip that runs the entire width of the car. Unusually, the rear window is framed within a ‘flying buttress’ type arrangement reminiscent of the Jaguar XJ-S.
Under the new skin, though, things get really juicy. Propelling this uber-coupe is Audi’s now familiar 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 producing 445kW/700Nm in this application, with overboost allowing 750Nm for 15 seconds at a time.
Audi claims a 0-100km/h time of 3.7sec for the heavyweight (1980kg) luxo-barge.
The latest generation adaptive air suspension will be tasked with keeping that weight under control through a new five-link suspension setup front and rear. All-wheel steering also makes its first appearance on an Audi product, with the rear wheels able to steer at angles of up to five degrees.
The high-tech showcase continues in the interior. Audi has created an instrument display that runs the entire length of the dash, split into three individual touch screens.
A screen to the driver’s left (or right, presumably, in right-hand drive models) controls lighting and assistance systems; another screen to the driver’s right controls the multimedia system while a third located in front of the passenger allows for individual control of the entertainment system.
Audi claims its intelligent software program, dubbed ‘the butler’ is able to automatically adjust the seats and climate control by identifying the passengers through their smartphones.
It can then make recommendations for music and navigation based on the driver’s preferences. It all sounds a bit 2001: A Space Odyssey for our tastes.
The depth of detail suggests that Audi has greater plans for the Prologue than mere motor show eye candy, but even if it fails to appear, the design and technology contained within should appear with the next A8.
MAZDA admits its new CX-3 will cannibalise sales of its most popular model, the 3.
The new compact Holden Trax-fighting SUV – which will sit below the strong-selling CX-5 when it arrives about March or April 2015 – shares an engine with the small hatchback and sedan, and will offer similar interior space to the 3.
With pricing expected to start in the low-$20,000 bracket the Mazda CX-3 will also be similarly priced to the 3 (which starts at $20,490 for the manual Neo) while also hitting the top of the Mazda 2 range ($21,990 for an automatic Genki).
“Obviously it’ll have an impact on those but we’ve already forecast that into all our planning,” said Mazda Australia marketing director Alastair Doak.
Already the small car market has softened as the market continues to fragment and SUV sales continue to boom.
For the first 10 months of 2014 sales of passenger cars have dropped 1.6 percent, with the more affordable small cars (those priced below $40,000) down 5.3 percent, or 11,000 cars.
SUV sales have grown 8.5 percent, with small SUVs accounting for most of the growth; small SUVs are up 23.3 percent, or 14,000 cars.
Doak says the market will continue to fragment but that being present in the small SUV segment was crucial to future growth.
“We’ve done some pretty comprehensive research around what the likely reaction is to our car and to that segment. We’re comfortable where the numbers will be.
“There is brand upside [for Mazda] – there is incremental volume to the brand for this car.”
Mazda is hoping the CX-3 will redefine the small SUV segment, which is growing strongly and forecast to continue to attract more buyers.
Doak hinted competitors such as the Holden Trax and Ford EcoSport had underperformed because of their narrow model ranges; neither is available with four-wheel-drive, for example, and each has holes in its model range.
“We are looking to do a pretty comprehensive range,” said Doak. “That’s what the segment needs – I don’t think anybody has quite nailed that yet, I think they’ve all tried to play a little bit too niche. They’ve limited the range. They’ve either gone all high end or they’ve got limited choice of transmission.”
“We’re going to have petrol, diesel, front-wheel drive, all-wheel drive, manual, auto. This segment is forecast to grow substantially so why wouldn’t you go in there with a substantial range?”
Such a move will undoubtedly challenge other models in the Mazda showroom.
That fragmentation and the arrival of models such as the CX-3 is expected to slow growth of Mazda 3 sales, which are up 4.7 percent in 2014.
But Doak says the small car market will continue to be the biggest single segment in Australia for some time yet and that some buyers do not want an SUV, something that will ensure the 3 remains the top selling model for the brand that could next year sit behind number one-placed Toyota on the sales charts.
“Some people still don’t like them [SUVs],” he said. “They are small SUVs, they’re not for everybody. They are by their nature compact models. SUV up to this point has been bought for more practical reasons and that’s why we don’t see this car having an impact on CX-5 – it’s a different life stage.”
Doak said the CX-5 and its competitors would continue to appeal to families and other people who need more space.
The CX-3 was “more about giving people choice – it’s the continuing diversification of the market”.
“CX-3 is smaller than that so it much more a young person, young couple kind of car.”
The CX-3 will be sold with a 1.5-litre turbo diesel engine and the same 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine from the Mazda 3.
It will come as a two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive with a choice of manual or automatic transmissions.
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