ThomasM[PuristS]
14331
It is a crowded marketplace, but there is always room for another great choice.
Dec 12, 2014,18:31 PM
Patrick, keep in mind my reference is the 997.2 GT3RS.
Compared to that, 99% of everything else are soft cushy comfy but also wallowy Grand Touring cars.
Yes, AMG's mandate was supposed to be a pure sports car, vs the SL.
In this they have succeeded.
But just as many feel the 911GTS, even the 911 Turbo, is rather more GT than track weapon, so to the AMG GT-S. We are splitting Purist hairs here; I had an interesting discussion with Will Vetter about this.
The transmission was impressive; it was neither slow nor occasionally indecisive like early SLS trannies, and certainly not so unnecessarily brutal as the early Aventador gearbox. In Sport+ mode under WOT then sudden liftoff, it did hang at a high RPM longer than I would expect for a sports car tranni; still scratching my head on that one.
But definitely very developed, much improved from even just 2 years ago in the SLS.
Comparing overall driving experience between the SLS to the GT-S, I'll save that discussion for another time, suffice it to say at this point I prefer the later SLS' then the GT-S then early SLS.
i8!?! Um...I would never compare them as competitors if one can afford the luxury of narrow categories. Only if under broad considerations of sporty 4 wheeled vehicles in the mid$100k USD range. Otherwise two different animals.
R8 was not a benchmark - Will answered, when asked, besides the 911, what else?
"Is there anything else?"
As great as the R8 is, it is not a commercial success as the 911 is, and it has that damned electric power steering...though I found the GT-S steering too light and overboosted, it did have decent feel.
I'll bet money the AMG GT-S will be a bigger commercial success than the R8.
Which is the greater drivers car?
Seat Time and the passage of time will tell...but I can say the AMG GT-S is designed for a more traditional dynamic feel and performance at the limit - rear bias rear wheel drive.