Mercedes-Benz’s lineup is sort of a Tokyo subway, crammed to its absolute restrict, encompassing nearly each inch of conceivable white area. Yet, someway, the automaker is all the time in a position to make room for one thing else. Case in level, the 2019 Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door.You would possibly surprise how the GT 4-Door can reside alongside the CLS-Class with out the 2 stepping on each other’s metaphorical toes, however Mercedes makes it work. The CLS-Class now stops with the Mercedes-AMG CLS53, which has additionally changed into the start line for the GT 4-Door. And whereas it would seem like a base mannequin on paper, it is something however, taking all the things good concerning the two-door GT and stretching the canvas.
Beauty is within the eye of the beholderI nonetheless have not been in a position to verify whether or not or not I even like the way in which the GT53 appears on the skin. The incontrovertible fact that it stays true to itself and appears like an extended AMG GT is an efficient factor. I’m additionally having fun with the precise hatchback that confers extra cargo area than the CLS-Class, even when it should nonetheless smush taller perennials on a visit again from the backyard middle. It additionally occurs to look higher from behind than the CLS.
Yet, on the identical time, it is not likely doing it for me. My GT53 tester’s entrance finish would not have the sharp, aggressive appears of its two-door sibling, regardless of being billed as such, and stretching the GT’s silhouette leaves it trying a little bit blobfish-y. From some angles, it appears the enterprise. From others, it is awkward and type of dumpy. An unscientific ballot of mates and colleagues reveals the identical type of cut up.
The GT53 in my command does redeem itself some, thanks partially to its non-obligatory 21-inch AMG wheels that fill the wells properly, though they seem to be a dear proposition at $3,450. And then there’s the $3,950 Designo Brilliant Blue Magno matte paint job. It’s such an arresting look that, for the primary time, my mail service stopped to take an image of the automotive in my driveway. However, it comes with caveats, like the way it cannot be taken via an automated automotive wash, or how scratches turn out to be a lot trickier to cowl up. Even upkeep generally is a burden, requiring mote-free microfiber cloths and no semblance of wax or fast detailer in anyway, lest it turn out to be shiny once more. It’s glorious for peacocking about, however I like to recommend skipping the choice if the automotive will function a each day driver.There’s no center floor with the GT 4-Door’s form. It’s a love-or-hate type of design.
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The GT53’s inside makes for a better conclusion: It’s not excellent, but it surely’s fairly good. Again, borrowing from its two-door relative, the sedan’s seating place is low and the beltline is excessive, positively surrounding me with automotive. Despite this, ahead and aspect visibility are nonetheless good, though rearward visibility via the hatch is a little bit low. The steering wheel’s decrease half incorporates mode-swapping buttons which might be really tiny little screens which, as a $400 choice, appears value it for wow issue alone.The GT53’s rising middle console is adorned with comparable buttons, which appears pointless, however pointless is the mantra of Mercedes-AMG. While this a part of the automotive undoubtedly appears cool, it is barely annoying, because the cupholders are buried deep and are not the simplest to make use of. The wi-fi gadget charger is behind these cupholders, so when you’ve got each a cellphone and a drink, be ready to solely have entry to the latter. The gear lever comes from the AMG GT, and like its software in that automotive, I discover it awkward to make use of, as my arms contort into bizarre T-Rex shapes simply to shift into drive.Despite some missteps, the inside continues to be laid out nicely and appears value each penny of the automotive’s value. Unlike the CLS-Class, there’s solely seating for 4 within the GT53, however every individual has oodles of legroom — and headroom, regardless of the plunging roofline. Even higher, every seat has entry to a USB Type-A port.Handles just like the coupe, solely largerIts powertrain is correctly potent: Like all 53-badged AMG fashions, my tester wields a 3.0-liter, turbocharged inline-6 good for 429 horsepower and 384 pound-feet of torque. Mercedes hooks this as much as a 48-volt gentle hybrid system that provides one other 21 hp and 184 lb-ft as essential. The electrical motor does an awesome job filling in torque gaps within the rev band, pushing me alongside in a method that looks like I’m tapping right into a seemingly countless nicely of miles per hour. But it will probably additionally act in a superbly sedate method, buzzing alongside quietly sufficient between house and the workplace.
The GT53 can ramp up or tamp down its aggression because the scenario calls for, due to automobile modes that actually do change the character of the automotive. The $1,850 efficiency exhaust system is at its greatest with the engine set to Dynamic, its sportiest setting, the place it pops and crackles and barks throughout upshifts, downshifts and every time the throttle is lifted. My solely qualm is that the consequence sounds extra like a V8 than an I6. There’s room for extra of the normal straight-six rasp, the engine would not have to fake it is one thing it is not.Thankfully, that setting would not drive the automotive’s nine-speed automated transmission to shift at loopy excessive revs, making it greater than road responsibility appropriate for noise junkies like me. No matter if it is in handbook or automated mode, and it doesn’t matter what mode the engine is in, the transmission shifts with objective, however not uncomfortably so, by no means jarring the occupants although gear swaps take barely any time in any respect.Everything above the middle console is the same old Mercedes-Benz stuff, however the console itself adjustments the inside’s ambiance.
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While I recognize the GT53’s engine cranked as much as its highest setting, I believe the adaptive dampers are greatest left in Comfort, the place they will absorb the errant pothole or highway undulation, which the suspension does with aplomb, even on my tester’s bigger wheels. Unfortunately, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer season tires (275/35ZR21 entrance, 315/30ZR21 rear) convey a rattling orchestra of highway noise into the cabin, forcing the stereo and dialog quantity ever increased because the speedometer heads north.The entire equipment and caboodle combines with a number of the greatest electromechanical steering I’ve ever skilled. It’s properly weighted in all modes, and its responsiveness borders on telepathy or Ultra Instinct. Just like its two-door sibling, you’ll be able to chuck the GT53 into corners all day and the automotive won’t ever really feel out of its ingredient. It could not have the backroad-ballistics nature of the GT63, however by no means as soon as did I really feel like all a part of the GT53 was missing. It’s each bit the sports activities automotive that the extra comfort-oriented CLS is not.In addition to being inexpensive and nonetheless being a riot on the highway, the GT53 has one other profit over the larger, extra brutish GT63: gasoline financial system. The EPA charges the GT53 at 19 miles per gallon metropolis and 24 mpg freeway, strong numbers for a four-door supercar and 4 mpg higher than the GT63 in each classes. Those numbers usually are not exhausting to realize with a lightweight foot, but it surely’s exhausting to cease having enjoyable in favor of thrift.Old-hat techEverything concerning the GT53 would possibly really feel shiny and new, however the tech would not. That’s to not say it is dangerous, although: The previous 12.3-inch COMAND infotainment system nonetheless gives loads of responsiveness and functionality in its most up-to-date iteration, and it features a bunch of ordinary stuff like Apple CarPlay, embedded navigation and a voice-recognition system that truly works nicely.But the grievances of yore are nonetheless round. The menus and their submenus may be sophisticated to navigate the primary few occasions. The touchpad’s numerous gestures aren’t precisely apparent and may be triggered by chance. There’s no contact functionality. I perceive how growth cycles work, however I hoped that Mercedes may’ve sandwiched its newer and extra spectacular MBUX system in right here earlier than the automotive went on sale. Guess that is what the midcycle refresh is for.Alongside the 12.3-inch infotainment display screen is a 12.3-inch gauge cluster display screen that additionally makes appearances in quite a lot of Mercedes merchandise each newer and older. It’s manipulated via the left touchpad on the steering wheel, and it provides me essentially the most pertinent telematics data proper in entrance of my face. I can conjure up a navigation map, or I pays strict consideration to varied fluid temperatures via AMG-specific submenus. It additionally has three completely different designs to cycle via, every prioritizing completely different bits of information in several methods. Whether it is automobile modes or shows, there is no lack of configurability within the GT53.On the security entrance, the usual stuff is restricted to automated braking, blind-spot monitoring and lively parking help. Most all the things else is tucked away within the $2,250 Driver Assistance Package, which provides full-speed adaptive cruise management, lively lane-change help, route-based pace adaptation and extra. It’s a strong hands-on system, holding the lane with little wavering, however in a automotive that is constructed for outright enjoyable just like the GT53, I am unable to think about utilizing that tech too typically. Even each day driving may be an journey on this factor.
How I’d spec itMy tester rings in at $127,300 together with vacation spot, a far cry from its $99,000 predestination base value. But if there’s one factor Mercedes-Benz loves, it is choices, so let’s undergo which of them I’d choose if I bought that MBA my mother needed me to.I’ll begin with the identical $99,000 GT53 mannequin as my tester, as a result of I’ve actually warmed to it. I prefer it in its free shade of Jupiter Red, however I’ll drop $750 on 20-inch alloy wheels as a result of the usual 19s are method too small for this automotive. I despise chrome, so I’ll spend $750 on the Night Package that replaces it with gloss-black exterior trim items.Inside, I’ll drop $2,990 for Nappa leather-based on the seats, changing the usual MB-Tex vinyl. I’ll additionally spend $250 for a heated steering wheel. My tester’s $2,500 AMG Performance seats are well worth the scratch, in order that they’re coming alongside, too. I’ll additionally spend the $450 to ventilate them, as a result of that inside will get sizzling in the summertime. I’ll follow the free matte-finish wooden trim, as a result of my tester’s $2,850 carbon fiber inside trim does nothing however solid the solar’s reflection straight into my eyes always.Finally, I’ll spend $500 on a surround-view digital camera and $1,850 for the lively exhaust. For some cause, I am unable to get the $400 steering wheel mode switches with a heated steering wheel, however consolation comes first, so I’ll select to skip these. That leaves me with a post-destination value of $110,535.Down to brass tacksSince the GT53 begins the place the CLS leaves off, it is not technically a competitor. But it does have equally priced, equally sporty choices poised for battle. The last-generation Audi RS7 could be a competitor, however the new-generation RS7 has but to be introduced, and it is more likely to ring in even increased than the outgoing automotive’s $114,000-ish beginning value. The Porsche Panamera 4S is its closest true competitor, with its 440-horsepower V6 and close-enough beginning value of $104,000. At this juncture, the Panamera 4S is absolutely the one competitors for the GT53, since it is a fairly area of interest phase to start with.The 2019 Mercedes-AMG GT53 does precisely what it units out to do. It takes all the things I like concerning the AMG GT coupe and slaps it right into a physique that provides much more versatility with few tradeoffs. Even although it packs the “lesser” mild-hybrid powertrain, it fits the automotive’s character simply superb.
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