| Posted on 10.22.2012 12:00 by |
The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG has only been in production for a couple of years, and it has already been superseded by what is, in essence, its successor: the SLS AMG GT. The Mercedes SLS AMG GT was officially launched just hours ago, officially killing off the SLS AMG. The brand new SLS AMG GT has replaced all standard SLS models, despite the changes only being minor.
If we haven't already made it clear, then here it is again: the SLS AMG is officially dead, and the car now wears a new name plate as the 'GT,' rather than the GT being a special variant of the standard car. We're not sure why Mercedes decided to replace the standard car with the new GT, but it's clear that the German brand wanted to update the SLS and perhaps decided to slightly modify the name to help differentiate the new car from the old one.
Let's jump straight into the details, shall we? Well, to begin with the new SLS AMG GT features the same 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine as the former SLS AMG, however, it's been uprated. With an additional 20 horsepower, this brings the final figure up to 583HP thus giving it more than the Ferrari 458 Italia, one of the car's biggest competitors.
Despite this small horsepower increase, torque has remained the same at 479 lb-ft, as has the stunning seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. After all, why mess with a good thing, such as the gearbox? Further technical changes have been implemented for the GT, including a reworked suspension which is said to be more aggressive and stiffer than all previous models.
In turn the new car can shoot to 62 mph in just 3.6 seconds, down from 3.7 in the last 2012 SLS AMG model, although that small drop is so insignificant it's almost not worth mentioning.
Minor upgrades have also been performed on the interior with the addition of the new Designo styling package being the largest change, while the vast list of optional extras from the SLS AMG can also be optioned on the new GT.
The Mercedes SLS AMG GT may not roll off the tongue as nicely as just SLS AMG, but it's something we'll have to get used to.
UPDATE 10/17/2012: Mercedes has unveiled the European prices for the SLS AMG GT, as well as a new set of images. In Germany, the model will be priced at 204,680 euro (about $268,000 at the current exchange rates) for the coupe version and at 213,010 euro ($279,000 at the current rates) for the roadster. Check out the picture gallery to see the new pictures.
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 17 October 2012 17:00 EST.
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