Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe review: A song of fire and nice

Singapore

SO FEARSOME and violent is this car that its name, "GT", is short for "Game of Thrones". Actually, it isn't, but it might as well be.

The Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door is in fact the continuation of a story that began in 2004 with the introduction of the CLS-Class, what Mercedes-Benz termed a "four-door coupe", essentially a sedan with the appearance of a slinky coupe.

In 2013, Mercedes added a smaller, less expensive four-door coupe, the wildly-successful CLA, and now it's done a complete 180 with this high-performance luxury model, the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe, to give full flower to its name.

What sets this thing apart is that it's only the third car to be wholly developed by the motorsports and high-performance division Mercedes-AMG, the first two being the SLS AMG and AMG GT sports cars, both wild cars for wild folk.

But that's a bit like saying you're a tennis pro and your elder brothers are Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal, so there's potentially a long shadow for the GT 4-Door to live in.

It's not so long in the case of the ludicrous GT 63 S version, which has 639 horsepower and is the most powerful car AMG currently produces, but that isn't the case with the lesser GT 53 model driven here. It has "only" 435hp, which is nominally plenty but modest by AMG standards.

Regardless of power figures, the GT 4-Door aims to dazzle someone considering anything from a Bentley Continental GT to a Porsche Panamera. In other words, a large, luxurious car that is all-day-long fast, and one that makes a big impression when you arrive.

At just over five metres long and with a very AMG appearance, trying to ignore the GT 4-Door in its metallic blue skin is rather difficult.

There's no denying the visual link to the two-door Mercedes-AMG GT supercar, especially with the new signature Panamericana grille that swells the front end pairing nicely with the heavily sculpted sides, making its forward-canted "shark nose" more obvious and predatory.

If it's one part classy cruiser, it's at least four parts Darth Vader.

The GT 53 model is powered by the new Mercedes 3.0-litre engine, which has its six cylinders in a straight line. It certainly offers more than a V6 does, with a higher-pitched howl to go with whip-crack gearshifts, and more smoothness when the GT isn't loudly proclaiming its AMG lineage.

If anything shouts "AMG", it's the interior, with a very dramatic centre console that offers a closed cockpit feel, but also has eight buttons that control various functions such as the suspension and driving modes, each with its own digital display.

On the practicality front, there's generous room for four, as well as a 456-litre liftback boot, so a golfing trip to Malaysia would be easily done.

The rest of AMG's models are great daily drivers and the GT 53 is the same, as long as you can restrain your right foot.

If you can, a mild hybrid system called EQ Boost provides some green credentials and surprising efficiency for a vehicle of this type. If you can't, you'll find that the same system adds 22hp of boost on acceleration, and that the GT 4-Door certainly isn't slow, with huge tyres that provide monumental amounts of grip, and plenty of engagement for the dedicated driver, despite it being such a large vehicle.

Those with a more encyclopedic knowledge of Mercedes-Benz models might ask right now: Isn't this car pretty much the same as the Mercedes-AMG CLS 53, except a hundred grand more expensive?

After all, the two cars are nearly identical performance-wise, since they're of a similar size and have the same drivetrain, and are both actually based on the bones of the stolid E-Class.

That being so, our recommendation is to plump straight for the GT 63 S model instead.

At S$751,888 with Certificate of Entitlement (COE), its price is stomach-churning, but at least it has the stomach-churning performance to match. It also offers a deep dive into the full AMG experience, backing up its huge power output with more driving technology such as four-wheel steering and air suspension, and a thunderous soundtrack.

Besides, the GT 4-Door drips with menace because of the way it looks. That being so, it's only right to order one with the firepower to smite its enemies like a Targaryen.

Mercedes-AMG GT 53 4Matic+ 4-Door Coupe Engine 2,999cc, inline 6, turbocharged Power 435hp at 6,100rpm Torque 520Nm at 1,800-5,800rpm Electric motor 22hp / 250 Nm Gearbox 9-speed automatic 0-100km/h 4.5 seconds Top Speed 283km/h Fuel Efficiency 9.4L/100km Agent Cycle & Carriage Price S$556,888 with COE Available Now