The SLS AMG’s short run has run its course; and with an emphasis on fuel efficiency resulting in engine downsizing, you could be forgiven for thinking that surely this is the end for AMG’s fire-breathing 6.2-liter V-8 as we know it, too. After all, AMG’s twin-turbo 5.5-liter V-8 lies in wait, making monster power from relative sips of fuel. The Times, They Are A Changin’, you could say. Like Ron Burgundy, the skunkworks crew in charge of the SLS AMG GT has never heard that song. So as we say goodbye to the 563-hp SLS AMG, we welcome the 583-hp SLS AMG GT.
The newly powerful engine makes maximum horsepower at the same 6800 rpm as the outgoing version. That increase comes via the manipulation of timing, fuel injection, and spark to improve combustion. Despite the power gain, the improved 6.2-liter’s torque production remains at 479 lb-ft. All that backside-compressing power is fed through the same seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic as the previous model. However, the transmission receives new gearchange logic paired with updated engine mapping, which Mercedes promises results in quicker shift times. (Although our complaints regarding AMG’s DCT unit have been few and far between, its only-slightly-sluggish response time is the most frequently heard.)
The result of those 20 extra miniature horses crammed underneath the GT’s long hood is, Mercedes estimates, a 0-to-60-mph time reduced by 0.1 second, to 3.6 seconds—we’ve hit 60 in 3.5 seconds with an SLS coupe—and an electronically limited top speed of 197 mph, which is the same as your grandfather’s old SLS AMG. If shaving a tenth from the 0-to-60 sprint doesn’t do it for you, take comfort in knowing that the GT comes with “passionate acoustic feedback for the driver.” That’s more of the snap, crackle, and pop off-throttle we’ve grown to love. Audio enhancement is done naturally, Mercedes tells us; that means no synthetic exhaust notes piped through the stereo system like some other German brands that shall remain nameless.
Thanks to: Car and Driver
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