2013 SLS AMG GT Coupe Review

The 2013 SLS AMG GT rockets from 0 to 60 mph in 2.6 seconds, meaning the SLS AMG GT will outrun most race cars

Words Jim Davis February 06, 2013

The best and most recent review that we’ve read of the 2013 SLS AMG GT is from Preston Lerner at Automobile Mag. He sums up the car when he says “The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT is a halo car with a devil’s tail rather than an angel’s wings. From the snarl of the twin-cam V-8 housed under the extravagantly long hood to the dramatic gullwing doors arcing up from the low-slung body, the two-seat supercar exudes a palpable sense of menace. With a claimed 0-to-60-mph time of 3.6 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 197 miles per hour, the bad-boy looks are more than skin deep.”

A GT designation was given to the new 2013 SLS AMG as well as receiving multiple styling updates and a seven-speed, dual-clutch transmission remapped to produce crisper shifts. AMG engineers also managed to pull 20 additional horsepower out of the super car’s 6.2-liter engine, increasing maximum output to 583 HP at 6800 rpm while trimming the 0-60 mph time by one-tenth of a second. As with all AMG powerplants, each GT engine is hand-built by a single technician.

The engine has a dry-sump lubrication system with a pair of oil pumps, that helps lower the car’s center of gravity but also means that in the unlikely event that owners plan to change their own oil, they’ll have to stock up on 14 quart. At least you can feel better now when you get the bill.

2013 SLS AMG GT

Preston says “The SLS AMG GT is too stunning and too pricey — $200,405 for the coupe, $206,905 for the roadster — to see much track-day duty. Still, Mercedes insists that the car is more than a poseur.” To prove the GT’s abilities, Mercedes brought four cars to The Streets of Willow, a test track in the desert north of Los Angeles for testing. I

Choosing the coupe over the convertible due to the cool climate of the California desert, Preston climbed into the AMG with the pull of a retractable handle making the door scissor up. A garnd moment in any man’s life. Climbing into the cockpit required fewer contortions than expected, climbing out is a bit trickier. The seat is supportive yet comfortable, emblematic of the rest of the interior, which features a satisfyingly Teutonic mix of luxury and efficiency. The engine starts instantly and settles into a docile idle. Once you slide the transmission into gear you blast off.

2013 SLS AMG GT

“Straight-line performance is rocket-like. From 0 to 60 mph, the SLS AMG GT will outrun most race cars, and I see triple digits on the speedo before catching my first breath. The rear-mounted transaxle offers four modes — one manual and three automatic. In manual mode, there’s a brief but perceptible delay before shifts are executed, as if the on-board computer is asking the driver, “Are you sure you want to shift now?” On The Streets of Willow, at least, the Sport Plus — the most aggressive of the automatic modes — is more satisfying than working the paddle shifters.

The low-slung chassis and sport-tuned suspension do an admirable job of minimizing body roll and disguising the car’s substantial heft. But at 3573 pounds, the coupe is too heavy to be nimble. On the other hand, with 479 lb-ft of torque on tap, kicking out the rear end is child’s play, and the stability control system allows for progressive doses of hooliganism. But be forewarned: with 53 percent of the weight at the rear, this isn’t a car for impressing friends by drifting around highway cloverleafs.”