What is it?

The Mercedes SLS AMG GT may not look much different from any other SLS AMG but it is, in fact, the replacement for that car.

Mercedes obviously realized the styling didn’t need much updating so there’s a new GT badge on the boot, and some darker lenses for the lights – but that’s where the visual tweaks end.

The important changes have been underneath, with the 6.3-litre V8’s power output up from 563bhp to 583bhp, improved software for the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox and firmer suspension.

What’s hot?

• Admittedly, they may not be the most practical way of getting in and out of a car but the gullwing doors are still the coolest.
• The SLS AMG GT makes one of the best noises on the road. Even sitting still, the exhausts burble away like an idling Spitfire. On the move, and on full throttle, the chorus is nothing short of thunderous.
  

  

• The standard SLS always felt a bit hesitant in changing gears but the software tweaks here have really helped matters. It shows in a slight improvement in the 0-62mph time, which is cut from 3.8 seconds to 3.7 seconds.
• Those improvements have been made without sacrificing the AMG’s ease-of-driving. You can drive it around town just as you would a C-Class.
• Get to a twisty road, though, and you realise this is a serious performance car. The firmer suspension and dampers ensure there’s no body roll, and the quick steering makes the car feel lighter and more agile than you might think.
• While it’s certainly firm, the suspension feels well engineered, so it never crashes or thuds noisily over potholes.
• The SLS AMG GT costs £3455 less than the SLS but is just as efficient. That means if you’re brave enough to run it as a company car you’ll have to pay around £400 less in company car tax each year – although at a shade under £23,000 a year we think it unlikely! It’s a significant saving for private buyers, too..

What’s not?

• The SLS is a very wide car and roads you’d considered normal in the past can feel extremely narrow all of a sudden.
• It costs about as much as a Ferrari 458 Italia but is nowhere near as sharp or involving to drive.
• The official fuel economy may be pegged at 21.4mpg but during normal driving you’ll probably see more like 14mpg.
• The CO2 emissions of 308g/km mean you’ll have to pay £1065 in road tax in the first year. After that it’ll cost £490 per year.
• The 176-litre boot isn’t much good for carrying large bags, so if it’s a holiday car you’re after, it may be best to look elsewhere.

Business Car Manager Verdict

The improvements to the SLS AMG are modest in this latest GT variant but there wasn’t that much wrong with it in the first place.

The tweaks to the gearbox are welcome, the updated suspension has sharpened up the handling a bit and the price-drop is an unexpected surprise.

None of that changes the fact that the SLS AMG GT is an extremely expensive car, both to buy and to run. Not exactly a conventional business car, but as a desirable and emotional plaything for a well-to-do business entrepreneur it comes highly recommended.

The Low Down…

…and what it costs