Photo: Mercedes-AMG
There was a time when the GT lineup was fairly simple. Then came the C Roadster and Roadster, R, Edition 50, and now we have the S Roadster. If you’re keeping count, that’s a lot of iterations of the same model, but the S Roadster does make sense when you compare it to the Roadster and the Roadster C.
Not bland yet not too hardcore, the third member of the open-air family is no slouch thanks to 515 horsepower (522 PS) and 494 pound-feet (670 Nm) of torque, available over an engine speed range from 1,900 to 5,000 rpm. The 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 needs 3.7 seconds to thrust the vehicle from zero to 60 miles per hour, pushing on until the speedometer reads 192 mph (309 km/h).
The hot-vee design of the engine makes for compact packaging under the hood, quicker response of the turbochargers, and optimized airflow to the catalytic converters. The dry-sump lubrication, meanwhile, ensures the engine is lubricated at all times, even under high lateral forces that come courtesy of hard cornering.
As ever, the transmission comes in the guise of a transaxle featuring two clutches, seven forward ratios, and a torque tube. All these goodies and many more come together to create a near-perfect weight distribution of 47% front and 53% rear.
"The new model represents the perfect alternative for the performance-oriented AMG GT Roadster customer,” declared Tobias Moers, the chairman of Mercedes-AMG GmbH. Speaking of performance, the S Roadster comes as standard with adaptive adjustable damping, which can be let to its own devices, customized using a switch in the center console, or changed along with the drive mode. In total, there are three suspension settings to choose from: Comfort, Sport, and Sport+.
The three-layered soft top has been designed to be lightweight, strong, durable, and easy to operate. Supported by a magnesium-steel-aluminum structure, the roof is complemented by an acoustic mat and an integrated aluminum crossmember. As for opening and closing the roof, the driver can do it at speeds of up to 50 kph (31 mph), with the soft top taking “around 11 seconds” to complete the operation.
The hot-vee design of the engine makes for compact packaging under the hood, quicker response of the turbochargers, and optimized airflow to the catalytic converters. The dry-sump lubrication, meanwhile, ensures the engine is lubricated at all times, even under high lateral forces that come courtesy of hard cornering.
As ever, the transmission comes in the guise of a transaxle featuring two clutches, seven forward ratios, and a torque tube. All these goodies and many more come together to create a near-perfect weight distribution of 47% front and 53% rear.
"The new model represents the perfect alternative for the performance-oriented AMG GT Roadster customer,” declared Tobias Moers, the chairman of Mercedes-AMG GmbH. Speaking of performance, the S Roadster comes as standard with adaptive adjustable damping, which can be let to its own devices, customized using a switch in the center console, or changed along with the drive mode. In total, there are three suspension settings to choose from: Comfort, Sport, and Sport+.
The three-layered soft top has been designed to be lightweight, strong, durable, and easy to operate. Supported by a magnesium-steel-aluminum structure, the roof is complemented by an acoustic mat and an integrated aluminum crossmember. As for opening and closing the roof, the driver can do it at speeds of up to 50 kph (31 mph), with the soft top taking “around 11 seconds” to complete the operation.
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