So Mercedes is reshuffling its range a little bit and bringing a few new models along the way. There were rumors the new CLS would be called CLE to mark its ties with the E-Class sedan, but those proved to be unfounded in the end.
What is true, though, is that the new CLS will not have an AMG version anymore - a move that would have made zero sense were it not for the Mercedes-AMG GT4, a car that sounds as if it's based on the two-door GT coupe, but actually isn't.
Extending the GT platform for this vehicle which is actually wider and longer than the CLS would have been a mammoth undertaking, plus it would have made the coupe look a bit less sporty. So instead, Mercedes is going for the same MRA modular platform that underpins most of its rear-wheel-drive models.
The decision to split the four-door coupe into two different models may seem weird, but it allows Mercedes to position the AMG one way higher up the scale. It's not just a version of another car anymore, it's a standalone performance four-door coupe that can look any Porsche Panamera into the eye without blinking.
Actually, if rumors of a high-output hybrid turn out to be true, the Panamera might have to settle for the Mercedes-AMG GT4's taillights as that particular model could have 800 hp or more. Insane, yes, but don't think for a minute that Mercedes would have any trouble finding the buyers for it.
The Mercedes-AMG GT4 has been out testing for the past year, making numerous appearances but always wearing the same level of camouflage. Here we can't really see anything new, but we can still admire its active rear spoiler as well as the very GT-like rear end shape.
However, the best part about seeing it in motion on the track is that we also get to hear its 4.0-liter V8 engine sing. The punchy twin-turbocharged unit sounds as lovely as we remember, and the exhausts do their part in this unmistakenly AMG symphony.
You can see it go past what looks like a camouflaged Ford Focus station wagon - of which we've seen a lot lately on the Nurburgring - which very gallantly moves out of the way. And that was the right thing to do, no question about it because the AMG GT4 packs at least 610 hp, but likely even more since it appears to be a hybrid.
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