For the price, I'm having a very hard time justifying its existence. For a base of $122k and $142k ... we all know that by the time you leave the door of the dealership, you will be pushing $135k-$155k.
For that kind of money, I would take a Targa, GT3 or Turbo ANY day....really any variation of a 911.

The design cues it's taken from the 911 are far too obvious (rear end, rear lights, overall shape, etc).

It's funny ... I guess it's payback for what Porsche did to their SUV and sedan markets. Although to be perfectly fair here, IMHO, I don't believe Porsche provides good value for anything other than their sports cars (911s, Caymans, etc). i.e. Porsche is my toy, but I would consider Merc/BMW, etc for DD. The other way around does not work (for me at least). I couldn't see myself in a monster AMG and calling it my "toy".

Also - that video was horrible. In what world is it acceptable to market a sports car 911 "killer" using a very quite, calm, cruising and boring video!

.....and yet.....from the doors back I think it's lovely.

What I have always liked about the 911 models is their un-fussiness when viewed side-on. An absolute minimum of strakes, intakes, scoops, geegaws and lines (991 is the best yet); probably F-type or GTR are the complete antithesis. The original Audi TT, too, was pretty clean. This Merc's rear is drawing me in with it's smoothness and lack of detail.

hmmmmmmm..not feeling it from the pics. I will have to see it in person.

I think this is a Merc with 991 class. At the low end it is in reach of typical 991 shoppers. Not hard imagining it will be cross shopped and thus it should drive 911 performance up.

i like it but starting around 100... add another 20/30 in options.. and then add up for the 500hp versus the 450hp.. personallu i'd rather get a used SLS for that.

The problem is, there's not a single original styling element on that entire body. It's a melange of Porsche, Jaguar, even some Chrysler/Dodge influence. When you're a century-old company with the history and reputation of Mercedes Benz, people shouldn't have to squint to figure out what car they're looking at.

It may well be a great car under the skin, but it doesn't make a great first impression IMHO.

the front end, esp the lights, seems odd to me, kinda like the SL.
Looks like the car has down...

:rockon:

I was at Laguna Seca for the Historics when the Z4 was released. Porsche was the featured marque that year. Their reaction was exactly as you described! One after the other doing double takes, and you never seen so many rolled eyes and wtf's in your life. Some would come up to me whispering conspiratorially, like did you see the elephant man?

Congratulations Mercedes and AMG, you have moved UGGLIIILEEEEEEE upmarket. Someone, somewhere will bite. Might the same fool have bought a 911? Who cares! Better off without 'em.

Not sure about cross shopping with the 911. It's a fixed roof hardtop. I bet u can't even get a sunroof. I don't know how it can compete with the 911 variants of coupe, cabriolet, and targa.

Agreed.

I understand the AMG GT-S is something like 1580kg.

911 just rocks. It just does. :cool:

I guess it's not surprising that on a 911 forum, the Merc will get no respect. I don't think it will be the pure sports car the 911 is, however it is an alternative. The 911 is like the San Antonio Spurs of sports cars: It's old, but tinkers with things, and continues to impress year after year.
There is no question the Merc will steal 911 buyers. It will not steal many enthusiasts on here or the track junkies, but it will get buyers who maybe want to stand apart from 911s (in LA, there are a lot of 911s), or those who just want the newest thing. Same crowd as the Jag buyers. Others crave power and sound over the other subtleties of the driving experience. My point is let's not get extreme and call it "fugly" and all sorts of other things just because it's not a 911.

It will have a great engine and nice interior with all the bells and whistles that you can't even get in a 911. For most people, it will drive just fine too.

But I don't like how it looks at all! Some angles it looks sleek, but at others, it just doesn't work. SLS + 911 bastard child.

More like the a SLS + Z4 bastard child. And raised by a Viper.

Don't kid yourself this car is going to be competitive price wise with the bigger power 911's. MB usually has a prem pack for 4-5K that loads up the car with all the options. Porsche likes the lower base and then nickels and dimes us to death on options that should be standard on cars of this price. Furthermore it will compete on the track. This car has an aluminum body making it lighter than the SLS, 53 to 47 weight ratio and DCT.

The piece de resistance on this sucker has to be the TT 4.0L V8. Porsche has a great 6 cyl. but we would all trade for a high rev V8.

I for one am anxious to see this car and it could be the replacement for my 911.



PS I must admit to a certain bias towards MB. My 2015 E400 will be my 21st new MB since 1983.

With you all the way.

I have loved my three 911s and will continue to do so; but my brother - not a Porsche lover (nor hater) - took one look at this Merc and said, "I'll get one of those!".