It’s no secret that Mercedes can build an outstanding luxury car with some impressive performance figures, but it seems that comfort almost always takes precedence over lap times. However, with the AMG GT-S they have clearly taken further steps towards building a quick, capable and sorted sports car. With a shortened wheelbase, turbocharged engine, revised suspension and shorter overhangs, the GT-S should prove to be a deft handler and yet still hold on to some of that hot rod appeal found in its bigger brother, the SLS. Will these improvements make it capable of taking on the refined-yet-potent benchmark that is the 911 Turbo?

The 911 Turbo has always held a place in many motorists’ hearts as a serious, intimidating performer and only in recent years has it become domesticated. Though not an out-and-out fire-breather, the 911 Turbo remains an engineering marvel that really is as usable as it is fast – the result of decades of development. Many companies attest to building cars with this sort of versatility but, in reality, most fall short of promise. In short, the 911 Turbo has progressed from something unruly to something very refined and civilized.

These two result from different design philosophies, yet their level of performance is not all that different.

Conversely, the AMG GT-S is, in many ways, a new kind of car for Mercedes. Its sporting predecessors were always slightly compromised in some way or another and despite being powerful, they never quite performed with the same balance and agility of their contemporaries. Critically, the GT-S marks a step in the other direction with great poise and agility, but critically lacks the four wheel-drive layout that gives the 911 Turbo so much of its real world performance. The traction is impressive, though it seems the AMG is more of a hooligan. With a twin-turbocharged V8, a shortened wheelbase and rear wheel-drive, it’s more than capable of executing long, seamless powerslides, but will it put in as quick a laptime?