Sporty saloon receives six- and eight-cylinder engines to take the fight straight to the Porsche Panamera.
Is this the sedan version of the GT sports car?
When Mercedes-Benz revealed the concept version in Geneva last year, it tried to communicate that a more practical variant of the GT sports car was under consideration.
And just this week, the production-ready model is being introduced at the same Swiss motor show bearing the same expressive Panamericana front grille as used in that two-door coupe.
Due to packaging constraints, however, the so-badged GT 4-Door Coupe is claimed to be based on today’s E-Class. This new AMG car is actually a five-door fastback with a coupe-like profile going up against the Porsche Panamera.
What are those engines like?
As the GT 4-Door Coupe is essentially a rehashed E-Class, the petrol engines are both familiar ones with twin turbos.
The first one is 435hp 3.0-litre inline-six coupled with 48V mild hybrid and EQ Boost system shared with the just-launched 53 models of the E-Class Coupe/Cabriolet and CLS. The 0-100kph acceleration time is rated at 4.5sec.
The other motor is 639hp 4.0-litre V8 which is an upgraded version of the one seen in the 63 model of the four-door E-Class. It has a faster 3.2sec time.
Both the 53 and 63 models of the GT 4-Door Coupe use nine-speed automatic and the latest 4Matic+ all-wheel-drive hardware.
Is it priced to match?
Mercedes hasn’t revealed pricing yet ahead of a possible Thai introduction toward the end of this year. However, a starting point of 10 million baht is likely because that’s how much the similarly powered Panamera 4 E-Hybrid costs.
BMW, meanwhile, is set to provide an answer for these two niche-breaking cars. Also in Geneva, BMW has shown a concept version of the forthcoming 8 Series Gran Coupe. A brawny M8 version is also being planned to square off the battle with the GT 4-Door Coupe and Panamera.
