Want a Mercedes-AMG GT?
SPORTS CARS: Your budget may tell you to start looking at the Scion FR-S
New car buyers may want a particular model, but they might not always have the budget to get their first choice. Automakers are offering consumers the widest variety of choice in history, and this feature will help give you insight into some comparable, affordable alternatives to more upmarket cars.
For example, if you’ve been dreaming of a rear-wheel-drive sports car with sexy-beast looks and near-supercar performance, we’re suggesting the new-for-2016 Mercedes-AMG GT S Coupe — for those with deep pockets.
And for buyers who want the thrill of a sports car, but don’t want to spend as much and don’t mind less performance, we’re presenting the 2015 Scion FR-S.
Regardless of their respective prices, this pair of sleek two-doors is arguably at the top of their respective classes. In the end, you may “want” the luxury brand sports car, but your budget may force you to “get” the mainstream model.
With a starting price of $149,900, the new Mercedes-AMG GT S Coupe is hardly an automotive basement bargain. Yet compared to the outgoing $250,000-plus Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG it’s replacing as the German automaker’s “halo” sports car, the rear-wheel-drive two-seater is a bit of a deal.
The GT S Coupe rides on a slightly shorter wheelbase than the larger SLS AMG, all toward the goal of making this Mercedes-AMG sports car more nimble, and therefore, more competitive with the likes of the Porsche 911 Carrera GTS.
The Mercedes-AMG GT S Coupe’s hand-built V-8 gas engine displaces 4.0-litres. Aided by a pair of turbochargers nestled between its cylinder banks, output to the rear wheels is a supercar-like 503 horsepower and 479 lb.-ft. of torque.
While you can’t get a manual transmission, the GT S Coupe’s dualclutch seven-speed automatic can scoot the two-seater from a standstill to 100 km/h in a breathtaking 3.8 seconds, potentially not stopping until 310 km/h. With its engine and gearbox tucked within its four wheels, the GT S Coupe sports an excellent 47/53 per cent front/rear weight distribution.
Combined with an electrically controlled limited-slip differential and shocks, and Mercedes’ Driver Select mode (with five settings: Comfort, Sport, Sport+, Race and Individual, drivers can adjust the car’s throttle response, steering effort, gear change speed and suspension reactions.)
The GT S Coupe can also be tweaked for drivers who may want to enjoy a racetrack.
To enhance that experience, there’s the optional $3,300 AMG Track package, that includes Active Engine Mounts, high-performance tires, revised front suspension components and stiffer springs and shocks.
Feel free to buy the 2016 MercedesAMG GT S Coupe for its sleek looks and outrageous performance alone, but keen drivers can also sleep soundly at night knowing they’ve purchased a genuine sports car. ALTERNATIVE PICK: 2015 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS with PDK — $135,830
GET THIS INSTEAD: 2015 Scion FR-S Coupe
As sexy, fast and well made — did we say fast? — the 2016 MercedesAMG GT S Coupe might be, we understand not all new car buyers have $150,000 or more stashed away in their sports car fund cookie jar. So for those looking for the looks and fun-to-drive feeling that only a rearwheel-drive sports car can provide, we think the 2015 Scion FR-S Coupe is one of the best choices out there.
Like the Mercedes-AMG GT, the $25,170 FR-S is Scion’s halo car, created (with some help from Subaru) under the directive of parent Toyota’s president himself, Akio Toyoda. As the grandson of the company’s founder, he specifically wanted to build a genuine sports car, and for the money of a well-equipped compact sedan, the FR-S delivers plenty of sports car thrills.
Relative to the upright Toyota Corolla, your backside kisses the ground in the low slung FR-S. Using Subaru’s 2.0-litre flat-four allows for the Scion’s centre of gravity to be lower than a Porsche Cayman. And while most of the FR-S’s interior bits feel mainstream compared to the more luxurious Mercedes-AMG GT S Coupe, the parts the driver engages with regularly — the seats, steering wheel and gear shifter — are driver-oriented bits of kit. And don’t’ forget: the Scion offers a pair of vestigial rear seats for a couple of friends to tag along, a feature the strictly two-seat Mercedes sports car does not allow.
Of course, with only 200 horsepower and 151 lb.-ft. on hand, the FR-S is much slower than the GT S. Zero-to-100 km/h takes about six seconds flat, but your senses will scream “sports car” from the blat of its engine and the positive nudges from the short-throw six-speed manual demands. If you so choose, a sixspeed automatic is also available. If you don’t like the idea of an affordable convertible, such as the Mazda MX-5 Miata, there’s really nothing on the market that matches the 2015 Scion FR-S Coupe’s pleasure-to-price performance ratio, making it a genuine sports car for the masses.
ALTERNATIVE PICK: 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata — $31,900