AMG power, performance, and precision as we rip up the track at the Mercedes-Benz AMG Driving Academy

Nothing quite gets the adrenaline pumping like the thought of careering around a track in a car that’s specially designed for maximum power and performance.

It’s also pretty impressive to see close to R60-million lined front to back at the Zwartkops raceway in Pretoria.

It’s where the Mercedes-Benz AMG Driving Academy is situated and we had the rare opportunity to throw a horde of them around the track with wild abandon.

Brad Pitt

It was also a precursor to the Apex F1 movie set to be released shortly.

Naturally the Mercedes F1 livery features strongly in the film that features Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Manzies and Javier Bardem. 

There’s also a couple of cameos by multiple world champion Lewis Hamilton (now racing for Ferrari) which will no doubt leave CEO of the Mercedes AMG F1 team and head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport Toto Wolff grimacing.

South Africa is one of the world’s top consumers of the AMG products and it’s understandable why people with deep pockets want to experience some of the best German technology and engineering.

The thrill of gripping a sports steering wheel, AMG sports seats, hitting apexes on corners and the exhaust notes (either real or piped in) is difficult to explain to someone who sees cars merely as something to get from point A to B.

Bonus

For me, it had the added bonus of getting seat and track time around the circuit as we head into the next round of the Toyota Gazoo GR Cup at Zwartkops later this month.

With colleague and experienced racer Mark Jones next to me to give a few pointers, I’m hoping it all pays off on race weekend.

Jones had also just returned from testing the AMG GT 63 S E Performance Coupe where he managed an astounding 0-100 km/h in 2.76 seconds!

With three races under the belt, my racing craft has also improved considerably, so I wasn’t as hesitant to push the limit as I may have been previously.

GTR Pro

Which brings me to what I think was the standout drive of the day, the Mercedes-Benz GTR Pro.

Much to petrolheads’ disappointment it’s been discontinued and no doubt it will become a rare classic in the years to come.

It’s a hardcore heavily track focussed car and as close as you’ll get to a pure GTC racing car.

Under the long sculptured bonnet is a glorious-sounding 4.0-litre bi-turbo V8 engine with 430kW and 700Nm with a seven-speed dual clutch transmission that will get from zero to 100kph in 3.6 seconds.

We obviously chose Race Mode.

I don’t like to use the cliched word "beast" when it comes to cars, but with all that power sent to the rear wheels, it’s well … a beast.

We had a couple of laps to get the feel of it, whereafter we were given the go-ahead to send it.

On a tight circuit like Zwartkops with eight corners including a hairpin, you quickly realise that stomping too hard on the loud pedal will send the back round and get you into trouble.

Once you get used to it, it pivots like a ballerina despite its weight and size and you can fully immerse yourself in the experience.

It really is such a pity that soon there won’t be any big thundering V8s made anymore.

C 63 S E Performance

Making up for brute power on the other end of the scale with spectacular technology, engineering and F1 innovation is the recently released AMG C 63 S E Performance.

More scalpel than sledgehammer, it has a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine combined with a permanently excited synchronous electric motor, a high-performance battery developed in Affalterbach and fully variable AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive. 

This gives it a combined output of 500kW and 1,020Nm.

It’s an engineering anorak's dream with the 150kW electric motor positioned at the rear axle, integrated with an electrically shifted two-speed transmission and the electronically controlled limited-slip rear differential in a compact electric drive unit. 

What it all boils down to is a helluva car to take advantage of on the track.

With active rear-axle steering and Track Pace that intelligently distributes the use of electric energy over a lap, it sits on rails on the limit around the corners and is obviously a lot more composed than the GTR Pro.

CLA 45 S

Not to be outdone by the saloon cars, the CLA 45 S hatchback was just as much fun to drive. 

With 310kW and 500Nm from its 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine also driving all four wheels via an eight-speed dual clutch transmission, it’s almost a better combination for a track like Zwartkops.

There’s no second thoughts about flooring it out of the corners for fear of the racing gods’ retribution.

It’s pin-point accurate in the turns, aided by a mechanical limited-slip diff in front and an electronically-controlled rear diff.

And with air ducts designed to cool the brakes, there was virtually no fade as we pushed things as hard as we could.

The day continued with every model providing a unique AMG experience and each with their own highlights, including the impressive C43 sedan that provided a few rear squiggly moments.

SUV compromise

What was also abundantly clear after driving them back-to-back was the vastly different handling characteristics between the sedans and hatchbacks compared to the AMG GLC SUVs.

Under normal daily driving conditions it’s not something that is obvious because you’d be arrested for doing what we did on a track day.

You know the big GLC 63 S is fast with the same oily bits under the bonnet as the C 63 S E Performance, but, it’s not as forgiving and it will get the better of you a lot quicker.

The first few laps were fine but once it was time to put the hammer down, immediately you had to brake earlier, approach slower and exit a lot more carefully.

After the hairpin at turn two, there’s a gentle right-hander into the back straight.

Once the steering has opened after the hairpin it’s basically foot flat till you get to the top of the straight.

That was all fine in the other cars but “jinne mense”, in the GLC it didn’t seem to follow the line out of the corner and required a lot more steering input to prevent changing underpants or using its 4x4 abilities on the grass and kitty litter. 

It was a similar story with the GLC 43, although not as pronounced with less power at 310kW and 500Nm.

I know manufacturers talk about car-like handling when launching an SUV, and they do so, when you’re out on public roads.

But whether it’s an AMG performance SUV or bog-standard Merc GL range, when punting it around a track, they will always be compromised.

It’s not a critique, it’s just the way it is but either way, driving a Mercedes-Benz AMG Performance product is one of the most fun things you can do with your clothes on.