G-Power is known within automotive and aftermarket circles for being a progressive tuner that isn’t afraid to take on high-profile vehicles, mostly of the BMW variety. But every so often, G-Power goes outside of its own hen house to tackle other German brands and such is the case this time with its new program for the Mercedes-AMG GT. Truth be told, the German tuner has been dipping into the Silver Arrows well quite often in recent months, having given us tuning kits for the AMG G63 and the AMG S63. It’s nice to see G-Power keep up that form with this AMG GT kit that ramps up the output of the German sports car to an impressive 610 horsepower.

Keeping with its history of building meaningful kits for performance cars, G-Power’s work on the AMG GT largely revolves around the coupe’s 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 engine. Sure, there are auxiliary upgrades added into the mix, but this kit is pretty much focused on that V-8 engine and that’s a good thing considering that the power gains amount to an increase of 148 ponies over the sports coupe’s standard power figure of 462 horses.

The overall upgrade provides stout power gains for the AMG GT. That’s the good news. The bad news is that there are a healthy number of tuning programs available for the Mercedes sports car, and G-Power, for its name and status, faces plenty of stiff competition from these firms.

For what it’s worth though, the tuner does have a sterling reputation within the industry, so even if other programs offer more power, those who opt to go with G-Power’s kit should have no issues getting the most out of the program for their money.

Continue after the jump to read more about the Mercedes-AMG GT by G-Power.

2017 Mercedes-AMG GT by G-Power

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2017 Mercedes-AMG GT by G-Power
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior

Before we dive into G-Power’s program for the Mercedes-AMG GT, it’s best to remember the full scope of the program, specifically where the tuner’s focus is in doing the whole thing in the first place. The exterior of the car, for example, retains most of its stock components, save for a comprehensive menu of its aftermarket Hurricane RR forged alloy wheels. These wheels measure 20 inches in the front and 21 inches at the back and are being offered in a variety of different finishes, including Jet Black, Gunmetal Grey, Stardust Silver, and even Diamond-Cut. The tuner is also offering a special set of ultra-light alloy wheels finished in Polished Silver for customers who prefer to add a splash of style to the exterior makeup of the AMG GT. Beyond that, the only notable upgrades involve a few nip and tucks to the car’s front fascia.

Name notwithstanding, the lack of any meaningful exterior upgrades on G-Power’s part could be seen as a drawback for some customers, particularly those who prefer to give their AMG GTs sportier and more aggressive looks. For that, customers may have to opt for other tuners like RevoZport and Piecha Design.

What other tuners are offering

If it’s aero kits you want, turning your attention towards these two tuners could be a good idea. RevoZport (left), for instance, offers an advanced aero kit made up of components that the tuner made from carbon-Kevlar to increase their durability. The pieces themselves include a new front splitter with fender blades. Other parts like the canards, side skirts, and rear diffuser are also included in the kit and are made from carbon fiber. There’s even an option for customers to choose between a duckbill trunk lip spoiler or fixed a GT wing and for good measure, RevoZport even threw in a carbon fiber front grille and mirror covers.

Another option to look into is Piecha Design (right), which offers its own extensive aero upgrade made up of horizontal air splitters on the intakes and the cup wings underneath. The kit also includes new side blades, wider arches on the rear, and a new fixed rear spoiler. Like RevoZport, Piecha Design’s body kit is largely made up of carbon fiber.

What Mercedes is offering

If none of the above options suit your objectives for your AMG GT models, there is the option of going to Mercedes directly and availing of the automaker’s own optional packages for the sports car. One such package is the Night Package, which provides aesthetic upgrades in the form of high-gloss black finishes on the GT’s front splitter, diamond front grille, air intake grilles, and the outlet grilles on the hood and fenders. Glossy black mirror casings, tinted windows, and a pair of black exhaust tips are also being offered.

The Carbon and Silver Packages are two other optional packages that are available for the AMG GT. The Carbon Package comes with a healthy dose of carbon fiber components, including a carbon fiber front splitter, carbon fiber fender fins, a carbon fiber rear diffuser, carbon fiber mirror housings, a glossy black diamond grille, new hood grilles, and a new air intake grill. As for the Silver Package, there are no carbon fiber components involved. Rather, it comes with a silver chrome front splitter, new fender fins, a decorative strip in the diffuser, and a chrome diamond grille. Aluminum silver roofline trim is also part of this package, same with the glossy black intake and hood outlet grilles.

Interior

Once more, G-Power finds itself lacking in this department. That said, it doesn’t suffer as much since other tuners have done the same thing. In fact, interior upgrades have become somewhat of a premium in itself because only a select number of aftermarket companies offer upgrades in this section of the car.

What other tuners are offering

One of them is Mansory (left) and if you know anything about the fine folks from Brand, Germany, it’s that they don’t do anything that can be described as mundane. The kit it presented for the AMG GT back at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show showed as much with an interior upgrade made up of red carbon fiber sports seats dressed in a hand-stitched, three-color premium leather upholstery. Red carbon fiber trim was also prominently visible on the sports steering wheel, door handles, center stack, and the air-conditioning vents. If those weren’t enough, the tuner even added carbon fabric flooring, illuminated door sill pedals, and alloy pedals just because it could.

Another tuner that’s known for its interior upgrades is Brabus (right). It may not have the same level of bespoke offerings as Mansory, but it’s credentials are no less impressive thanks to the tuner’s upholstery shop, which conveniently offers a nearly limitless range of leather and color combinations, to go with custom carbon fiber and wood surface inlays, all of which are offered to to suit specific owner preferences.

Note: side-by-side interior photos of Mercedes-AMG GT by Mansory and Mercedes-AMG GTS by Brabus.

What Mercedes is offering

Just like the exterior, Mercedes has a wealth of extra options for the interior of the AMG GT. Nappa leather is one of the most important features of these options from an upholstery standpoint. Likewise, the automaker is also offering a handful of trim options, including Black Piano Lacquer, Gloss Carbon Fiber Exclusive, Matte Carbon Fiber Exclusive, and Silver Fiberglass Exclusive. Other interior options offered by Mercedes an AMG Performance steering wheel, illuminated door sills, and a carbon fiber door sill trim.

Drivetrain

There’s an argument that can be made that G-Power’s name and reputation has helped it become the tuner that it is today. While that’s fair on some fronts, it’s also important to remember that the same reputation the tuner has was earned at some point and a big part of that earned rep is because of its engine upgrades. At least that’s the case here with the tuner’s tried-and-tested Bi-Tronik 5 tuning module, which not only aids in bumping up the bi-turbo V-8’s output, but does so without actually affecting Mercedes’ own software updates. The module itself is connected to the ECU unit and has a microprocessor that itself modifies the data acquired by the vehicle sensors. These modified data are then sent to the ECU with the power gains already accounted for. The result is an output of 610 horsepower and 557 pound-feet of torque for both the AMG GT and GT S variants of the sports car. In the case of the GT, that not only represents an increase of 148 ponies and 114 pound-feet of twist over the standard output, it also helps the car sprint from 0 to 62 mph in just 3.6 seconds, 0.4 seconds quicker than the standard model. No top speed was mentioned, but since the AMG GT is already capable of hitting 193 mph in stock form, a top speed of 200 mph with G-Power’s Bi-Tronik 5 module isn’t out of the cards.

What other tuners are offering.

Brace yourselves for this one because there are a lot of tuners that have prepared programs for the AMG GT with varying results. One of the healthiest gains out there comes by way of Mansory. The tuner took a different approach with its engine upgrade for the AMG GT S by replacing the car’s turbochargers with larger turbos while installing a high-flow air filter to complement the bigger turbos and adding an optimized ECU unit into the mix. The result is an output of 730 horsepower, which according to some addition, represents an incredible 217-horsepower increase from the AMG GT S’s standard output of 503 horsepower. The result is a new top speed of 205 mph.

Another tuner that easily breached the 700-horsepower mark for the AMG GT S is Dime Racing, which is proudly offering power gains amounting to 745 horsepower. That’s slightly higher than what Mansory was able to get out of the same biturbo V-8 engine and the results also speak strongly for the tuner’s credentials, particularly in terms of the cars new top speed that can easily break north of 200 mph.

While these two programs represent one way of upgrading the sports car’s 4.0-liter biturbo V-8 engine, there are other ways of doing it that are more in tune to what G-Power did. Going the software upgrade route has proven to be a very popular option for a lot of tuners of the AMG GT and GT S models as a number of them have already done so in the past year.

Brabus for instance is offering a new engine management system that remaps injection and ignition and bumps up boost pressure, helping the V-8 increase its output to 600 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque, resulting in a 0-to-60 time of 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 201 mph. RevoZport’s GTZ-650 program for the AMG GT is also comprised mainly of a free-flow intake system, a new and lighter titanium exhaust, and a bespoke ECU remap. The result is an increased output of 650 horsepower.

Check out the table below to get a better idea of how G-Power’s engine upgrade and how it compares to other tuners.

Tuner

Horsepower

Torque

0 to 60 mph

Top Speed

G-Power

610 horsepower

577 pound-feet of torque

3.6 seconds

200 mph*

Brabus

600 horsepower

533 pound-feet of torque

3.6 seconds

200 mph

RevoZport

650 horsepower

n/a

3.5 seconds*

202 mph*

Dime Racing

745 horsepower

n/a

3.4 seconds*

205 mph*

Mansory

750 horsepower

n/a

3.4 seconds

205 mph


Pricing

The cost of getting this program adds up to a total of €10,208, which converts to around $10,500 based on current exchange rates. Broken down, the cost of the new wheels €7,645, or just about $8,000 while the Bi-Tronik 5 tuning module is priced at €2,563 or $2,679.

Competition

Mercedes-AMG GT S 6.3 Startrack by Wheelsandmore

We’ve already detailed a handful of aftermarket programs for the Mercedes AMG GT S and it speaks to the sports car’s appeal that we still have a few more to talk about. This particular kit is from Wheelsandmore and it follows the same formula of giving the AMG GT S software updates and complementary additions to the overall program. In the end, the tuner was able to coax 626 horsepower and 568 pound-feet of torque out of the the V-8, enough to propel the coupe from a standstill position to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds to go with a top speed of 200 mph.

Read the full review here.

Mercedes-AMG GT S by Lorinser

Another AMG GT program comes by way of Lorinser, which relied on similar software upgrades. Unfortunately, it’s one of a few tuners who couldn’t get 600 horsepower out of the sports car’s engine, settling instead for “just” 595 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. It’s still a decent increase from the AMG GT’s standard output of 456 ponies and 443 pound-feet of torque and is good enough to allow the car to hit 62 mph in 3.6 seconds.

Read the full review here.

Conclusion

Customers who usually go the aftermarket route typically know what kind of tuning upgrades they’re looking for. It’s not an inexact science. G-Power’s tuning program for the Mercedes-AMG GT is like that. It’s direct to the point and it doesn’t promise anything more than what it offers. There’s an engine upgrade and there’s a new set of wheels. Anything more than these two upgrades and you’re going to have to look elsewhere. Fortunately, G-Power is as good a tuner as there is in the business so what you’re getting from this program comes with top-class quality.