The Mercedes-AMG GT R Pro Breakdown
The 2019 Mercedes-AMG GT R Pro sits at the top of the factory AMG lineup, right above the already aggressive GT R. It is not a subtle car. The price when it launched in the US came in around $230,500 before destination charges, and even used examples hold value unusually well because the car does things the regular GT R cannot do. Here is what actually separates this from the standard GT R on paper and in practice. The most important component is the rear-axle steering system. It is not the same setup found on the regular GT R. In the Pro, the rear wheels steer up to 8.5 degrees at low speeds, which tightens the turning radius significantly and makes parking or navigating tight roads feel more like a mid-size sedan than a car with a 113-inch wheelbase. At higher speeds above 50 mph, the rear axle introduces a small amount of toe-in to stabilize lane changes and high-speed transient responses. The front axle still provides the primary steering feel, but the rear contribution changes how the car rotates mid-corner. I noticed this immediately on a backroad near Sonoma where the car's nose pointed somewhere completely different from where the front tires were actually looking, then snapped into alignment as the rear wheels corrected the trajectory.
The suspension is uniquely tuned with stiffer front and rear anti-roll bars, revised damper valving, and 19mm wider track at both ends compared to the GT R. Wheel sizes are 19-inch front and 20-inch rear, wrapped in staggered Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires. The car comes standard with carbon-ceramic brakes, which is not an option you can skip. The bodywork includes a fixed rear wing mounted on a carbon fiber support, a more aggressive front splitter, and vented fenders. The hood is carbon fiber to save weight up front. Interior carbon fiber trim is extensive. The chassis gets an aluminum space frame construction with bolt-on subframes, and the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 produces 585 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque. Power routes through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission to the rear wheels only. Weight sits around 3,748 pounds dry, which is heavier than the standard GT R by roughly 30 pounds. That weight increase comes from additional structural bracing and the reinforced suspension mounting points. The power-to-weight ratio is still strong enough to hit 60 mph in about 3.5 seconds and complete the quarter mile in the low 11-second range based on multiple published tests.
One thing most buyers do not expect is how aggressively the exhaust is tuned. The sports exhaust with chrome tailpipes sounds completely different from the regular GT R, and at idle the low-frequency drone vibrates through the cabin more than you might think reasonable for a $230,000 road car.
Get the Full Details
Practical problems and workarounds
I had an issue with the rear-axle steering calibration after a software update changed how the system behaves below 15 mph. Instead of the smooth crab-like maneuvering you get in reverse parking, the rear wheels would occasionally overshoot their intended angle and correct sharply, making low-speed maneuvers feel twitchy. The fix was resetting the steering angle sensor through the STAR diagnostic tool, which required a specific procedure: you have to turn the steering wheel fully left and right while holding both positions for 10 seconds each, then clear the error codes and perform a calibration drive cycle. Without that reset, the car's ESP would intermittently intervene and fight the steering input. Another issue that comes up repeatedly involves the carbon-ceramic brake rotors. They are excellent on track but they require consistent heat to perform properly. If you drive the car mainly in city traffic for extended periods, the rotors can suffer from brake fade and uneven pad deposits. The workaround is taking the car for a sustained highway run at least once a week to bring the rotors up to operating temperature and burn off any glazed deposits. Some owners install a front axle lift system to prevent nose-dive scraping during hard track days, but this is an aftermarket modification that voids part of the suspension warranty.
What the car is not good for
This is not a daily driver in any conventional sense. The ride is firm even in Comfort mode, the visibility out the rear is nearly zero without the backup camera, and the dual-clutch transmission hunts for gears in stop-and-go traffic more than most modern automatics. The interior materials are high quality but sparse in terms of passenger comfort features. You do not get ventilated seats as standard equipment, and the infotainment system from that era is noticeably sluggish compared to anything Mercedes has released since. The cost of ownership is also steep. A set of those staggered Cup 2 R tires runs approximately $1,800 to $2,200 installed, and replacing the carbon-ceramic brake pads alone will run about $2,500 per axle. A full brake pad and rotor service on all four corners can approach $12,000 at a dealer if you are unlucky enough to wear through rotors prematurely. If your goal is pure driving engagement and track capability, the GT R Pro is arguably the best factory car Mercedes has built in the last decade. If you want a comfortable grand tourer that happens to be fast, look at the regular GT R or consider the BMW M8 Competition instead. The Pro version trades compliance for measurable lap time gains, and it does not pretend otherwise.
