Supercars and India. It's like oil and water- they just don't mix. Or as they say. We just had to debunk that thought and for that we borrowed the very yellow and the very mean AMG GT R. Why the AMG? Well as far as automotive theatre is concerned, this is the gold standard. It costs Rs 2.5 cr ex-showroom and looks like a very angry alien with the three pointed star. Even me who does not take selfies or pose so much does exactly that for half an hour before we drive. The whole point of this exercise is to see whether supercars are more than just carbon fibre diva's throwing tantrums and being nothing more than garage queens. One black mark comes in the fact the AMG GT R has a really low ground clearance and its expensive chin is just five minutes away from being separated via Delhi's many speed breakers. However for that the solution is going horizontal and driving as carefully as possible.
That heart attack inducing exercise aside the GT R is mostly docile like a sedated lion. The 7-speed automatic goes about its business reasonably well and the suspension is not made of concrete as while it is firm you do not need back surgery after a day's driving. What you will be subjected to is a lot of camera flashes and a reception that only a Bollywood superstar gets. Traffic stops. People stare. Repeat that all day. To say that the bright yellow hue and its superecarsque proportions get attention is a massive understatement. A pink Lambo is subtle compared to the GT R's alien-like brooding stare along with the wider stance (50mm wider than the regular GT) which is pure spercar theatre. Inside too it's an event with its massive centre console being lavished with a lot of buttons while it has proper sports seats. New to the GT R is the addition of digital dials while it gets a new steering wheel along with drive mode controls right there. Despite it being a supercar, it is very well equipped with a high-end audio system, powered seats, dual-zone climate control and more!
As if the attention, the looks and everything else do not seem enough, the biggest piece of action is the engine itself. A V8 4.0 twin turbo with near 600 horses and 750Nm in a car lavished with meticulous weight saving means it demolished the 100 km/h mark in 3.6 seconds. By the time you have a control of your senses, you would have crossed 200 clicks. Other than raw speed though the GT R has engineering witchcraft hardwired into its skeleton with copious amounts of tech. So point its nose towards a corner and it gobbles it up while also thrilling you in the process.
In the traffic infested Delhi roads, I never attempted to do a 0-100 run or go speed hunting. But once in a while with a gap in traffic, the GT R went like a rocket. It is fast but not uncontrollable and we drove the car in heavy traffic in this heat with no problems at all. Drive it in comfort mode and it is easy to drive as much as a supercar can be. However, with so much power sent to rear wheels and sharp acceleration, you have to respect it and not floor it at every chance as it will let its rear-end slide out with ease. The GT R is not an easy point and shoot device hence requires skill to drive it fast. That is what supercars are all about.
In the end the GT R is perhaps the most value supercar you can get in terms of its design, noise and driving performance yet it is usable plus the wide Mercedes network means it is probably by far the easiest one to maintain. Things like these matter. So to answer the question, yes, you can drive a supercar in India and the GT R is one of the better ones out there.
Pros- Looks, noise, performance, useability, features, value
Cons- Lack of nose-lift feature
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