2021 Mercedes-AMG GT pricing and specs detailed: Audi R8, Nissan GT-R and Porsche 911 rival scores new entry-level Night Edition grade

Mercedes-AMG has made it even more affordable to buy into its GT Coupe range, introducing the Night Edition that starts at $294,200 before on-road costs.

This makes the Night Edition $47,000 more affordable than the previous range-opening GT C Coupe, but there are some compromises to be made to sneak the former under $300,000.

Powering the Night Edition is the same 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine that has proliferated across the larger Mercedes-AMG range, but in the entry-level GT, it is tuned to 390kW/670Nm.

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While this is a noticeable 40kW/70Nm increase over the original AMG GT coupe that was first introduced in late 2016, it’s down 20kW/10Nm compared with the GT C.

Regardless, drive is sent to the rear wheels in the Night Edition via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, which enables a zero-to-100km/h run in just 3.8 seconds.

Standard equipment in the Night Edition includes 20-inch lightweight AMG wheels, electronically controlled limited-slip differential, AMG Ride Control, Nappa leather interior, sports seats with diamond-quilting pattern, Dinamica AMG steering wheel, 10-speaker Burmester sound system, and dual-zone climate control.

To differentiate itself from the rest of the GT line-up, and to earn its Night Edition name, the newest AMG also comes with a Dinamica headliner, model-specific interior badging, dark-chrome front grille, carbon-fibre roof with dark-tint sides, and blacked-out headlight housings and brake callipers.

In terms of safety, the GT Night Edition is equipped with eight airbags, autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist and a reversing camera.

Competing against the Mercedes-AMG GT Night Edition in price and performance would be the 375kW/685Nm Aston Martin V8 Vantage Coupe ($299,950 in automatic guise), 397kW/540Nm Audi R8 V10 RWD ($295,000), 390kW/750Nm BMW M850i ($280,900), 419kW/632Nm Nissan GT-R Track Edition ($235,000) and 283kW/440Nm Porsche 911 Carrera ($241,300).

For the first four months of the year, Mercedes has sold 18 examples of its AMG GT coupe and convertible, which places it ahead of the Audi R8 (16 sales) and Nissan GT-R (four sales), but behind the segment-leading Porsche 911 range (121 sales), Ferrari line-up (65 sales), Bentley Continental GT coupe and convertible (28 sales), McLaren range (28 sales) and Lamborghini line-up (26 sales).

2021 Mercedes-AMG GT pricing before on-road costs