Christmas Special: Santa’s New Reindeer The AMG GT R PRO
To help Santa relieve some stress of the one night he has to get around the world and deliver presents, we thought it would be nice to have him replace Rudolph with a much faster AMG GT R PRO, however there’s one small problem to that.
The GT R PRO has quite the trunk for a fast car of its class but in no way is it big enough to haul around all the presents around the world. But no worries, we covered that as well! We picked out a Range Rover Vogue and a GLS to see which one is the best sleigh.
Rudolph 2.0
The AMG GT R PRO is the perfect car to get around the world. With 585 hp, the GT R is plenty fast enough. However, that’s not really what the PRO is about. What sets the PRO apart is the more subtle changes. Things like retuning the active engine mounts, gearbox and limited-slip differential. Furthermore a stronger carbon fiber brace under the rear underfloor adds stiffness and new adaptive coil-over dampers with click knobs on the damper bodies next to the roll cage for adjusting compression and rebound settings. Uniball joints in the upper rear control arms replace bushings to reduce deflection under hard cornering loads. The standard car only has ball joints in the lower control arms.
New front fascia with a deeper chin spoiler, side canards and fender louvers improve airflow at the front. All the aerodynamic changes hold up to an extra 99 kg of downforce at 250 km/h. Additionally, the extra use of carbon fiber, forged wheels, and amazingly comfortable Recaro seats hold up to 25 kgs of weight savings.
All this improves turn in and high speed stability. Everything Santa needs to navigate tighter streets or longer distances in between. So onto the sleigh options!
The GLS
At 5207 mm, the GLS is one of the longest cars Mercedes has on offer. With room for 7 seats and even then a surprisingly large trunk is available. However Santa doesn’t need 3 rows of seating so with the touch of a button, those seats go down electronically. And show us how massive the trunk actually is.
Inside the GLS is your usual nice finish you’ll find in a Mercedes. Interior does look better suited for Santa’s dirty boots. It’s less nice than the Range Rover but it’ll surely last longer. Also thanks to the Premium Plus Package Santa’s back will get a very nice massage in between all the lifting of presents!
The Vogue
The Range Rover Vogue is a big, luxurious boat. Everything inside is designed to give Santa as much comfort as possible. Soft leather heated seats, premium finish on literally everything and the trunk is even lined with wool.
The trunk opens in twofold which makes it easier to take out the presents or take a break in between all the chimney diving.
However, at 5000 mm it is shorter than the GLS and with the Range Rover being mostly focussed on the occupants, the trunk is a little smaller than the GLS so less presents to haul around.
The Range Rover does have a lot more off-road capabilities like wade-sensing for example. Something that could come very handy in a few years if he decides to stay living at the North Pole.
So which one is the best sleigh?
It is a hard one to choose from, both cars have lane keep assists that will help Santa stay on course if he should nod off on this long night. The Range Rover is far more luxurious and more powerfull than the GLS. However it does come at quite the price as well being 60.000 € more expensive.
The GLS on the other hand also gives the option to haul around extra presents whilst still sitting very comfortable. It might not be as well-refined as the Vogue but it is by no means crude.
Since we are no experts in terms of sleighs, we’re letting Santa decide whichever one of these he’d like to hook up to Rudolph 2.0.
Team Car Journalism wishes everyone Merry Christmas, great health and an even better 2021!
