Mercedes-AMG GT63 S E Performance | PH Review

It’s now almost a decade since the first AMG GT debuted, complete with then-all-new 4.0-litre, twin-turbo, ‘hot-v’ V8. How sweet and innocent those bygone days of 2014 now seem, when a new Affalterbach sports car could launch with a mere 462hp. Or 510hp, for those that splashed out on an S. Since ‘14 the M176/M177/M178 family of V8 has gone on to become the bedrock of AMG, and now powers a much more purposeful, electrified GT. If bets were hedged somewhat the first time around, Affalterbach has gone into this second generation no holds barred. With the introduction of the new GT Pro alongside this S E Performance and the standard GT 63, the average output of the three-car line-up is 671hp. It’s a very, very serious Mercedes sports car. 

Certainly looks that way, too, with chunky 20- and 21-inch wheels filling out the arches and an optional aero kit ramping up the intent even further. Spoilerless, there’s a real GT3 Touring vibe about the S E Performance, muscular and taut while almost restrained given the performance potential. Certainly, the only styling blot as far as hybridisation is concerned is the ugly charging port on the rear bumper; as a static object or, better yet, sauntering down a road, this GT is a magnificently handsome Mercedes. Those bored of yet more 911s, unsure of the Conti GT update or not yet sold on the Maserati GranTurismo could well love this. 

Probably the driving should start with how this hybrid distributes its power or recharges its battery or deploys the EDU. But there was an opportunity to drive an 800+hp AMG V8 on a derestricted autobahn as part of this event, so we’ll start there. Because even given a few very fortunate experiences of German motorways, nothing has quite engendered such confidence or accelerated with such unrelenting ferocity as this GT 63. Bentleys and Astons are quite stable, yet not this solid; outright supercars probably get into healthy triple-figure speeds even faster.

Nevertheless, the way this Mercedes can so rapidly and so insouciantly accrue speed is staggering – there feels precious little effort required at all to add 20, 30, 40mph above 100mph, then 20, 30, or 40 more. Any hesitation that might have been in this engine feels to have been eradicated, so even left in a high gear it’s soon thundering past anything and everything. Sixth gear seems to go as fast as fourth which goes as fast as second. In a world of million horsepower EVs a potent V8 shouldn’t really be that exciting anymore. But the ability to keep making big numbers larger and larger still, complete with a rip-roaring soundtrack, is intoxicating. Traffic calls time at 290 clicks – everything about the experience made it feel good for about 50 more, whatever the stats say. 

So, yes, 800hp AMG is fast – revelatory. What feels at least as notable from this initial test is just what agreeable company the E Performance is as well. And that was less expected. Where perhaps the previous GT could feel consumed by an identity crisis – never sure whether it was a laid-back cruiser or out-and-out sports car – this one always feels like a proper grand tourer. Not in a lazy or aloof sense, rather that it rides with supreme plushness in its comfort mode, places both front occupants in a superb set of seats (the rears remain fit only for pets), and generates far less undesirable sound than might be expected from a car of such potency on 305-section rear tyres. It’s a less intimidating car to drive than any of the original GTs, even with that astonishing power figure, thanks to improved visibility, 4Matic all-wheel-drive stability and well-judged all-wheel steering. 

Lane-bursting width aside, this GT wouldn’t feel a world away at normal speeds from a CLE. At which point Bentley and Ferrari scoff, because they don’t have to deal with such associations; however there’s plenty to be said for a car that’s not intransigently firm and loud the whole time, especially one with a GT badge on the back. It’s a lesson that the old four-door, lovable rogue that it was, never quite absorbed. 

Heck, this E Performance can still do exciting though. Partly that’s through launch control, sure, because catapulting two and a bit tonnes of Mercedes V8 to 62mph as fast as a Lamborghini is truly thrilling, though it also boasts much more ability besides. It corners really flat and supremely fast, front Michelins nearly as wide as the rears clawing at the surface; the traction is infallible; and there’s braking power beyond any reasonable expectation (including 420mm front discs). Never, ever, does it feel like a car of more than two tonnes, such is the way it changes direction and manages its mass. Nor does it ever feel remotely overpowered. Wound up to Sport + or Race on road it’s almost unsettling in its ability to stop and steer.

Arguably, however, those attributes were all true for the standard 63. Obviously, the by now familiar E Performance system adds the electric element on top and, in this instance, felt like a very welcome addition to have, particularly with its seamless handover between power sources. Yes, the range is minimal and, yes, it adds more weight to a heavy car, but there’s real satisfaction on offer in being able to bimble around on electric when required. Such is the strength of regeneration that almost any blat in Sport+ or Race will add some meaningful kWh back into the battery, so you’re never without either zero-emissions running or 816hp potential. The regenerative braking, complete with four settings from full coast to one pedal drive, feels decently calibrated – another string to its bow. 

With 204hp the GT feels brisk enough for urban running and a little more, while some electric whirr adds another dimension to the soundtrack. As well as ensuring that monumental, epic performance. Where the hybrid compromise, the benefits gained for the drawbacks endured, can sometimes feel a little skewed, this GT feels like the perfect place for AMG’s hybrid V8 to live. Here, at least, having not much outright range is probably of little concern, ditto the impact on boot space or an extra £15k asked for one; having experienced the sheer breadth of ability, from zero emissions running around town to melting the autobahn, it’d be hard to accept a GT any less formidable. 

Which isn’t to say the E Performance is perfect. The feel of a hybrid AMG brake pedal still isn’t quite right, with some softness at the top of the pedal that makes small corrections difficult. Firmer applications mitigate the issue somewhat, though it’s not always possible to drive in that way. The driver’s display didn’t need any more information stuffed into it, although it’s the surrounding interior that seems short of the special sauce you might expect from the best part of £200,000. And anyone with the money to access senior-grade 911s might want a tad more feedback to go with the car’s phenomenal ability; occasionally, the E Performance can lean a bit too heavily into the GT part of its remit than the 800hp AMG hellraiser we’re all willing it to be.

Still, with any luck the people clamouring for that sort of experience will be best served by the incoming Pro version. This ‘63, on the other hand, aims to offer up the very best of Mercedes Benz and AMG in one car: to be stunningly fast, massively capable, enormously clever, genuinely exciting and hugely desirable. That it can claim to offer up very nearly all of those attributes shows what an impressive car this GT is. With even more yet to come. 

Engine: 3,982cc, V8, twin-turbo, plus permanently excited synchronous electric motor and 4.84kWh (usable) battery
Transmission: nine-speed auto, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 816 (system output; ICE 612 plus 204hp electric motor)
Torque (lb ft): 1,047 (system output)
0-62mph: 2.8 seconds
Top speed: 199mph (limited)
Weight: 2,195kg (EU)
MPG: 34.5
CO2: 188g/km
Price: £180,745 (Premium Plus; Ultimate Performance £191,745)