- Doors and Seats
4 doors, 4 seats
- Engine
4.0TT/150kW Hybrid, 8 cyl.
- Engine Power
770kW (comb), 300Nm
- Fuel
Hybrid (98) 7.7L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4WD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
5 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2024 Mercedes-AMG GT63 S E Performance review: Track test
The most powerful series-production Mercedes-Benz ever is also the most unlikely – a twin-turbo V8 plug-in hybrid sedan.
- Sonorous V8 doesn't disappoint
- Clever F1 hybrid system is next-level
- It's blisteringly fast
- There's no hiding from its size...
- ... or considerable weight
- Hybrid system has stolen valuable boot space
2024 Mercedes-AMG GT63 S E Performance
Make no mistake, the Mercedes-AMG GT63 S E Performance is a technological masterpiece, a twin-turbo thumping V8 plug-in hybrid that smashes its bigness in your face and just as you’re recovering from the first blow, does it again. And again.
Everything about the GT63 S is big. At over five metres long, it sits large on the road, with an undeniable presence that’s hard to miss. Under its bulging bonnet lies a big twin-turbo V8. It’s a familiar twin-turbo V8, one that has seen service in a swag of AMG cars over the years, as well as a swathe of Aston Martins.
On its own, in the GT63 S E Performance, it’s good for 470kW and 900Nm, prodigious outputs in anyone’s language. But, the (AMG internal code) M177 alone isn’t the whole story. No, to learn that we need to give more than a passing nod to the 150kW and 320Nm electric motor fed by a 6.1kWh F1-derived battery pack, both located at the rear axle.
The net result is, according to AMG, the “most powerful series-production model” ever to wear a Mercedes badge.
The numbers – big, of course – don’t lie. With total outputs of 620kW and an astonishing 1400Nm, the Mercedes-AMG GT63 S E Performance eclipses even the most potent AMG GT Black Series’s 537kW and 900Nm. Just don’t mention the limited-production 782kW AMG One hypercar.
How much does the Mercedes-AMG GT63 S E Performance cost in Australia?
AMG One aside, the most powerful series-production car to wear the Mercedes badge is now available in Australia priced from $399,900 plus on-road costs and before any options.
That makes it the most expensive Mercedes-AMG on sale in Australia today, although not of all time (that distinction belongs to the 2021 Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series coupe and its eye-watering circa-$800,000 price tag).
It’s also the fastest.
How fast? Try 0–100km/h in 2.9 seconds, 0–200km/h in 10.0 seconds and a top speed of 316km/h. In a sedan weighing 2380kg. All while using a claimed 7.7 litres per 100 kilometres.
Staggering.
So how did Mercedes-AMG get to this point, this seemingly madcap four-door with the performance numbers of a bone fide supercar? It leant on its Formula One team, that’s how.
Before we get to how it drives, let’s look at the basics.
Laying down $399,900 before on-road costs and options gets you a lot of Mercedes GT63 S E Performance.
Standard equipment includes such high-end items as 21-inch alloy wheels, AMG ceramic composite brakes, adaptive air suspension, an integrated and automatically extending rear wing, power closing doors, rear axle steering, dual 12.3-inch screens, one for infotainment the other Merc’ digital driver display, nappa leather upholstery, a head-up display, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring, wireless phone charging, satellite navigation, a premium 14-speaker Burmester sound system and three-zone climate control.
There’s also a decent suite of advanced safety technologies including autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, as well as nine airbags.
Key details | 2024 Mercedes-AMG GT63 S E Performance |
Price | From $399,900 plus on-road costs |
Colour of test car | High Tech Silver |
Price as tested | $399,900 plus on-road costs |
What's the interior of the Mercedes-AMG GT63 S E Performance like?
It’s certainly an imposing car on the road, long and wide, with enough musculature to give the faint-hearted some pause for thought. And it’s just as imposing inside, with a wide centre console bedazzled with buttons and switches, a dash fascia resplendent with air vents and, depending on the interior trim pack chosen, carbon-fibre or open-pore timber accents.
The AMG Performance steering wheel feels great in the hand, and acts as control centre for the GT63’s various drives modes via two manettino-style dials on the lower part of each spoke. Additionally, the right-hand dial, when pressed, can then toggle through four different regenerative braking modes. More on this later.
The second row is as you’d expect from a luxury grand tourer. The bucket seats are comfortable and plush, and you sink into the second row with a sigh. There’s plenty of space for occupants back there, and perfect for lounging back in comfort as someone else does the driving.
Boot capacity is rated at 335 litres, down on the 457L the previous non-hybrid AMG GT63 S enjoyed. The reason? That battery array located at the rear has seen the boot floor rise significantly, eating into available space. Still, visually, it’s big enough for some soft bags and a hard case.
The rear seats in standard trim don’t fold, but those who opt for the Manufaktur Exclusive package enjoy 40:40 split-fold outboard seats that free up some cargo space, although it’s not ideal as the centre section of the rear seat remains fixed.
2024 Mercedes-AMG GT63 S E Performance | |
Seats | Four |
Boot volume | 335L |
Length | 5048mm |
Width | 1953mm |
Height | 1453mm |
Wheelbase | 2951mm |
What's the point of the hybrid system in the Mercedes-AMG GT63 S E Performance?
This is no ordinary plug-in hybrid from Mercedes-AMG. Call it a super-hybrid if you will, despite the system only offering 12km of pure-electric driving range.
But if you think this hybridised AMG is an exercise in tokenism, think again. Yes, the small battery and the even smaller electric range may prompt you to ask ‘why bother?’, but the answer is pretty straightforward.
This isn’t a hybrid system designed to save fuel (although Merc claims 7.7L/100km... colour us sceptical). It’s all about providing extra grunt, taking what is already an impressive combustion powertrain and making it even more bonkers.
And on that measure, it’s mission accomplished.
While the battery itself is a paltry 6.1kWh, it’s been developed by the brand’s F1 team to extract maximum energy. According to AMG, the energy density of the battery is around twice that of a regular hybrid and has been designed to charge and discharge extremely quickly.
Proof of that came on our launch drive at Sydney Motorsport Park, where a single lap under full noise discharged the battery almost completely, while a second lap under more sedate conditions and with the regenerative system set to full, it would take just a single lap to recoup about 80 per cent energy. You can actually see the battery meter move as you harvest electrons, it’s that quick.
To operate at optimal levels, the battery needs to remain cool. No surprise there. An intricate cooling system, utilising 14 litres of coolant, delivers that coolant to every one of the 560 cells housed inside the battery, helping to keep it at its optimal temperature, in the case of the AMG GT63 S, up to 45 degrees Celsius.
The electric motor has its own two-speed transmission and uses the AMG’s all-wheel-drive system to apportion power directly (via an electronic rear differential) to the front and rear wheels.
Paired with the already madcap twin-turbo V8 under the AMG’s bulging bonnet, the ingredients for 620kW and 1400Nm are in place.
It looks good on paper, certainly, but how does the recipe translate to the real world? We hit the racetrack at Sydney Motorsport Park to find out.
What's the Mercedes-AMG GT63 S E Performance like to drive?
Hit the starter button and instead of the burble and rumble of a softly spoken V8 under idle, you’re greeted by… well, nothing. Yes, there’s a light hum from the electric powertrain, but the twin-turbo hero remains eerily silent.
Of course, that all changes as soon as you turn the right-hand manettino-style dial on the steering wheel to Sport, Sport+ or Race, the resulting bark sounding more like what we expect from a car of this ilk.
Sydney Motorsport Park on this spring morning is glistening with the residue of overnight rain. It’s early morning, and the sun, tucked behind clouds, hasn’t had the chance to work its drying magic on the surface.
So it is with trepidation and caution that I start my session behind the wheel of Merc’s “most powerful series-production” car ever.
It’s a short-lived caution, one consigned to the rear-view mirror after a circumspect sighting lap. By the time I reach SMSP’s long, long straight for the first time, the right foot takes over and unleashing the AMG’s full range of power and torque elicits a savage acceleration, one that pins you back in your seat and tightens your grip on the steering wheel.
Merc claims 2.9 seconds for the 0–100km/h benchmark and 10 seconds for the lesser-measured 0–200km/h sprint.
SMSP’s fastest section is the long and downhill main straight that sweeps into a fast left-hander. In the dry, it’s difficult, ready to catch out anyone carrying too much speed in the quest for tenths.
On a slightly damp track, it’s diabolically intimidating, begging for caution and care because the consequences of getting it wrong involve a large expanse of grass and an abrupt stop against a concrete retaining wall.
Which is why I braked – laughably – at the 300-metre marker with the telemetry showing 231km/h in readiness for that hair-raising and fast left-hander. By the time I hit the apex, the GT63 S was still nudging 140km/h, fast by any measure and certainly fast enough for me.
AMG’s excellent nine-speed automatic transmission remains as crisp as ever, especially in manual mode when using the steering-wheel-mounted paddle-shifters. Each upshift is met by a bellowing and sonorous roar, while downshifts elicit the type of throaty snarls that bristle the hairs on your neck.
The brakes, standard-fit carbon-ceramics, do a commendable job of pulling up the 2380kg large sedan, while the adaptive air suspension tries its best to keep things nice and level.
But there’s no fighting physics, and a few hairy moments across some damper sections of SMSP’s infield section highlighted that 2380kg and 620kW/1400Nm is a recipe for tail-wagging; a shifting of the rear end that grabs your senses and your attention and tells you to slow the **** down next time around.
Underpinning the GT63 S’s driving dynamics is a trick adaptive air suspension set-up. While we weren’t able to test its comfort on the road, on the track in its sportiest settings, the big sedan remained balanced and composed for the most part.
But there’s no hiding the GT63 S’s considerable heft, and when combined with a drying but still lightly damp racetrack, the AMG’s limits become apparent. It’s noticeable on corner entry where the nose tucks in but tends to push ever so slightly towards understeer.
And exiting corners requires patience, despite the GT’s all-wheel-drive platform. Grab the throttle too soon and too aggressively and the big sedan will waggle its tail just a smidge, before the traction nannies kick in to keep you pointed in the right direction while also calming your rapidly beating heart.
And that’s the thing about the Mercedes-AMG GT63 S E Performance. It is, by its own admission, the most powerful series-production car to ever wear the three-pointed star. But it’s a might and power not really suited to the track, where the big sedan requires a degree of manhandling and more than a modicum of courage to extract the best out of it.
Key details | 2024 Mercedes-AMG GT63 S E Performance |
Engine | 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol, permanently excited synchronous electric motor |
Power | 470kW @ 5500rpm petrol 150kW electric 620kW combined |
Torque | 900Nm @ 2500–4500rpm petrol 320Nm electric 1400Nm combined |
Drive type | All-wheel drive |
Transmission | Nine-speed multi-clutch automatic, two-speed automatic (electric motor) |
Power-to-weight ratio | 262.5kW/t |
Weight (tare) | 2380kg |
Turning circle | 12.2m |
Don't think of AMG’s latest monster as a track day weapon. Instead, look to the two-letter acronym on the boot lid and revel in its grand touring nature where it will, we’d wager, feel much more at home.
We didn't have the opportunity to drive the GT63 S on the road. Instead, we’ll have to wait for a full garage review to find out how Merc’s most powerful car behaves on the road in normal driving conditions and we’ll reserve our scoring until then.
But as a celebration of cutting-edge technology, the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance is an accomplishment.