The newly hybridized AMG GT now shares a chassis with the Mercedes-Benz SL.
Michael Teo Van Runkle
This year, the AMG GT went hybrid with a new E Performance powertrain borrowed from the 2024 S-Class. The GT 63 S now features a similar twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 AMG engine alone rated for 603 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque. Under the trunk floor hides an AMG-tuned electric motor good for 201 hp and 236 lb-ft, which integrates into a two-speed gearbox equipped with a limited-slip differential. All as a 400-volt battery derived from Formula 1 technology provides 6.1 kilowatt-hours of capacity.
If the tech sounds complex, I advise simply focusing on the resulting combined peaks of 805 horsepower and 1,047 lb-ft of torque. Four-figure torque in a low-slung all-wheel-drive two-door makes Benz’s claims of a 2.7-second zero-to-60 time sound fairly plausible. All on the way to a screaming top end of 199 miles per hour.
A familiar hand-built twin-turbo V8 still lurks under the hood, now mated to an F1-derived hybrid system beneath the trunk.
Michael Teo Van Runkle
Over the course of a week in and around Los Angeles, I learned exactly how much the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance is about so much more than just straightline speed, though. As befitting the AMG acronym, this grand tourer also features active ride control suspension, rear-wheel steering and ceramic-composite brakes to make handling just as much of a priority. A set of thick Michelin Pilot Sport S 5 tires measuring 295 millimeters wide up front and 305 millimeters at the rear put that power, lateral cornering prowess and braking force to the ground.
As with the S-Class E Performance, this hybrid manages only a handful of miles of electric range. The powertrain fires up silently in EV mode every time, and the range worked for my shortest commutes, but in reality, the engine manages the electric components to best serve as a helper when needed. The V8 can charge the battery cells by lagging the e-motor, and the nifty system can even open the center differential to power the front wheels from the rear for silent all-wheel drive.
Pushing Hard in a Powerful Plug-In
Two configurable dials on the steering wheel control drive modes, suspension settings and traction control intervention.
Michael Teo Van Runkle
Unleashing the combined juice at full throttle is no joke—any time and any place, this GT rockets up to triple-digit speeds with ease. But as expected, the system does add weight, especially because the GT and SL now share the same chassis. I found the resulting AMG SL a bit too hash, yet also too heavy to match the handling potential suggested by reducing compliance so much. The Maybach SL therefore previously stood out as my favorite, plush and cushy, floating most of the time before I selected the most aggressive drive modes.
But now, the AMG GT hybrid easily takes the cake, despite the complex powertrain resulting in a curb weight just shy of 5,000 pounds with a driver onboard. That’s a lot for a sports car, and some might argue the GT 63 S E Performance therefore earns the GT nomenclature for Grand Touring more than ever before. Despite, previously, the GT always serving as the most hardcore option in the eternally expanding AMG lineup.
Ceramic-composite brakes help to haul down speed of an unsurprisingly heavy hybrid.
Michael Teo Van Runkle
Even during regular driving, I immediately discerned how much AMG very clearly tuned the chassis to manage so much newfound weight. Or, at least, attempted to do so as much as possible given the limitations of unavoidable physics. Still, the steering and suspension stood out as the most impressive part of this GT: smooth when I wanted comfort, without the tightness of a “normal” SL, but also never oversprung to the point that the chassis wallows and rafts too much. The steering even provided a pleasant heft, loading up nicely through corners once I started driving a little harder on my familiar canyon roads. And meanwhile, as the all-wheel-drive system unleashed every last pound-foot on demand to haul out of corners with back-snapping pace.
My main complaint only reared up most at lower speeds, luckily, and in the dedicated Comfort mode. Here, the ECU needed to blend adjustable electric recuperation with the friction brakes, plus engine deceleration and transmission gear selection. The combination of variables seemed to overwhelm the software programming, occasionally resulting in grabby brakes, at other times a softer, more progressive pedal response and even occasionally lurchy gearshifts. Switching over to Battery Hold mode, which prioritizes state of charge versus all-out performance, or the Sport modes seemed to help, likely because the system therefore needs to consider fewer parameters.
Life with the New AMG
I selected Battery Hold mode for most drives to avoid plugging into a wall.
Michael Teo Van Runkle
I typically fired up the stop-start button in silence, then immediately spun the steering wheel drive mode selector dial to Battery Hold—largely because I wanted to avoid plugging the GT into a wall charger. Selecting drive modes via the touchscreen, as usual, requires puzzling through more menus. And as on other Benzes, the touchscreen surround comes in a disappointing square-foot of piano black plastic that stands out extra poorly versus the grey birch wood trim. At least the climate control woes that plague other Mercedes models seem fixed, though!
The spec of this GT 63 S E Performance hit a sweet spot for me, too. It helps that the GT already comes fairly loaded, including with what might be my favorite modern sport seats. But the Manufaktur Patagonia Red Metallic paintjob ($1,750) sure looks good on the wide, long, and muscular design. The 21-inch forged gold wheels (another $2,900) might not fit my personal aesthetic but do work well with the blood-red hue. And on the interior, Burmester’s High-End 3D-Surround sound system (tack on $4,500) absolutely bumps, without the overstimulating seat exciters of the “4D” system.
The long hatchback decklid opens to a slightly cramped trunk due to the rear e-motor and battery layout.
Michael Teo Van Runkle
All told, the options result in a $216,550 MSRP over a $195,900 starting pricetag, a modest leap in the modern era of six-figure customization bills. That number buys a new form of GT that slots in somewhere between a supercar, a sports car and a grand tourer. Suffice to say, AMG’s performing-enhancing regimen makes this hybrid the best of all the top-spec SL models.
