Mercedes-AMG GT review

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Second generation of AMG's flagship super-sports car gets four seats, four-wheel drive and a plug-in hybrid option

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In a way, the mere existence of the Mk2 Mercedes-AMG GT is cause for cheer in itself.

The senior sports car class has always been a challenging place in which to do business. This is partly because one member of the gang, the Porsche 911, is almost too popular. There are other, more wide-reaching reasons why there are fewer serious performance coupés around now than in the past, but it all amounts to the same thing: less choice.

In recent times, Jaguar’s F-Type has fallen by the wayside, as has Audi’s R8. The V8-fired Lexus LC has also been retired. None has a replacement on the horizon.

AMG’s decision to reprise its long-snouted, big-hearted flagship should be welcomed with open arms, then – even if the price has dramatically risen and the original AMG GT recipe somewhat diluted in the pursuit of, yes, 911-rivalling breadth.

We will delve into the details in a moment, but the new layout is notable for having back seats and front driveshafts, neither of which the hell-raising Mk1 GT possessed, for better and for worse.

cWhat we really want to know is whether AMG has managed to maintain the energy and vivacity of the old car while taming its more wayward impulses and furnishing the new car with more GT-typical, long-distance appeal. It is a tricky balancing act but, if achieved, would result in a knockout product. 

The Range at a Glance

Modles Power From
63 4Matic+ 577bhp £162,105
63 S E 4Matic+ Performance 805bhp £177,715
63 Pro 4Matic+ 603bhp tbc

The 577bhp 63 4Matic+ what we're primarily talking about in this review is currently the entry point into the GT range. That status may change if AMG deems it commercially beneficial to introduce the 55-badged, 469bhp car to the UK.

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For now, it seems the only way is up. You can have much more power, in the case of the hybrid 63 S E 4Matic+, or more intent, if you opt for the incoming 63 Pro 4Matic+, which brings a little extra power and torque, plus upgraded cooling, aerodynamic tweaks and a slight weight reduction. It’s billed as the track-day GT but to our eyes is still some way short of, say, Porsche’s 911 GT3 in terms of on-paper appeal.

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DESIGN & STYLING

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mercedes amg gt 63 coupe review 2024 02 side panning

Mercedes decided to marry up this car’s development with that of the R232-generation Mercedes-AMG SL roadster. While the models therefore share cabin architecture and fittings, engines and a predominantly aluminium spaceframe chassis, you might imagine that the company would have designed and defined the cars quite differently from each other, so as to cover the biggest possible sports-car-market territory.

They didn’t. The SL sprouted a pair of occasional rear seats and 4Matic+ part-time four-wheel drive so that it could be made more usable than before, as well as firmer AMG suspension tuning so that it felt sportier.

The GT 63 S E Performance’s peak power rating of 805bhp is 26bhp less than that of the GT 63 S E Performance 4-Door Coupé owing to its shorter exhaust routing, says AMG. However, it does top the 791bhp of the S63 S E Performance by 14bhp. All three models use the same petrol-electric hybrid drivetrain.
Greg Kable
European editor

And the GT? Much the same. The car’s old two-seat, rear-drive concept has been dispensed with; 4Matic+ four-wheel drive has been added to all models; and the better part of a foot has been added to overall length – along with around 250kg of kerb weight, without counting the electrification gubbins of the new range-topping 805bhp GT 63 S E Performance plug-in hybrid version, which we'll get to in a moment.

Despite the growth spurt, there’s clear familiarity with the old car in the exterior styling of the new one. It gives the new car instant identity, even if every body panel and every detail has been altered.

At 4728mm long, 1984mm wide and 1354mm tall, the GT has grown in every direction in order to offer more interior space and accommodate those rear seats.

Engines are the same as in the SL, the GT arriving exclusively with AMG’s twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 in two states of tune: 469bhp and 516b ft of torque in the GT 55 (which UK buyers aren't offered), and 577bhp and 590lb ft in the GT 63 we’re driving here (layout shown in the below graphic). There's a four-cylinder GT 43 for other markets too but, like the GT 55, UK buyers won't get it.

The old car's dual-clutch, rear-mounted transaxle gearbox is gone in favour of a more traditionally Mercedes layout of a Speedshift MCT nine-speed wet-clutch automatic gearbox bolted directly to the engine. There are no contemporary electrification measures for most models – at least, not yet. But that’s not to say AMG hasn’t been busy attempting to improve the engine: it has repositioned the intercooler, revised the inlet and outlet ports, redesigned the oil pan and fitted additional ventilation measures for the crankcase.

All this is underpinned by aluminium-intensive five-link front and rear suspension arrangements. Like the SL, the GT gets traditional steel springs in combination with new adaptive twin-valve dampers, which offer individual compression and rebound rates.

Both the GT 55 and GT 63 have AMG’s Active Ride Control system, which was pioneered by the old Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series and also features on the SL 63. This ditches the anti-roll bars completely in favour of individual oil-based actuators at each wheel to control lean. The GT also comes with four-wheel steering as standard. The system provides up to 2.5deg of steering angle to the rear wheels at speeds of up to 62mph. Furthermore, the rear axle gets an electronically controlled limited-slip differential and brake-actuated torque vectoring.

AMG’s decision to do away with the rear transaxle and mount the gearbox to the engine has also greatly altered the car’s front-to-rear weight distribution. From a previous rear-biased 47:53, it now favours the front at 54:46.

AMG is going full steam ahead with plug-in hybrids and has added a plug-in version to the GT line-up: the GT 63 S E Performance. With an official 0-62mph time of 2.8sec, it is claimed to outpace the Formula 1-engined AMG One hypercar – only by 0.1sec, but still. That's despite its 2125kg kerb weight too.

Unlike the Mercedes-AMG C63, it retains a V8, and it the same 603bhp and 627lb ft as the GT 63, with the electric motor contributing an additional 201bhp and 236lb ft. The combined system output climbs to 805bhp and 1047lb ft of torque. The electric motor sits in a drive unit with the 400V, 6.1kWh battery and two-speed gearbox on the rear axle, but can drive all four wheels through the fully variable four-wheel drive system.

There’s not a lot to distinguish the GT 63 S E Performance. Apart from the small E Performance badges on its front flanks and red-backed GT 63 badges on its tailgate, there’s a charging port integrated into the right-hand side of its rear bumper as well as grooved tailpipe trims lower down. As with its non-hybrid sibling, buyers can specify an aerodynamic package with a fixed rear wing in place of the standard electronically operated unit.

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INTERIOR

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mercedes amg gt 63 coupe review 2024 13 dash

On the inside, a little of the drama and sense of occasion of the original GT has been lost. The wide, high-rising, button-festooned transmission tunnel of the old car certainly had its ergonomic quirks, but it made the GT feel special all right. It has been replaced by a lower, more practical centre console. Drive selection has been moved to a column-mounted shift wand, while all those enticing console knobs have turned into icons on the car’s large, portrait-style infotainment touchscreen.

The driving position’s fine; the tech itself is familiar and usable enough; the lashings of satin chrome and lacquered carbon decor glitter and shine nicely; and those new back seats, though very upright, are probably just about habitable for smaller travellers over short hops. But the ambience is just a little ordinary – Merc typical rather than extra-special.

The moderate increase in roof height has created some extra head room. Boot space is generous by sports car standards, extending from 321 to 675 litres when those back seats are folded down. Luggage space takes a hit in the E Performance hybrid due to the mounting of the electric drive unit at the rear.

Multimedia system

If you’re planning on using your GT with any regularity, arguably the greatest improvement to the car concerns its multimedia system. The Mk1 GT had an increasingly aged-feeling system controlled via a clickwheel.

The new GT dispenses with the clickwheel and uses the latest of Mercedes’ MBUX set-ups, with its 11.9in portrait-oriented screen, whose angle of inclination can be adjusted (in our experience, useful if the sun is catching it at just the wrong angle).

The system takes some learning but is low on latency, high on clarity and has all the functionality you could want. And while the climate controls aren’t physically wrought, the screen icons that control temperature and ventilation are large and permanently placed, so you never have to hunt around. There’s also a physical volume slider and the wheel-mounted controls.

The GT is not especially quiet on the move but the Burmester sound system is a match for the road roar. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are also well integrated, using much of the screen.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

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mercedes amg gt 63 coupe review 2024 23 engine

This hot-vee V8 has been AMG’s stalwart for a decade, variously appearing in everything from the G-Class luxury off-roader to the workaday C-Class Estate.

However, it is perhaps at its most evocative when nestled in the nose of a low-slung coupé with a steam-punk-flavoured, cab-rear silhouette.

We will get into the numbers shortly, but they are almost moot. Take it as read that, at any given moment, the driver can fling their GT down the road as fast as they dare. In fact, it’s the character and manner of the V8 that really matters.

For one thing, it remains more satisfyingly responsive than you might expect, given the deep, lazy exhaust note and generous forced induction. It also has phenomenal breadth, turning its forged crank from implausibly low down in the rev range and thereafter gathering momentum smoothly.

You begin to feel the effects of fully 590lb ft from only around 2500rpm, at which point this engine starts to make very light work of what has become quite a heavy car. From then on the V8 exhibits an impressive linearity, its exhaust note hardening then culminating at the 7000rpm redline with a crisp, popping upshift from the dual-clutch ’box.

The ferocity of the shift, along with the sharpness of the throttle pedal, the rortiness of the exhaust note and the presence of theatrical rattle-bangs on the overrun can, as ever, all be varied via drive modes, which range from Eco to Race.

It’s unfiltered fun, with loads of old-school, internal-combustion aural charm. The numbers aren’t half bad, either (see above). Our GT 63’s launch control function fired it to 60mph in 3.1sec – half a second faster than we achieved with the extra-special GT R of the rear-driven Mk1 generation.

On the move, performance is abundant. The dash from 40-60mph in third gear takes just 1.5sec; 30-70mph a mere 2.7sec.

The AMG is not the quickest car in the class – you never are when that class also includes the Porsche 911 Turbo S – but this is senior-grade speed. The peakier Porsche, by the way, rattles off the sprint to 60mph in 2.5sec. In fourth, 40-60mph takes 1.4sec – a smidge faster than the Merc. But in second? A scant 1.0sec. 

Special mention should also go to the AMG’s braking system. The pedal is linear and firm, and the ABS intervention almost indiscernible at times. Note also that brake distances were taken after a sprinkling of rain.

On the GT 63 E Performance hybrid, meanwhile, there is a bewildering array of driving modes, including Electric, Battery Hold, Comfort, Slippery, Sport, Sport+ and Individual.

The default mode is Comfort, in which the new AMG model starts silently and is initially propelled via the electric motor when there are sufficient battery energy stores. On top of this, there are four levels of energy recuperation, controlled via a button on the right-hand spoke of the steering wheel.

While it sets off on electric power in Comfort mode, it doesn’t take much of a nudge on the throttle to prompt the GT 63 S E Performance to automatically switch into four-wheel-drive hybrid operation with the introduction of the petrol engine.

There is also a significant amount of electrical noise, with whine from the electric motor and associated electronics. The highest of the regen modes wipes off speed smartly, converting kinetic energy to electricity.

Select Sport or Sport+ model and there’s a noticeable hardening in character: the petrol engine revs with greater intent and there’s an appreciably deeper and more alluring tone to the exhaust note.

The combined reserves and the ability of the four-wheel drive system to place them to the road cleanly makes extra light work of the new coupé’s weight, providing the GT 63 S E Performance with truly intense accelerative properties. There is huge flexibility and savage thrust from little more than 2000rpm to beyond 6000rpm.

You can nudge up to and beyond 190mph on an unrestricted autobahn with great confidence. The ability of the battery to retain charge and keep the electric motor running to boost performance, even over longer distances at sustained high speeds, is very impressive.

The new gearbox is spectacularly good, too, even in the complex hybrid application. In manual mode, its shifts are as fast and determined as those of the old dual-clutch unit, with an edge of brutality to upshifts especially.

Meanwhile, there’s even smoother and crisper operation than the old gearbox managed in automatic mode. The additional two gears aid the GT’s cruising abilities a little: at 80mph in ninth gear, the engine is turning over at just 1800rpm.

The hybrid's brakes lack feel at the top of the pedal, owing in part to the regen function. Delve further with added pedal pressure, though, and the 420mm, six-piston brakes deliver truly powerful retardation.

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RIDE & HANDLING

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mercedes amg gt 63 coupe review 2024 26 front cornering

In handling terms, the Mk1 GT was Marmite. Frenetically quick steering response and a back axle that was quite, ahem, mobile meant the driver had little chance to relax. Some loved this gunslinger approach, while others found it exhausting, and often a touch frightening if it was damp.

The Mk2 has some vestigial traces of its forebear’s wildness, not least because of its initial steering ratio of 14.1:1 and aggressive front camber, not to mention an enormous, grippy front contact patch, all of which mean the car cleaves into bends with at times shocking alacrity.

You need to be decisive with the AMG GT, because while hugely responsive and superficially accurate, it isn’t always the most obedient beast. As one tester remarked, on turn-in the front axle seems to want to peel around by itself just that bit more, yet the steering then feels reluctant to return to centre on the way out. The front also picks up mid-corner bumps and corrugations more sensitively than you expect it to.

Of course, dialling the suspension down into Comfort can mollify things, but there remains an in-built tetchiness to this AMG. That makes it exciting, but at times unintuitive.

The flip side is that, with the fitment of 4Matic+, there is less natural, impetuous adjustability  in the chassis. And with it, more all-weather security underwheel, which was the intention.

The GT lays the foundations well: it gets into the bends supremely easily and with fine body control, but even with the LSD at maximum attack and ESP loosened, it doesn’t want to play especially. You can put the car in RWD mode, but that isn’t something you’ll want to do on the way home from the shops, is it?

Mercedes-AMG GT news

Mercedes-AMG celebrates F1 success with special GT
Mercedes-AMG celebrates F1 success with special GT
Mercedes-AMG GT hybrid revealed as firm's quickest car yet
Mercedes-AMG GT hybrid revealed as firm's quickest car yet
Mercedes-AMG GT plug-in hybrid to bring 804bhp and 1047lb ft
Mercedes-AMG GT plug-in hybrid to bring 804bhp and 1047lb ft
New entry-level Mercedes-AMG GT 43 gets 416bhp four-pot
New entry-level Mercedes-AMG GT 43 gets 416bhp four-pot

Comfort & Isolation

The old AMG GT was a fantastically unapologetic brute – essentially a V8 hot rod decked out with a luxury interior and surprisingly polished handling (especially in later versions). It didn’t pay any particular heed to what we call ‘road manners’.

As we have already discovered, the new GT is a different proposition. It aims to be more usable and a little less bombastic, espousing a recognisable but fainter strain of its predecessor’s rawness.

AMG has certainly succeeded in making the Mk2 a more emollient car. Visibility is improved, there’s less road noise, and the cabin is a more relaxing space. However, we expected more quietness still, and less alertness in the suspension when you only want to get from A to B. What the GT has given away in heart-pounding excitement, it hasn’t quite gained in serenity.

Even with the dampers in Comfort, there’s always an unnecessary reactivity with the road surface. As for noise, we recorded 74dBA at 70mph. The same figure was returned by Porsche’s 911 Turbo S – a car known for its booming cabin noise on the motorway.

With an all-new chassis and a new remit, this GT should be easier company.

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MPG & RUNNING COSTS

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2024 AMG GT tracking

Mercedes UK's decision to offer only higher-end GT derivatives is likely to make this generation of the car a rarer spot, because it has the effect of raising the car's entry-level price by quite a long way.

Gone are the old GT's lower-end, circa-£100,000 models. A new GT 63 becomes a £162,000 prospect before any options, and if you want a range-topping GT 63 S E Performance PHEV, in just the right colour and optional equipment spec, you're unlikely to get much change from £200,000.

On cruising economy, our GT 63 was capable of 28mpg on more moderate motorway cruising runs, but if you're tapping into the performance level often, don't expect much better than 22mpg or 23mpg. And with a hybrid system designed to boost performance rather than efficiency, don't expect the GT 63 S E Performance to do a whole lot better, given its quoted electric range is just eight miles.

VERDICT

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2024 AMG GT verdict rating

When it comes to delivering an Autocar verdict, this one sits at the more difficult end of the scale.

On one hand, the second coming of the Mercedes-AMG GT is a smartly styled coupé with a thunderous old-school V8, with the underwheel security to ensure its performance can be enjoyed day in, day out, all year round, and whose comfortable, capacious interior comprises a generously proportioned boot and an infotainment array that feels bang up to date.

On the surface, this is exactly the kind of soulful, adaptable, big-hearted GT hero we love to see.

Yet in some ways this car, which shares its platform with the SL, is riven with compromise. AMG has sought to make the Mk2 GT easier to live with than its wild predecessor, yet the new car can often be quite agitated on the move and is demonstrably loud at cruising speeds. It also seems to have retained some of the old car’s dynamic oddities while jettisoning its ability to make you laugh out loud from changing course with the throttle.

The mighty AMG is, in short, a bit confused in what it wants to be, and that rarely results in a sublime sports car.

Richard Lane

Richard Lane, Autocar
Title: Deputy road test editor

Richard joined Autocar in 2017 and like all road testers is typically found either behind a keyboard or steering wheel (or, these days, a yoke).

As deputy road test editor he delivers in-depth road tests and performance benchmarking, plus feature-length comparison stories between rival cars. He can also be found presenting on Autocar's YouTube channel.

Mostly interested in how cars feel on the road – the sensations and emotions they can evoke – Richard drives around 150 newly launched makes and models every year. His job is then to put the reader firmly in the driver's seat.