Mercedes-Benz AMG GT review

Let’s start with the non-hybrid 63, which AMG admits is the core of the range. It’s what DTM hero Bernd Schneider, a regular pace car driver on AMG press launches, is getting – in purple. Good lad.

Compared to its forebear it’s very easy and undemanding, yet rather satisfying. It responds to inputs cleanly and obediently and makes a corking noise. Don’t underestimate the importance of that. The thumping V8 is a core AMG asset, and it will be much missed when it inevitably goes (as we’ve discovered with the C63). Fun fact: a big lift in third or fourth gear when the engine is nice and hot and the exhaust valves are fully open will provide the kind of high-performance V8 bassy cackle that sounds like firecrackers in an oil drum. Lightly addictive.

The M177 ‘hot vee’ twin turbo engine is largely carried over, but obviously tweaked here and there. Its headline figures in the stock GT 63 are 577bhp and 590lb ft at only 2,500rpm, though the trackier GT 63 Pro lifts these to 604bhp and 627lb ft with only a light ECU tickle. Which promises much for yet more hardcore versions in the future. It all means great flexibility to go with the lightly epic soundtrack. It’s slightly disappointing that the sound all comes from the exhaust rather than from the engine itself, but we can’t see many owners caring too deeply about that. You might want to switch off the enhanced effects, though.

Be nice to have some induction noise, though.

Rare thing to find these days. And this exhaust does sound very, very good, all rumbling, barking and crackles on the overrun. Above 3,000rpm throttle response is all but immediate and the rate of acceleration is suitably fearsome. You’ll fly through the lower ratios of its nine-speed auto.

That said, 577bhp could be construed as underwhelming in its class. It’s certainly quick enough, but doesn’t have the utter thrust of a 911 Turbo (and the next Turbo will probably be hybridised), nor the penetration of a McLaren GT. This much power always felt more than enough in the old car, mainly because it was that much lighter, but also because the chassis and rear axle weren't as able to cope with the power.

But the new GT has a chassis that copes?

You’d imagine the new car’s more open monocoque structure would decrease rigidity, but the opposite is true and torsional rigidity is up 18 per cent. That gives the multi-link suspension and its hi-tech damping system a good platform to work off.

What you notice first is how well it rides. Comfort mode almost feels too soft, and where in other AMGs you’d never even consider stiffening the suspension up on the road, here you’re not penalised to anything like the same extent. Work on refinement and vibration, plus the nine-speed gearbox’s long top ratio, has given it good cruising legs – but don’t ever think it’s going to be very efficient. We saw a motorway best of 22.5mpg. In the mountains that fell dramatically.

Is it a proper entertainer?

Up to a point, yes. With utmost commitment its weight starts to tell, the steering begins to lose its clear communication, the weight begins to unsettle the chassis and the brakes go slightly soft and long. It doesn’t like being pushed this hard.

Though this is where the new GT 63 Pro trim steps in. A much more rounded proposition than the fabulous old GT R Pro, it adds standard ceramic brakes (with more feelsome pads), smarter underbody aero and lots of active cooling for the diffs and suchlike. Subtle, nerdy improvements to sharpen its focus and raise its limits with only a new front apron and rear spoiler to alert passers-by. We’ve not driven the two back-to-back, nor tried the Pro on road, but it coped well on track, those brakes staying true and its semi-slick Michelin Cup 2R tyres even coping quite well with a sopping-wet Ascari.

The addition of Pro spec won’t trouble 911 GT3 sales – it’s a totally different proposition – but the fact it’ll (unofficially) lap the Nordschleife in 7m11s, the same as the stock GT R of old, only serves to highlight how good the base car is despite its extra weight, approachability and practicality. It never shrugs off its mass, mind you, Pro spec still tipping the scales at 1,950kg.

This is a super GT remember, not a supercar. Limit handling is no longer a key battleground. Instead, we have a car that retains its composure long after the old one did and is quicker and more confidence inspiring (if not wilder) down a demanding road. You don’t feel the 4WD interfering too much, its presence going largely under the radar, while for the most part the four-wheel steer is a benign presence too. You’ll notice that you’re turning in a bit more alertly than you expected and the car is pivoting around you rather than leading in from the nose. It really does help when parking, though. An often-overlooked advantage with a long-nosed GT.

Are there modes?

They’re plentiful in all specs, comprising six different driving modes and a wide range of parameters to adjust from aero and exhaust to suspension, differential and gearbox. If you’re keen, you can play for hours, but the GT doesn’t massively encourage that. When push comes to shove it’s not as dynamic and alert as a 911 Turbo.
Depending on your use case it runs the Porsche very close. If you find the 911 a bit too much, this sits you that bit higher, has a more laid-back character, gives you confidence to hurl it about and very rarely bites back. It also does a great job of concealing its speed across the ground. Bit of a mixed blessing this one. Body control is excellent, it’s mostly calm on the road and carries speed very effectively. Keep checking the speedo is all we’d say.

Talk to me about the hybrid E Performance…

Much of the same applies with the way the plug-in car behaves, even though the hybrid system adds a fair amount of weight. The active dampers, semi-active roll stabilisation, active aero and four-wheel steer combine well to hide that weight fairly well. There’s not a huge amount of brake or steering feel, but the driving experience is dominated by the monumental power and unrelenting speed.

Activate the launch control and the E Performance hooks up and accelerates with the force of an EV and the sound of a V8. Heck, it’ll do that out of every single corner. It’s a hugely complex car with four-wheel drive, two powertrains, two gearboxes (the nine-speed auto and a two-speed for the electric motor) and even more drive modes.

But stick it in Sport+ with everything working to provide maximum performance, and the acceleration is addictive. It’s also really rather impressive in electric mode: the motor provides around 200bhp on its own and can send that power to all four wheels. There are even four different levels of regen so that it acts like a full EV for a few miles. Handy when you’re leaving home early in the morning.

And yes, the battery is only 6.1kWh, but that means it recharges quickly through regen braking or when you’re coasting, so even if you never plug it in, you’ll still have maximum power available pretty much all the time. We saw averages of between 20 and 30mpg on mixed drives.