Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance | Daily Driver Test
Little over half a year ago I had the pleasure of driving the 843 hp Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance in Nice, France. That encounter was only brief and didn't leave an impression as its non-PHEV family member did back in 2019. Is a multiple-day encounter with one of AMG's flagships enough to win me over?
Yes, I admit: I'm a lucky bastard for getting a second go in the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance. And even more so because rather than last time where the roads were plotted out for me, I now had the freedom to roam wherever. And not only my mind needed that space. Despite Nice being a beautiful landscape with twisty roads you'll happily cruise with the Mercedes-AMG SL 63, there's simply not enough space to unleash the full potential of the PHEV GT 4-door.
Some questions lingered in my mind after the encounter in France. Questions like: is the PHEV worth the weight? Does the increased power add to the fun? Is the battery pack still worth hauling around while using the car on a daily basis? But also more vulgar ones concerning zero-to-twohundred potential and drift mode. So let's dive into this dopamine machine, shall we? I'll run you through my experiences with the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance, accompanied by images I took during the few days with it.
Quick recap
Need a refresh of what makes the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance the monster that it is? Then this paragraph is for you. Don't need it? I won't mind if you skip this bit then.
Time for the facts! Power comes from a collaboration of AMG's 'hot' 4-liter V8 and an F1-inspired electric drivetrain. The first mentioned pushes out 639 hp upwards from 5500 rpm and 900 Nm of torque is available from 2500 rpm. The second mentioned adds another 204 hp and 320 Nm. Peak performance comes in at 843 hp and 1200 Nm (1400 Nm during a 10-second boost). Zero to a hundred is stated to be done in 2.9 seconds, two hundred is claimed to be hit in 9.5 seconds. In terms of dimensions the GT 4-door remains unchanged compared to its MY2019 model, the weight does increase to just under 2.4 metric tonnes.
Called a P3 hybrid, the GT S E Performance has its electric drive unit (EDU) mounted onto the rear axle via a two-speed gearbox and a limited-slip rear differential. The electric range from the 6.1 kWh battery comes in at 12 kilometers, Vmax in EV mode is a mere 80 kph.
Day to day basis
Waking up to the idea that this performance PHEV is parked in your garage is bliss. Looks, power, and the infamous AMG badge are bedroom poster material. Housing new technology, the E Performance bits, does truly add to the cool factor of this AMG. It's also tremendously entertaining to plug the car in at the local grocery store and watch confused Tesla owners stare at the combination of 4 exhaust tips and a charge port. Ideally, you'll have a charge port at home but the GT can pull off such amounts of recuperation that an empty battery is rarely a thing. And whilst we're on the subject of recuperation, it's worth mentioning that the transition between the electric and brake disc deceleration is very well refined.
Some things do erode the GT concept though. One of them you'll be faced with cruising at steady speeds. The GT's E Performance EDU gears generate a high-pitched note at higher speeds, which are very audible in the cabin. While driving at varying speeds this never stands out but long drives on the highway aren't a serene experience due to that zoom. Another downside to the electric boost trick is that the GT 4-door can only be ordered as a 4-seater. Due to the weight increase, the fifth passenger would trigger the car to be overloaded.
Slayer
Time to slay the elephant in the room: did more days with the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance translate into a better feel for the drivetrain? As intuitive as the GT 63 S did back in 2019? Every fiber in me wants to say "yes" but it's not the case. The added complexity of the drivetrain also burdens the intuitiveness of the car. It robs a fraction of it and not a chunk though. Floor (kick down) it in any drive mode and you'll feel like an astronaut every single time.
Erosion of the intuitiveness isn't something the engineers could have worked around. As the future dawns and EDUs establish their place in the performance segment, especially when it comes to PHEVs, things can never be as simple as with just one type of drivetrain. The GT 63 S E Performance its infotainment is perhaps exemplary here, as the list of temperature gauges is longer than the average poem.
Abundance
Big numbers are the essence of the E Performance version of the GT 4-door. And as if the low-down torque of the EDU wasn't enough, a hardware rework of the turbos makes peak torque available earlier than ever. And as much as I wished this would be an addition, it isn't. But before you walk away disillusioned, I have to point out the culprit. Or culprits in fact, as the tires are to blame here. Blameable for not being able to handle the monstrous torque unleashed on them. Riding on Michelin Cup2, the GT spun all four during varying moments of its journey to illegal speeds.
Launch control in dry weather? Spin happens at the first few fractions of the launch. Damp highway and overtaking? Spinning all four wheels at 150 kph was new for me.
When the car did grip, the acceleration could only be described as organ crunching. You feel your lungs deflate under the gravitational forces. I didn't dive below the 2.9 seconds to a hundred kph we clocked with the MY2019, the tires limited the potential to 3 seconds flat. Where the potential did start to shine is at zero to two hundred. In 9.5 seconds the first performance PHEV from Affalterbach hit the two-hundred-mark, feeling even more eager to push on. Another facet of the E Performance torque abundance is how ridiculously easy it now is to trigger a drift in the equally named drive mode. So easy in fact, that you're happily engaging it doesn't happen unintentionally. And your tires are undoubtedly thankful too, as only a few goes in 'drift mode' would disintegrate them.
Tummy tuck
Time to tackle another elephant in the room: weight increase. Being just a bit shy of 2.5 metric tonnes, the GT 63 S E Performance is absurdly heavy on paper. But driving it I had a hard time finding where those extra kilograms affected the car's handling. And that has everything to do with what I would call the automotive equal of a tummy tuck, one tucked by mechanics in Affalterbach. How did they do it? It all has to do with a unique AMG RIDE CONTROL+ setup, or a first for this system to be precise. The electronically controlled adjustable damping that is part of the system uses two pressure relief valves that control the damping force continuously. One valve controls the rebound damping, the other the compression damping.
Yes or No?
Remember all those worries I stated at the beginning of this article? I can tell you that answering them was very, very entertaining. And that is a nice link to one of the questions, whether or not the added power adds more fun. I'd say it adds more and it also adds a different kind of fun. A geeky kind of fun, one where the high-tech of the AMG GT 63 S E Performance makes you feel cool for simply driving it. But in terms of performance, I couldn't really say I'm 100% sure, due to the tires not being able to handle all the power. What I am sure of is that you'll never feel like your hauling around a dead battery. All claims the brand makes about the battery's performance and eagerness to charge via recuperation are true. Same goes for the claims about the battery never overheating, because even after repeated launches did it keep its cool.
Mercedes-AMG's first performance hybrid is downright impressive and promises good things to come in the near future. A future where very high power outputs will be no exception, although shadowed by fierce weight increases. Those who lust after simplistic, lightweight cars should steer clear. Those not afraid of change should certainly dive into the world of E Performance, bathing in power has never been this accessible..
