The headline numbers for the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Efficiency are genuinely scary, even for hardcore fanatics – however if you consider a observe just like the fast-paced circuit at Sydney Motorsport Park, effectively that’s after I don’t thoughts saying beads of sweat began to type.
If this was a observe take a look at of the earlier AMG GT R, which was armed with a none-too-shabby 430kW and 700Nm, you’d be leaping for pleasure. In any case, that was a authentic track-day weapon honed from the GT3 race automobile, however the all-new AMG GT 63 S E Efficiency 4-Door is a special sort of beast solely.
For starters, it’s the primary plug-in hybrid to return out of AMG’s Affalterbach HQ, and it’s been correctly weaponised by combining the big-hitting 4.0-litre bi-turbo V8 with an electrical motor and light-weight battery.
It’s additionally an enormous unit, stretching greater than 5.0 metres lengthy and tipping the scales simply shy of two.4-tonnes, but someway produces system outputs of 620kW of energy and an astonishing 1400Nm of torque.
I’m additionally reliably advised it’s able to producing as much as 1800Nm given the appropriate engine and gearbox mapping. Maybe there’s a Petronas Version within the making for these with a Tremendous Licence, or these minted sufficient to fund an F1 workforce.
Furthermore, this definitive engineering masterpiece from Mercedes-AMG at present stands because the model’s strongest sequence manufacturing mannequin ever made, apart from the AMG One hypercar which hasn’t had its outputs formally launched, we’re advised.
Thoughts, the earlier AMG GT 63 S with its singular combustion engine was no slouch both, boasting its personal set of equally ballistic numbers; 470kW and 900Nm, however with extra weight up the entrance than solely optimum. That’s the place this new PHEV model improves on issues, with higher weight stability.
Whereas different hybrids place the electrical motor between the engine and the transmission, the most recent Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Efficiency slots the e-motor straight on the rear axle, together with a 6.1kWh battery for a noticeably extra dynamic 50:50 front-rear weight distribution.
The e-motor makes use of an electrically-shifted two-speed gearbox built-in with an electronically-controlled rear diff in addition to the GT’s 4MATIC+ AWD system for the complete complement of energy from each energy items at any time when wanted.
The battery itself weighs simply 89kg, however claims excessive energy density for fast quick charging – even on observe, lap after lap at full tilt. Its all-electric vary is restricted to simply 12 kilometres, however that’s hardly the purpose of this expertise I’d argue.
However, the GT 63 S E Efficiency additionally boasts mixed common gasoline consumption of simply 7.7L/100km – which I discover simply as extraordinary as its zero to 100km/h dash time of a mind-blowing 2.9 seconds. By no means thoughts the dealing with.
Regardless of its appreciable bragging rights, the massive Benz four-door coupe remains to be moderately tame to have a look at. Few will ever guess what this monster is actually able to, at the least from the surface.
Other than extra aerodynamic entrance and rear bumpers and a few particular purple badging, it doesn’t give off the impression that it could run toe-to-toe out of the blocks with the most recent Ferrari 296 GTB mid-engined supercar – so it’s correctly stealth, then.
How does the Mercedes-AMG GT fare vs its rivals?
View an in depth breakdown of the Mercedes-AMG GT in opposition to equally sized autos.
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How a lot does the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Efficiency price?
The most recent AMG GT 63 S E Efficiency is the one GT 4-Door within the Australian vary now, and is priced from $399,990 earlier than on-road prices.
Direct rivals on this rarefied league are few and much between, and quantity to only one; the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, however it could solely muster an insignificant 515kW and 870Nm of all-wheel twist.
Priced from $433,500 excluding on-road prices, it’s significantly dearer than the hybrid powerhouse Benz examined right here.
What’s the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Efficiency like on the within?
Whereas the outside is perhaps decidedly understated, inside the alternative is certainly true of the GT 63 S E Efficiency.
In pit lane I managed to nook the Excessive-Tech Silver automobile with swathes of quilted purple Nappa leather-based, lashings of open-pore timber and loads of polished steel.
There’s nothing that doesn’t appear and feel costly, although not in the identical manner you would possibly discover in a equally priced Bentley Flying Spur.
The Benz inside is a extra driver-focused area with fantastically sculptured sports activities seats designed to maintain the driving force (and three passengers) correctly centred throughout warp-speed cornering – on or off the observe.
There’s additionally an terrible lot happening within the cabin, with an amazing sense of expertise all over the place you look. There’s little or no clean area given the variety of contact buttons, screens and one of many busiest steering wheels you’re ever prone to see in a street automobile.
Oh, sure, this beautifully-crafted, leather-wrapped and perforated tiller successfully will get six spokes, two touchscreen dials and myriad of contact controls for all types of configurability.
That mentioned, the driving force’s show readability and color is solely very good. It stands as one of many solely high-performance vehicles I’ve been capable of clearly see the indicated pace of 245km/h into flip one right here at Sydney Motorsport Park – however I think that’s extra about simply how settled the massive Benz was on the straightaway in addition to the sheer measurement of the head-up show.
Drivers may also set the GT’s regeneration ranges of the hybrid drive by way of the steering wheel buttons and whereas extra time can be wanted to totally gauge the degrees of configurability out there, this was a purely a observe take a look at with every thing ramped-up for max assault.
Remembering this a four-seater however with highly-bolstered pews that do their greatest to imitate the sports activities seats up entrance. There’s additionally an actual sense of the ‘bespoke’ again there with good separation between the 2 passengers and stacks of storage for odds and ends.
In commonplace guise, there’s no folding of the rear seats, however consumers can select the Manufactur Unique package deal which allows the 2 particular person consolation seats to be folded in 40:40 cut up, although the centre console stays fastened.
Boot area is considerably hampered within the GT 63 S E Efficiency resulting from its hybrid structure, dropping round 25 per cent of the 457L boot capability as a purely ICE model. The brand new GT PHEV maxes out baggage area at 335L, however keep in mind it’s a liftback design, really easy entry and loading is a given.
What’s below the bonnet?
The brand new Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Efficiency retains the bulletproof 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, which by itself makes 470kW of energy (5500-6500rpm) and 900Nm of torque (2500-4500rpm).
Energy is delivered to all 4 wheels via a nine-speed AMG Speedshift MCT computerized transmission – successfully an auto with particular person clutches, however on a single shaft moderately the 2 utilized in a dual-clutch unit.
The combustion engine is augmented by an e-motor on the rear axle and a high-density 6.1kWh battery pack which provides 150kW and 320Nm utilizing a two-speed gearbox. In live performance, the twin energy sources produce a mixed system output of 620kW and 1400Nm.
Curiously, the GT 63 employs a classy liquid cooling system to maintain the lithium-ion battery pack at 45 levels Celsius in all method of climate situations – even when pushed exhausting on observe.
The GT 63 S E Efficiency additionally has a fully-electric vary of simply 12km, helpful sufficient, however hardly its USP. However, the light-weight battery (85kg) has an especially fast cost fee – it remained nearly totally charged throughout lap after lap of the circuit at full noise. Fairly outstanding, actually.
Full-tilt acceleration from standstill to 100km/h is over in simply 2.9 seconds, whereas reaching 200km/h takes lower than 10 seconds on its technique to a high pace of 316km/h. Equally spectacular is the monster-Benz’s fuel-consumption claims of a staggeringly frugal 7.7L/100km on the mixed cycle.
How does the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 E Efficiency drive?
For certain that is an especially complicated machine however given the take a look at was confined to the race circuit alone, it meant we just about dialled up every thing to the max and jetted off in a bid to see simply how 2.4 tonnes of subtle Benz expertise feels when pushed effectively past most road-going limits.
The excellent news is there’s all the time an expert race teacher using shotgun at Benz’s observe occasions – largely to supply a number of key tricks to get probably the most out of the automobile but additionally in case all of it appears like going terribly fallacious – particularly on the big speeds this factor is able to.
Whereas drivers can select between a number of drive settings (Electrical, Consolation, Sport, Sport+, Race, Winter and Particular person), we dialled up Sport+, which nonetheless enabled a number of nannies to maintain the automobile firmly on the black stuff – simply in case.
There are extra modes throughout the AMG Dynamics, which supply settings for the likes of rear-steer, 4WD, e-diff and the ESP, however these are additionally linked to the drive modes, so fortunately I didn’t have to fiddle about for this track-only take a look at session.
And whereas there are completely good paddleshifters, we merely left the nine-speed transmission in Auto – although nonetheless pulling a paddle or two out of sheer behavior, although there’s actually no level given the pace at which this factor can swap cogs.
Happily, it was my second time on the observe in as many weeks, which meant we may just about get straight into it the second we left pit lane.
There’s no lag because of the GT’s twin energy sources, however whilst you’re conscious of the e-motor help at instances, I’m nonetheless stunned at how linearly you may squeeze on the ability.
And, whereas its clearly a severely giant automobile, on observe, you actually don’t get that sensation. After a number of laps if you’re snug along with your observe strains, you actually begin pushing the massive GT at a livid tempo, however dare I say with full and utter confidence.
That’s for those who hit your apexes spot on. Get it ever so barely fallacious, although, and also you’ll really feel the would possibly of these 2.4 tonnes pushing on as you scramble to appropriate the road by winding on extra steering lock – regardless of the good thing about rear-axle steer.
The 420mm carbon-ceramic brakes supply stupendous stopping energy at any and all speeds. On the principle straightaway we noticed 245km/h earlier than wiping off a bit into flip one – and that’s with a less-than-ideal entry onto the straight. It’s loopy quick, however someway completely confidence-inspiring on the identical time.
In Sport+ physique management stays appreciably tight and really constant, even below the toughest charging. If something, I might need thought the GT’s air springs would buckle below the G-forces, however not these, not one bit.
It’s all a part of automobile’s adaptive AMG Experience Management system. Truthfully, I’m actually gobsmacked by what this monster four-door coupe is succesful on observe given its proportions and sheer heft.
Naturally, you may dial up EV mode and are available and go from your private home in full silence. However out right here on observe there’s loads of these scrumptious force-fed V8 decibels to experience, although maybe not fairly as thunderous because the earlier straight-ICE model.
What do you get?
AMG GT 63 S E Efficiency highlights:
21-inch solid alloy wheelsExclusive Nappa leather-based upholstery, 4 combinationsGrey open-pore ash wooden trim14-speaker Burmeister sound systemTri-zone local weather controlHearted, cooled entrance seats with therapeutic massage operate Heated armrestsHeated rear seats64-colour ambient lightingHead-up displayElectric glass sunroofWireless smartphone mirroring and chargingMBUX navigation incl. augmented actuality (AR)Energy-closing doorsAMG Efficiency steering wheel with AMG buttonsTirefit and tyre-pressure monitoring systemAMG hybrid-specific displays12.3-inch digital instrument show 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreenRear-axle steeringAMG mild displayAMG Experience ControlAMG carbon-ceramic brakesMetallic paintActive LED headlights incl. energetic shadowing, auto dipping
Choices
AMG Night time Package deal: $3490
AMG Exterior mild Package21-inch AMG cross-spoke solid wheels (matte black)Warmth-insulating dark-tinted glass on rear windowsAMG Night time Package deal 11 together with black badgingVertical louvres of the AMG-specific radiator grille in darkish chrome
AMG Carbon Fibre Package deal: $18,490
AMG Exterior Carbon PackageCarbon-fibre inserts in facet skirtsTrim aspect in entrance wings in carbon-fibreOutside mirror housing in carbon-fibre designFixed rear aerofoil in carbon-fibreAMG matte carbon-fibre trim components
Manufactur Unique Package deal: $8990
Manufactur Nappa Leather-based Upholsteries (3 avaiable)Embossed AMG emblem above enterprise consoleBusiness console with stowage compartmentTemperature-controlled cup holdersTouchscreenMechanical curler sunblind for rear windowGalvanised seat finishers with AMG lettering
AMG Efficiency Ergonomics Package deal: NCO
AMG Efficiency seatsMulti-contour seats
Colors
Customary exterior colors embody:
Polar WhiteObsidian BlackSpectral BlueGraphite GreyHigh-tech Silver
There are additionally 14 completely different non-compulsory Manufactur paints to select from:
Rubellite Purple: $12,990Cote d’Azure Mild Blue Metallic: $12,990Green Hell Mango: $15,990Classic Gray Strong: $12,990Yellowstone Strong: $12,990Kalahari Gold Mango: $12,990Copper Orange Mango: $12,990Vintage Blue Strong: $12,990Graphite Gray Mango: $9490Diamond White Vivid: $2990Selenite Gray Mango: $9490Spectral Blue Mango: $9490Patagonia Purple Metallic: $2990Cashmere White Mango: $9490
Is the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 E Efficiency secure?
The GT 63 S E Efficiency has not been crash examined, and as such doesn’t have a security score from both Euro NCAP or ANCAP.
However it will get 9 airbags, radar cruise management, Pre-Secure Impulse Facet, Energetic Steering Help and Energetic Lane Change Help.
How a lot does the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 E Efficiency price to run?
Mercedes-Benz covers the GT 63 E Efficiency with a five-year, unlimited-kilometre guarantee.
Service intervals are 12 months/20,000km (whichever comes first), with scheduled service plans out there for 3, 4 and five-year phrases.
Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Efficiency servicing pricing:
3yr service plan: $53004yr service plan: $80005yr service plan: $8325
CarExpert’s Tackle the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Efficiency
You can roll as much as your native garden bowls membership within the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Efficiency and nobody would ever guess you’re driving probably the most highly effective series-production automobile ever constructed by the three-pointed star – such is its intrinsic stealth worth.
However the on the spot you ignite the dual-source powertrain on this subtle four-door hybrid and dial up Sports activities+, all hell breaks free.
The truth that a full-size, four-door luxurious automobile may be peddled at full noise round a demanding fast-paced circuit like Sydney Motorsport Park is testomony to the technological sorcery of AMG’s best engineering minds.
I got here to the observe with a blasé perspective about how pointless and costly the automobile is, however after greater than 5, four-lap stints on the trot, I’m completely hooked on AMG’s hybrid system.
Regrettably, although, at round $430,000 on the street, few will ever probably get to pattern the right mix of AMG old-school enjoyable with cutting-edge twenty first Century expertise in its most weaponised type .
I’m glad I’m a type of few.
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MORE: Every thing Mercedes-AMG GT
