STUTTGART, Germany – One thing of a hierarchy turns into obvious whereas cruising on unrestricted sections of the Autobahn. Humble little hatchbacks from Renault and Volkswagen give technique to their scorching hatch counterparts with Rs and Ss on the tailgates. These then make room for extra severe sedans and coupes from BMW and Mercedes. And on the high of the meals chain, an Autobahn apex predator if there ever was one, the automobile I’m in: the (deep breath) 2025 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Efficiency.
It solely takes a portion of the coupe’s monumental 805 horsepower and 1,047 pound-feet of torque for it to say its dominance. I don’t even take it out of Consolation mode. A bit of prod of pedal, some modest rumble from the V8, and the AMG begins racking up kilometers per hour. And regardless of who’s forward of me, I can all the time keep shut, sending the clear message that I can go quicker and I wish to go quicker.
Pleasantly, the GT is cozy. Positive, it’s a bit on the agency aspect, even when in comparison with its near-twin the SL, however it’s regular and relaxed. The elective efficiency seats cradle you deep within the leather-lined inside, offering each consolation and help for dominating the freeway. Chrome and ambient lighting shine round vents and screens. It actually gives about every thing you’d need from a sporty grand tourer.
However the factor is, so can the opposite Mercedes-AMG GTs. They’re additionally quick, smooth and cozy. Not fairly as quick, however I solely managed to get this plug-in hybrid GT to 150 mph earlier than operating into an excessive amount of visitors to go quicker, and any of the others can try this. What does the E Efficiency have that the others don’t?
Primarily, it has bragging rights.
It certain looks like the primary motive to get the (one other deep breath) Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Efficiency is as a result of it’s at present probably the most GT you may get, in size of title and efficiency. We already touched on the large output, and that energy and torque makes the all-wheel E Efficiency the quickest manufacturing Mercedes ever constructed with a 0-60 mph time of two.7 seconds. That’s even faster than the AMG One hypercar. It ekes out a number of extra mph of high velocity over its GT 63 counterpart, too, at 199 (mentioned common GT 63 hits 196). And to wash off velocity, it will get commonplace carbon ceramic brakes which can be 1.1-inch greater up entrance (16.5) and 0.8 inch bigger within the rear (15).
The massive energy enhance, and the title, comes from the E Efficiency plug-in hybrid system that provides a 6.1-kilowatt-hour battery pack and a 201-horsepower permanent-magnet electrical motor to energy the rear axle by way of a a two-speed transmission (although the rear motor can nonetheless energy all 4 wheels by sending energy ahead by way of the identical driveshaft that brings engine energy to the again). Regardless of the two-speed transmission for the electrical motor, you’d by no means discover that there’s an additional little gearbox. Any shifting is imperceptible. It’s additionally spectacular how clean the transition between full-electric and hybrid operation is.
In addition to including efficiency, it actually provides extra to the automobile, which is principally noticeable in the way it fills up a bit of the GT’s generously sized cargo space. There’s nonetheless loads of area left over, and it doesn’t intrude upon (struggles to take care of a straight face) rear “seat” “room.” It provides extra weight, as effectively. Mercedes doesn’t say precisely how a lot, however apparently, it’s sufficient to present the E Efficiency a extra even mass distribution.
The electrical motor opens up some attention-grabbing potentialities for the E Efficiency that might additional improve its skills past numbers, however it doesn’t actually comply with by way of with them. It’s actually a plug-in hybrid, however its usefulness as one is debatable. It solely goes 8 miles on electrical energy, however that’s on the ultra-optimistic European WLTP cycle. That may make for stealthy cruising by way of quiet villages or avoiding European city congestion expenses, however it feels bizarre to pay for 800 horsepower and solely use 200 of it. It’s definitely lots for poking round city, although setting foot on the freeway will shortly expose the boundaries of the motor, and when doing so, you’re certain to push previous the additional resistance within the pedal that reactivates the engine. The 4 regenerative braking modes – together with a one-pedal mode – additionally appear a bit pointless as they’ll solely be accessed when the battery is empty sufficient (a standard component of battery-powered automobiles that’s normally not that huge of a deal); the battery then fills up fairly quickly given its small capability, particularly in Sport and Race modes the place the engine pitches in to high up electrical energy for max efficiency.
In the meantime, a lot of the remainder of the E Efficiency stays corresponding to an everyday GT 63. They each include rear-axle steering, energetic roll stabilization, and principally the identical type. The E Efficiency’s foremost visible distinctions are fender badges, crimson highlights on the rear nameplate, and the charging door on the rear bumper. The usual wheel sizes are even the identical.
Finally, the E Efficiency is simply extra. It’s not higher. It’s not worse, both. It’s simply extra. Arguably, this finish of the market is extra involved with greater than the rest, however honestly you may get mainly the identical expertise with the opposite V8 GTs. These are already extra succesful than any public highway can actually accommodate – be it in Germany or most positively again in the US. As for doable observe use, Mercedes certain doesn’t appear to have a look at the S E Efficiency as a observe automobile, since we did not get to attempt it on observe. That is additionally after we had been advised this next-generation GT was going to go within the sportier, track-oriented route when the SL debuted seeming awfully related in idea to the prevailing GT. Additionally pointing extra to a concentrate on consolation over efficiency is within the steering, which is a bit numb and disconnected, and usually missing its predecessor’s uncooked and visceral really feel. It’s too cool, collected and distant. Right here’s hoping the GT 63 Professional will really show to be AMG’s track-ready reply to the 911 GT3.
If all this feels awfully damaging for an 805-horsepower GT automobile, effectively, it’s all only a matter of perspective. The GT 63 S E Efficiency is not at all a nasty automobile. All that energy is clearly enjoyable, and the automobile is certainly succesful. The V8 actually sounds very good, too – it has a deep, clear rumble, and Race mode provides simply the correct quantity of modest crackle on the overrun. The brand new GT can be attractive with its lengthy nostril and curvy rear finish; it’s higher proportioned than the nose-heavy earlier mannequin, too. The difficulty is, all that applies to “lesser” GT fashions, and though pricing has but to be introduced, one severely doubts the S E Efficiency will command a small value premium. Perhaps consumers of six-figure sports activities vehicles don’t care a lot for worth, however we do, and it’s laborious to not see this plug-in hybrid GT’s as questionable.