The 2025 Mercedes-AMG GT63 S E Performance A Monster for Maniacs and Nerds Who Love to Fiddle
The 2025 Mercedes-AMG GT63 S E Performance coupe is a freight train. The sheer power of its twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 and rear-mounted electric motor is enough to tow a small building, change the direction the Earth spins and get her to call you back. A car like this gives you access to power 17th-century kings could only dream of, yet it's so modern and tech-forward that you need to be a massive nerd to get the most out of it. This is a car for the type of person who sees a Formula 1 driver tinkering with the various buttons and switches on their steering wheel and thinks, "Yeah, I want to do that too." There are endless permutations and combinations and options to choose from behind the wheel of the GT63 S E Performance. You can tailor it to be exactly what you want it to be, whether that be a supercar that rules the road with the tyrannical malice of King Henry VIII, or a quiet luxury coupe that blasts down the highway in near silence (it is a plug-in hybrid, after all) as you think about how much better you are at picking cars than everybody else. In many ways, this car is the pinnacle of AMG right now, and it should be treated as such. Full Disclosure: Mercedes-AMG was kind enough to lend me a fully fueled and charged GT63 S E Performance to do with as I pleased for a week.
In This Article:
- Hybrid Powerhouse with 805 hp and 1,420 Nm Torque from a 201 hp Electric Motor
- Precision Transmission and Explosive Launches 0 to 100 km/h in 2.4 Seconds
- Electric Driving On Tap with 17.7 Kilometers of Pure Electric Range
- Handling and Dynamics With Rear-Bias and 419 mm Front Carbon Ceramic Brakes
- Interior Tech and Configurability A Nerds Paradise
- Price, Options and Verdict on the AMG GT63 S E Performance
Hybrid Powerhouse with 805 hp and 1,420 Nm Torque from a 201 hp Electric Motor
At the heart of the AMG GT63 S E Performance's madness is its drivetrain. It starts with the same twin-turbo M177 4.0-liter V8 found in other V8 AMG GTs (and every other V8-powered Mercedes). On its own, it makes plenty of power — 603 horsepower (≈449 kW) — but that's not nearly enough for the lunatics in AMG's engineering department. So they decided to throw a rear-mounted 201-hp electric motor (≈149 kW) with its own two-speed transmission and a 5-kWh battery into the mix. When you combine all of these things, you get some gargantuan numbers: 805 hp (≈600 kW) and 1,420 Nm of torque.
Precision Transmission and Explosive Launches 0 to 100 km/h in 2.4 Seconds
This unending power gets sent to all four corners via Mercedes' very confusing and very German MCT multiclutch transmission. It's not a traditional dual clutch, but it also doesn't have a torque converter, instead using a start-off wet clutch. My brain hurts just thinking about it. In any case, it does a hell of a job at launching the nearly 2,177-kg coupe. 0-100 km/h in 2.4 seconds, according to Car and Driver's instrumented testing, and while I didn't pull out my own VBOX, I'd say that sounds about right. If you keep your foot in it, the quarter-mile will be dispatched in just 10.4 seconds at 217 km/h, as you are well on your way to the electronically limited 321 km/h top speed. Yowza.
Electric Driving On Tap with 17.7 Kilometers of Pure Electric Range
All of this power means the GT63 S E Performance is a monster on the road. It can produce the sort of speed that makes even the longest straights disappear in the blink of an eye, as the intake noise from the big V8 stifles any chance you have of hearing the kick-ass Burmester sound system. While this car is admittedly not as nimble as the far-lighter nonhybrid AMG GT63 Pro I drove in Germany (and nearly v-maxxed on the Autobahn), it's still no slouch in the corners thanks in part to the car's active roll control and rear-axle steering system, which also made in-town maneuverability that much easier. Sure, this thing has all-wheel-drive, but in corners, I could definitely feel the rear bias in the powertrain that was aided by the electric motor and the fact it's actually a bit heavier out back than it is up front. All of this means, in the traditional AMG way, that the car is quite tail happy. Unfortunately it can feel a bit wayward, especially if you don't tune and calibrate the 10,000,000 individual settings correctly. I could also feel the car having some trouble blending the traditional 419 mm front carbon ceramic brakes and regen braking system, especially during more spirited driving. It takes a lot to slow down a car as heavy as this, and while I never really lost confidence in the system, it did make me go "huh" a few times.
Handling and Dynamics With Rear-Bias and 419 mm Front Carbon Ceramic Brakes
Luckily, there's enough grip from the 21-inch Michelin Pilot Sport S 5 summer tires that getting into trouble is very hard. Once I was out of a corner, I could just rocket onto the next one, and because the electric motor has that trick two-speed gearbox, the extra power never dies out. I suggest the latter. It's the same setup used by the SL roadster, S63 sedan and GT four-door coupe E Performance models. All of this power means the GT63 S E Performance is a monster on the road. It can produce the sort of speed that makes even the longest straights disappear in the blink of an eye, as the intake noise from the big V8 stifles any chance you have of hearing the kick-ass Burmester sound system. While this car is admittedly not as nimble as the far-lighter nonhybrid AMG GT63 Pro I drove in Germany (and nearly v-maxxed on the Autobahn), it's still no slouch in the corners thanks in part to the car's active roll control and rear-axle steering system, which also made in-town maneuverability that much easier. Sure, this thing has all-wheel-drive, but in corners, I could definitely feel the rear bias in the powertrain that was aided by the electric motor and the fact it's actually a bit heavier out back than it is up front. All of this means, in the traditional AMG way, that the car is quite tail happy. Unfortunately it can feel a bit wayward, especially if you don't tune and calibrate the 10,000,000 individual settings correctly. I could also feel the car having some trouble blending the traditional 16.5-inch front carbon ceramic brakes and regen braking system, especially during more spirited driving. It takes a lot to slow down a car as heavy as this, and while I never really lost confidence in the system, it did make me go "huh" a few times.
Interior Tech and Configurability A Nerds Paradise
All of this power means the GT63 S E Performance is a monster on the road. It can produce the sort of speed that makes even the longest straights disappear in the blink of an eye, as the intake noise from the big V8 stifles any chance you have of hearing the kick-ass Burmester sound system. While this car is admittedly not as nimble as the far-lighter nonhybrid AMG GT63 Pro I drove in Germany (and nearly v-maxxed on the Autobahn), it's still no slouch in the corners thanks in part to the car's active roll control and rear-axle steering system, which also made in-town maneuverability that much easier. Sure, this thing has all-wheel-drive, but in corners, I could definitely feel the rear bias in the powertrain that was aided by the electric motor and the fact it's actually a bit heavier out back than it is up front. All of this means, in the traditional AMG way, that the car is quite tail happy. Unfortunately it can feel a bit wayward, especially if you don't tune and calibrate the 10,000,000 individual settings correctly. I could also feel the car having some trouble blending the traditional 16.5-inch front carbon ceramic brakes and regen braking system, especially during more spirited driving. It takes a lot to slow down a car as heavy as this, and while I never really lost confidence in the system, it did make me go "huh" a few times. For them, the Mercedes-AMG GT63 S E Performance is the perfect car that'll let them scratch the itch an F1 steering wheel simulator never will, but for me, it just kept me wondering if I made the right choice — and that isn't what I want to be thinking about while being shoved toward the horizon by 1,420 Nm of torque.
Price, Options and Verdict on the AMG GT63 S E Performance
If you don't count the Mercedes-AMG One because it's a super-exclusive F1-derived hypercar that isn't even road legal in the U.S., the AMG GT63 S E Performance is the pinnacle of AMG, and to no one's surprise, the Germans have priced it as such. To start, the car will set you back $203,450, including destination. That's the exact same price as the AMG GT63 Pro, a non-hybrid hardcore version of the car it shares its top-dog crown with. However, adding the electric motor to the normal AMG GT63 Coupe also means you've got to add $20,850 to its price tag. That's a hell of a lot of money, but you're also getting a hell of a lot more power with the E Performance. Of course, this is a Mercedes-AMG, so none of them are going to be base models either way. The car I drove had such niceties as those $4,000 21-inch gold forged wheels I mentioned, a $9,750 Manufaktur interior upgrade package, $3,200 AMG performance seats, a wonderful-sounding $4,500 Burmester Surround sound system, a $1,950 driver assistance package, and a few other odds and ends that brought the as-tested price of the car I drove to $232,450. I know, I know. That's a lot of money for a car that, in its cheapest four-cylinder GT43 guise, starts at $107,750. That being said, it's actually cheaper than competition like the Porsche 911 Turbo S ($272,650), Aston Martin DB12 ($265,500) and McLaren GTS ($230,000ish to start). So, in a way, the AMG GT63 S E Performance is actually a bargain, and because you're a dork nerd, you're going to love that. That's why I'm a bit split on this car. I'm not a dork. Just kidding, I clearly am, but I don't necessarily want to have to fiddle with 1,000,000 settings to find the one that is exactly right for every driving scenario. It had me acting like Goldilocks, looking for the perfect place to be, rather than just settling into something, and that is distracting. I don't mean it's distracting from the literal task of driving. I mean, it's distracting when you're trying to enjoy the drive, and if you bought the pinnacle of AMG cars, it's a safe bet that you wanted to enjoy your drive. Granted, some folks might love the idea of having to set up their car for each individual task. There are people out there who love to fiddle and love an aggressive-ass car. I'm just not one of them. For them, the Mercedes-AMG GT63 S E Performance is the perfect car that'll let them scratch the itch an F1 steering wheel simulator never will, but for me, it just kept me wondering if I made the right choice — and that isn't what I want to be thinking about while being shoved toward the horizon by 1,420 Nm of torque.
