Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance

DEEP DRIVE

blistering straight-line performance; surprisingly nimble; clever mechanics

quieter V8 (owing to noise regulations)

Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance

It may be more silent. But don’t be deceived; a bruiser it most definitely is. We strap into AMG’s first-ever, 620 kW PHEV…

Words: Gautam Sharma

AMG is embracing electrification. The first evidence of this was provided by the premiere of the Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4Matic+. However, AMG has broader ambitions in this sphere than merely giving the A alterbach treatment to vehicles that sit on the EQ platform.

The AMG GT 63 S E Performance is an intriguing newcomer, given it’s the first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) to wear AMG badges, but South African buyers will have to wait until later this year to get their hands on one. Unlike conventional PHEVs, the focus here is not to provide a meaningful electric-only range or significantly lower fuel consumption.

The real USP of the newcomer is an innovative high-performance battery pack and a raft of clever software that enables electrical energy to be rapidly harnessed and deployed in a similar way that F1 cars do with their KERS systems. The newbie is also the most powerful AMG to date, kicking out a mountainous 620 kW and 1 470 Nm of torque from

DEEP DATA

MERCEDES-AMG GT 63 S E PERFORMANCE

Price: TBC Engine: 4.0 L, V8, turbopetrol plug-in hybrid Transmission: 9-spd AT Driven wheels: 4

Power 620 kW Torque: 1 470 Nm 0-100km/h: 2.9 seconds Top speed: 316 km/h Fuel consumption: 8.6 L/100km CO2: 196 g/km

Length: 5 054 mm Height: 1 455 mm Width: 1 953 mm Wheelbase: 2 951 mm Weight: 2 380 kg Luggage capacity: 335-1 204 L Fuel tank: 66 L Warranty: TBC Maintenance plan: TBC

its petrol-electric powertrain, comfortably out grunting even the thundering GT Black Series.

It won’t be cheap, though, with a price tag of around 40 per cent steeper (gulp) than the conventionally powered GT 63 S 4-door. This outlay will get buyers into a coupé-styled saloon that comfortably thumps all fourdoor rivals in raw numbers. It’s pretty hard to argue with its towering power and torque outputs, and the GT 63 S E Performance comes with all the chassis hardware and software to make the most of its titanic straightline performance.

Among the tech that keeps the E Performance’s mighty grunt in check is AMG RIDE CONTROL+ suspension, which is based on multi-chamber air suspension with automatic level control, combined with adaptive, electronically controlled adjustable damping. Rear-wheel steering is standard, as is an electronic limited-slip di erential and 4Matic+ with variable torque distribution that channels drive from the petrol and electric powertrains optimally among the four wheels.

The GT 63 S E Performance also gets larger ceramic composite brakes than the standard GT 63 S. The front items measure 420 mm and the rear units, 380mm. Bronze-coloured six-piston fixed callipers are used at the front and one-piston floating callipers at the rear.

Design changes over the standard car are low-key, with the significant tweaks being a new front bumper, modelled on the two-door GT, bespoke badging highlighted in red, new exhaust outlets and exclusive 20- and 21inch wheel designs. The rear bumper is also unique to the S E Performance, as it incorporates the flap that conceals the charging socket. Besides this, the PHEV is almost visually identical to the recently facelifted standard GT 4-Door Coupé.

It’s a similar theme of subtle upgrades inside. As with other Mercedes PHEV models, there are several hybrid-specific displays for

IT’S PRETTY HARD TO ARGUE WITH ITS TOWERING POWER AND TORQUE OUTPUTS, AND THE GT 63 S E PERFORMANCE COMES WITH ALL THE CHASSIS HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE TO MAKE THE MOST OF ITS TITANIC STRAIGHT-LINE PERFORMANCE.

the MBUX infotainment system, including an EV range indicator, real-time powerconsumption data and an electric-motor power gauge.

The core part of the GT 63 S E Performance’s powertrain remains the familiar MercedesAMG 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, which thrashes out 470 kW and 900 Nm on its own. Mated to the brawny V8 is the equally well-known ninespeed automatic transmission with a wet start-up clutch. However, the real point of interest is the hybrid system, which, in principle, is similar to the KERS systems used by F1 cars to harvest and deploy electrical energy rapidly. AMG execs say the highperformance battery pack has twice the energy density of conventional battery packs, yet its overall capacity is relatively modest at 6.1 kWh.

The reason for this is that the battery pack isn’t there to provide a meaningful EVonly range (you’ll be lucky to cover 10 km on battery power alone) but rather to provide short, sharp bursts of energy (up to 150 kW and 320 Nm for up to 10 seconds) that enable the GT 63 S E Performance to slingshot out of corners on the racetrack or perform safe, rapid overtakes on public roads.

The battery pack and the electric motor are compact and neatly packaged in unison with the rear axle. The battery pack has a liquid cooling system (with 14 litres of coolant) to keep temperatures in the optimum zone below 45 degrees Celsius. Unlike the Ferrari 296 GTB, where the electric motor sits between the V6 and the gearbox, the electric motor sends drive to the rear wheels via its own two-speed transmission.

The hybrid system comes at a cost (apart from the financial one) as it adds 240 kg of mass, taking the S E Performance’s girth up to a sumo-like 2 380 kg. Even so, it hides its weight well, dispatching the 0-100 km/h dash in a neck-snapping

HOWEVER, THE REAL POINT OF INTEREST IS THE HYBRID SYSTEM, WHICH, IN PRINCIPLE, IS SIMILAR TO THE KERS SYSTEMS USED BY F1 CARS TO HARVEST AND DEPLOY ELECTRICAL ENERGY RAPIDLY.

Interior is familiar AMG GT fare, though the MBUX multimedia setup gains several hybrid-specific menus. Suspension mode selected via AMG Performance steering wheel, as are the regeneration levels of the hybrid drive. Individual seats for rear passengers.

2.9 seconds. It can also hit a hypercar-rivalling 316 km/h flat out, given a long enough straight on a racetrack.

There are various strategies for how the battery pack harnesses and deploys energy. You get a full electric boost under hard acceleration if you select Race mode via the twist knob on the steering wheel. But the first thing to get your head around when you fire up the S E Performance (at least in Comfort mode) is that there’s no sound, even as you gently pull away from the kerb as it relies purely on electric power at low speeds. It seems most un-AMG-like.

Try running it in pureelectric mode, and it’s not long before the battery is drained and the petrol engine kicks in. Even then, the twin-turbo V8 isn’t as raucous as the regular GT 63 S’s. AMG’s engineers have dialled back the decibels in line with the ever-stricter noise regulations.

Primarily, the S E Performance drives like its conventional combustion counterpart. Still, it’s a more refined chariot as, apart from being quieter, the adaptive dampers provide more ride compliancy in Comfort mode as there’s now a greater spread between the various drive modes. You need to keep a watchful eye on the speedo, though, as the GT 63 S E racks up high three-digit speeds with such deceptive ease and rapidity that your driver’s licence could end up as confetti if you don’t exercise self-control.

A subsequent track session proved equally enlightening, and our playground for the day was the 4.43 km Circuito Monteblanco. The track comprises a couple of corners with heavy braking points and a few fast, flowing bends.

Given that the S E Performance weighs almost 2.4 tonnes, our expectations weren’t high, but it proved to be a (rather large) surprise packet. With Race mode selected, the plan of attack was as follows: the first couple of laps would be relatively sane sighters to help replenish the battery pack (which at the start of the session was at 57 per cent capacity) and get a general idea of the track layout.

Within a couple of laps, the battery level had escalated to almost 90 per cent, as the regenerative braking and combustion engine did their bit to top up the charge. With an almost fully replenished battery, it was then full attack, with five-time DTM champion Bernd Schneider leading the way in an identical car.

Aided by its 50:50 weight balance, its raft of clever chassis-management electronics, and four-wheel steering, the S E Performance is surprisingly nimble. The steering doesn’t serve up a vast amount of feedback, but it’s accurate and well-weighted.

You wouldn’t think a chariot as heavy as this would enjoy being manhandled on a track, yet it does. There’s a reasonable degree of adjustability through corners, and the fact it’s not nose-heavy means turn-in is decently sharp.

It’s not likely too many prospective owners of this car will be track-day regulars, but it’s still good to know the S E Performance isn’t out of its depth on a circuit. For what it’s worth, AMG engineers say the car is around two seconds a lap quicker around the Hockenheim circuit than the standard GT 63 S 4-door.

Undoubtedly, the GT 63 S E Performance debuts some very interesting tech, and it’s a good pointer to one of the directions of AMG’s electrification strategy. Apart from PHEVs and EQ-based o erings, AMG plans to develop its own EVs from the ground up. A

THE VERDICT

4 5

One may question whether the newbie’s added complexity and price premium over the regular GT 63 S is justifiable, given that it’s not dramatically faster or more rewarding to drive in most conditions. However, if you simply must have the latest and greatest, the GT 63 S E Performance doesn’t disappoint. It’s an impressive and highly cohesive piece of engineering.