Published:
22 March 2019AMG chief Tobias Moers says this 4.0-litre engine is now nearing the limit of its performance potential. Handily for him, on the basis of this road test – in the lesser of two available derivatives, let’s not forget – you have to question how much more power a four-door performance car could ever sensibly need.
With the car’s launch control program working well and the traction benefits of four-wheel drive very evident, our telemetry timed the 577bhp GT63 to 62mph in 3.4sec, with 100mph arriving after 7.7sec – a mere 0.5sec behind that of the Mercedes-AMG GT R tested in 2017.
On a cool dry surface, the car’s getaway is fantastically crisp, as fresh waves of force then jolt the car forward with each successive gear ratio dropping the tacho needle right into the sweet spot of the engine’s power band. MIRA’s testing straights are a mile long, which was enough for the GT63 to surpass 170mph with a zeal that suggests the claimed 193mph top speed is either electronically enforced or quite conservatively estimated.
The car’s standard-fit cast-iron brakes well match this whirlwind of acceleration, biting crisply but without unnecessary assistance and eliciting barely a squirm from the chassis when worked hard. The GT63 duly pulled up from 70mph just 3.9ft later than its coupé sibling, despite tipping the scales at 2135kg – some 470kg more than the GT R.
