Mercedes-AMG GT 4-door Coupe review

The AMG’s suite of cutting-edge drivetrain and chassis technology doesn’t end there. There’s a torque-vectoring, actively locking differential at the rear axle; four-wheel steering as standard; active aerodynamics similar to those found on the GT R coupé; lightweight alloy wheels; and an electromechanical steering rack with a passive variable ratio. A multitude of drive modes and corresponding selectable traction and stability control programs (the latter dubbed AMG Dynamics) are also present to allow the driver to fine-tune the handling to a level that, AMG claims, isn’t possible on its lesser cars.

For suspension, V8-powered GT 4-Doors make use of a pseudo double-wishbone arrangement at the front and a multi-link configuration at the rear, along with air springs and AMG’s Ride Control adaptive dampers. Anti-roll bars derived from those of the GT R help reduce the weight of both axles.

On that subject, however, our fully fuelled GT63 weighed 2135kg on our test scales, with that mass split 54:46 front to rear. For perspective, the front half of it weighed 1155kg – 10kg more than an entire Volkswagen Polo. The BMW M5 we tested last year was almost 200kg lighter. Not the best omen for the car’s handling – but also not one beyond AMG’s established powers to recover from.

You would expect any AMG to acquit itself at least reasonably well on track, and although it is hardly a track-day car, so it proved when the GT63 took to the Dunlop circuit at MIRA. In fact, the lap time this car set was right up there with far more serious machinery and it comfortably outpaced the Bentley Continental GT we tested in almost identical conditions last year.

The AMG’s cast-iron brakes did wilt after just three rounds, with the car’s road-spec Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres quickly following suit, but it ultimately went three seconds quicker than the car from Crewe.

Thank rock-solid stability through the big braking zones and fastest corners along with the tractive benefits of a driven front axle. Few cars ask to be driven so hard but are then so tolerant of mistakes, if not outright provocation.

Comfort and Isolation

Simply put, if long-striding cruising refinement is more of a priority than usable, accessible rear seats, you’re better off buying an S560 Coupé than this; not that AMG diehards would even contemplate as much.

The GT63 is far from raucous at a cruise, but our noise meter recorded 72dB at 70mph, which compares poorly with the 66dB the Continental GT recorded and is considerably louder than even a BMW BMW M5. No single source for this cabin noise is readily apparent, and it’s certainly not enough to hinder conversation, but AMG’s in-house models have always generated a pervasive blend of wind and tyre roar in addition to the thrum of the engine, and that’s the case here.

But if the GT63’s aural finesse is a touch below par, the same cannot be said for the manner in which it cossets its occupants. AMG’s Performance seats might look the part but the standard items, as fitted to our test car, are more than adequately bolstered and supremely comfortable, even if their massagers feel a bit as though you’re being poked through an aeroplane seat.

The car’s ride quality also belies the outward demeanour. There are occasional edges to be felt but they are softer and more infrequent than you’ll find in the CLS 53, and many other quick saloons besides. The car has a long-legged gait, and as one tester standing on a Welsh mountainside put it, you’d drive an M5 to London, but you’d drive the AMG all the way back to Affalterbach – and you’d enjoy every mile.