The 2025 Mercedes-AMG GT63 S E Performance Is ... Quicker Than Every Other AMG?!
It’s almost stupidly complex, yet the results are simple: This plug-in hybrid is a hammer.
Mercedes-AMG’s second-generation GT sports car wants for little. Sure, it could use a diet, but the new version’s several hundred extra pounds beget a larger footprint, more on-road comfort, all-wheel drive, and space for a back seat. Yet performance is hardly affected—the GT63 version we recently tested rips to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds and is still great on a track. What could AMG possibly have cooked up for its 577-hp missile that has it all? More power and more acceleration. Because why not?
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To deliver that, the AMG GT63 S E Performance has a lot going on (and we don't mean its runway-length name). A summary:
The GT63’s 577-hp twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 is swapped with an even mightier version making 603 hp and 627 lb-ft. At the rear, a 201-hp, 236-lb-ft permanently excited synchronous electric motor powers a limited-slip differential via its own two-speed automatic transmission; the motor is literally topped by a liquid-cooled, 4.8-kWh-usable lithium-ion battery pack. Between the engine and motor is a long driveshaft and a single-clutch, nine-speed automatic transmission. AMG’s fully variable 4Matic+ all-wheel-drive system is aboard, too. The electric motor is tied directly to the rear differential and can therefore send power to the front axle via the driveshaft and transfer case in both electric-only and hybrid modes, affording electric-only AWD.
A port in the rear bumper leads to a built-in 3.7-kW AC charger that accepts electricity from a Level 2 charger or household outlet to return a yet-to-be-specified amount of electric-only driving range. In the European-spec cars we drove for this review, the digital gauge cluster estimated about 9 miles with a full battery, way below the 20 to 30 delivered by most plug-in hybrids these days.
Power is the goal, not so much environmental tree-hugging. Total output is a massive 805 hp—228 more than you get in the GT63. Fuzzy math that considers the torque multiplication of the two-speed transmission puts total torque figure at 1,024 lb-ft according to AMG. But we don’t quote specifications after an automatic transmission’s torque multiplication is factored in, so peak torque is likely slightly south of the 863-lb-ft sum of the engine and motor. That’s still an awful lot of torque and a significant upgrade over the already beefy GT63.
How Does This All Work?
That depends on which drive mode you’re using. The AMG GT63 S E Performance offers drivers Electric, Comfort, Sport, Sport+, and Race modes in addition to Battery Hold (which maintains charge in the battery for later electric driving stints, like, say, when entering an emissions-free city center), Slippery, and Individual modes. In Comfort, the computers prioritize using electricity until the battery reaches 23 percent charge (a baseline it maintains for full-throttle blasts); this results in primarily electric-only motoring up to 87 mph unless you hit the kickdown switch with the accelerator, at which point the engine will fire until you ease off.
Sport, Sport+, and Race modes are, obviously, more entertaining, heightening the noise from AMG’s V-8 (which will stay running) and also shoveling energy back into the battery more quickly. In fact, by switching between these sportier settings and Comfort or Electric modes (which locks the car in EV mode unless you hit the kickdown or charge falls to 23 percent), you can work in an awful lot of electric-only driving. The car is fairly peppy in EV-only mode, too; although thrust falls off as you accelerate, it can easily handle your commute.
It’s a rarity in any plug-in hybrid to be able to recharge the battery anywhere close to full after unplugging. The GT63’s smallish battery is designed to quickly discharge and charge, though—AMG says at rates up to 100 kW during regenerative braking events. So, even though the initial EV-only range following a charging session is only a few miles, you can multiply that by several times per tank if you’re judicious with the steering-wheel-mounted drive mode knob.
Drivers can also adjust the level of braking regen between four levels; AMG says the strongest equates to a “one-pedal” driving mode, but lifting off the accelerator doesn’t bring the car to a complete stop. Also, if the battery is close to full, the stronger regen settings are locked out.
Is the GT63 S E Performance Faster?
Yes. Mercedes-AMG claims the S E Performance model can rip to 60 mph in only 2.7 seconds, which is likely quicker than you can say the entire name out loud. Its claim for the regular GT63 is a still-blistering 3.1 seconds, and even the lighter, 720-hp previous-generation AMG GT Black Series only manages a 2.9-second run. Launch-control starts are pure violence, giving you those stomach-flopping sensations of an EV smoothly catapulting off the line, but accompanied by the wonderful noises of that 4.0-liter V-8 (which also ensures acceleration just keeps on going as speed builds and doesn't taper off like in a purely electric car). It doesn’t feel hyperbolic when AMG says the E Performance will be quicker than every other car it builds, including the upcoming AMG One hypercar.
There is so much power available at any speed and any engine rpm, you can forget this electrified AMG is even heavier than the already porky GT63, too. With its liquid-cooled battery, electric motor and rear transmission, and extra oil cooling circuits throughout, the S E Performance must be hundreds of pounds heavier (final curb weights are forthcoming).
The S E Performance only reveals its mass when you push it hard in slower corners; even when you’re aware of the weight, though, it hardly impacts your speed. (More gadgets help: AMG’s rear-axle steering can turn the rear wheels up to 2.5 degrees, and the hydraulic Active AMG Ride Control system replaces the mechanical anti-roll bars.) This impression could change in a track setting—we didn’t have the chance to lap during our drive—where the regular 63 reveals some mass-effect tire and braking limitations, but on back roads and the autobahn, the hybrid’s weight is well masked.
There's little else to complain about. The brake pedal gives up some of the firmness we enjoy in the regular GT63, its squishy, at times wooden feel common among hybrids, although there is immediate response at the top of the pedal stroke, and braking power is strong. That high-mounted battery in back eats up about half of the cargo well, leaving a roller-bag-sized slot by the rear bumper and a large shelf above squeezed by the fastback rear glass. A largish duffel fits up there, and two roller bags can go in the cubby, so there’s still plenty of space for two adults’ luggage. Price could be another pain point. Mercedes-AMG hasn’t finalized the MSRP, but the non–S E Performance GT63 starts at $178,750, so don’t expect to pay less than $200,000 for one of these.
If you consider the newest AMG GT’s mission as retaining or building upon its smaller, lighter, and more track-focused predecessor’s performance while increasing comfort and everyday utility, the S E Performance is the most maximal expression of that program yet. It’s ridiculously quick, and its at times silent electric operation makes it even smoother and more luxurious. Necessary? Hardly. Awesome? Yes.
A lifelong car enthusiast, I stumbled into this line of work essentially by accident after discovering a job posting for an intern position at Car and Driver while at college. My start may have been a compelling alternative to working in a University of Michigan dining hall, but a decade and a half later, here I am reviewing cars; judging our Car, Truck, and Performance Vehicle of the Year contests; and shaping MotorTrend’s daily coverage of the automotive industry.
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