2025 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance Sets Sights on the 911 Turbo S

• Mercedes introduces a bonkers new version of its AMG GT Coupe sports car.
• It employs a V8 and plug-in hybrid powertrain to produce 805 horsepower.
• And it faces off against truly exotic Italian machinery.

After its return for 2024 following a three-year hiatus, the Mercedes-AMG GT Coupe returns for its second act: the addition of a plug-in hybrid model that isn't concerned with fuel savings or electric range, but rather brute force and speed. The new flagship GT 63 S E Performance trim leads the coupe lineup with more than 800 horsepower, Formula 1 battery technology, and a price tag likely north of $200,000. (Mercedes hasn't announced pricing yet, but the current lineup tops out at around $177,000.)

Pairing a turbocharged V8, electric motor and sophisticated battery power management, the GT 63 S E Performance promises to vault Mercedes into the elite circle of hypercar manufacturers, albeit one that also makes a consumer-grade truck originally designed for the military, delivery vans and a subcompact SUV. 

The latest GT Coupe distills ideas from Benz's Formula 1 race team into its battery system, featuring liquid cooling for each of the battery's individual 560 cells, with coolant that can absorb two to three times more heat than indirect water cooling typically used in other designs. Not only does it regulate battery temperatures, but it also allows the battery to uncork enough juice for bursts of power of up to 201 hp. But with a relatively slow 3.7-kW onboard charge rate, don't expect to replenish the battery in any hurry from a standard charging stall.

What's under the AMG GT's hood?

The AMG GT lineup is split between a sedan (which Mercedes confusingly calls the 4-Door Coupe) and the actual two-door Coupe. The four-door is powered by turbocharged V6 and V8 engines, ranging from 362 horsepower to 831 horsepower. The turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 powering the base trim GT 43 (362 hp, 369 lb-ft of torque) is upgraded to 429 hp and 384 lb-ft in GT 53 trim. Moving up to the GT 63 brings the twin-turbo V8 (577 hp, 590 lb-ft), while the GT 63 S gets even more rambunctious (630 hp, 664 lb-ft) and includes an upgraded handling package. Things get positively bonkers with AMG GT 63 S E Performance, which adds a plug-in hybrid powertrain to the V8, resulting in a hardly believable 831 hp and 1,033 lb-ft.

Until now, the Coupe lineup was a little more tame. Both AMG GT 55 4Matic+ and 63 4Matic+ employed the turbocharged V8, with the former producing 469 hp and the latter, 577 hp. As the 4Matic designation suggests, both employ Mercedes' all-wheel-drive system to handle all that furious power and torque.

But that changes for the 2025 model year as the Coupe receives the electrified treatment. With its plug-in hybrid powertrain composed of that same turbo V8 powering the front wheels and an electric motor driving the rears, the newest GT Coupe S E Performance trim makes a combined 805 hp and 1,047 lb-ft of torque — numbers you don't see until you get into custom, low-earth orbit models from the likes of Hennessey, Bugatti, Koenigsegg and SSC.

With power routed through a nine-speed transmission, the GT Coupe can sprint from zero to 60 mph in 2.7 seconds, en route to a top speed of 199 mph, according to Mercedes. All that power is managed by all-wheel drive, an adaptive suspension with hydraulically linked dampers at all four corners (working together to near instantly squash body roll), a limited-slip rear differential in the electric motor, and rear-wheel-steering. The 6.1-kWh battery is also located over the rear axle for improved balance and traction, while the rear motor can also send power to the front wheels if the rear tires start to slip under a tsunami of torque. 

There are eight different drive modes with the usual Comfort, Sport and Sport+ settings, but also modes for high-performance track driving, enhanced traction and electric-only power. Of course, bringing more than 800 hp to heel is no easy task, so six-piston carbon-ceramic brakes are standard equipment. Four levels of regenerative braking let you dial in your preference for deceleration, including an aggressive one-pedal driving mode.

How's the AMG GT's interior? 

The GT Coupe's 2+2 seating — think two adult seats and two emergency jump seats — is complemented by standard power-adjustable AMG seats, but optional seats with integrated headrests, ventilated backrests, and three massage programs take comfort to another level. An optional package even ties seat functions to ambient cabin lighting, offering a deeper journey into night-driving Zen.

Single and two-tone Nappa leather upholstery upgrades are optional, as well as the even more upscale factory Manufaktur designs that include diamond-quilted leather or combinations of Nappa and microfiber inserts. For American buyers, the Manufaktur offerings extend further to include exclusive paint colors (Desert Sand, Cirrus Silver Magno); leather-wrapped panels, armrests and center console; deep-pile floor mats and AMG badging.

Competitors to consider

With two doors, two seats (and nominally two more emergency use-only rear seats) and more than 800 hp, there isn't much that competes with the new AMG GT 63 S E Performance except at the fringes of exotic Italian performance. The Porsche 911 Turbo S is its closest rival, with similarly superlative performance that, on paper anyway, falls short of the AMG with a paltry 640 horsepower. The 911's telepathic handling and crackling engagement may still make it the driver's choice, though, and it can catapult from zero to 60 in around 2.6 seconds, a hair faster than the AMG. The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170, which bowed out last year, is a looser and woolier beast that nonetheless offers a different flavor of visceral white-knuckle thrills.

Edmunds says

The GT 63 S E Performance promises the kind of capability usually only seen in specialist hypercars. We'll know soon if the price is equally hyper.