Pros
- Still quick
- Comfortable
- Now has back seats
Cons
- Feels chubby because it is
- More capable than stirring
- Those back seats are useless
When redesigning its GT sports car, Mercedes-AMG faced a conundrum: Customers loved the performance but felt the AMG GT was a bit too uncompromising. Enter this new GT, which is larger, heavier, and more comfort-focused than the lithe and stiff first-generation car.
One question the GT’s softening raises: Can a sports car that sacrifices some performance for occupants’ comfort be considered a step forward for something competing for Performance Vehicle of the Year?
AMG engineers certainly worked hard to mask the GT’s biggest sin—a 600-ish-pound weight gain from its bigger body; new, largely performative rear seat; more luxurious interior; and addition of 4Matic+ all-wheel drive. The stylists did possibly too good of a job working toward the same goal—numerous judges couldn’t much tell the difference between this new car and the old GT.
Power helps. This GT63 variant sits above the entry-level GT43 and the GT55; its 577 hp matches that of the last-gen GT R model, while its 590 lb-ft of torque lines up with the old range-topping GT Black Series. And remember, this is merely the midlevel GT, vaguely akin to the old GT C—surely there will be more muscular models to come.
Despite weighing 449 pounds more than the last GT C we tested, this GT63 smokes it to 60 mph, its 3.1-second rip knocking half a second off that car’s time. The 63 even nibbles at the heels of the previous rear-drive GT Black Series’ 2.9-second result—and that track-devouring model was some 600 pounds lighter and had 720 hp on board. Suffice it to say, the all-wheel-drive GT63 gets out of the box in a hurry.
On the track, the GT63’s mass is clearly felt, but its power and AWD mean you can slingshot out of corners hard on the gas, and if you dial back the stability control, you can slide the tail out just like you could in the previous rear-driver.
And although its other objective performance figures are impressive—from its 1.05 g skidpad grip to its 23.4-second figure-eight lap time (at an average of nearly 0.90 g!) and 102-foot stop from 60 mph—you just can’t shake this GT’s beer gut on the track. By the end of several judges’ third hot laps, the brakes were starting to succumb to heat, and so were the tires.
Viewed outside of a pure track environment—where the previous GT shone brightest—the GT63 is unquestionably a better everyday performance car. It’s faster than all hell, the V-8 sounds incredible, and handling is stable and grippy (Driver Confidence and Engagement? Check!), all of which make fast-road blasts, well, a blast. The rest of the time, the GT63’s less choppy ride and better-trimmed interior increase its practical comportment. Quite a trick for AMG to pull off, adding more “more” without blunting the car’s edge too much—points for Engineering Excellence, another of our criteria.
Which brings us back to our central question of whether compromising some of the previous car’s rawness for cushiness is something to celebrate in the context of PVOTY. Given our complaints about the harder-core versions of the old GT and their one-track focus on lap times, the new car’s movement toward the Porsche 911’s everyday livability and satisfying performance is welcome. But instead of offsetting self-inflicted dad bod with loads of power and traction, couldn’t AMG simply have softened up the old car, added all-wheel drive, and skipped the major weight gain that comes with a larger footprint?
Value suffers more; MSRPs have risen significantly, and our test car’s pricing falls just a few thousand bucks shy of Porsche’s 911 GT3 (a former PVOTY winner) and GT3 Touring models, cars that are both more fun, just as quick, and reasonably practical, if not as outright luxurious. Turns out, a better commuter a Performance Vehicle of the Year does not make, even if it does beget a demonstrably better AMG GT.
