When the performance boffins at Mercedes-AMG revealed plans of unveiling its first E Performance hybrid car, we were expecting a grand-touring sports car like the next-generation SL, or maybe a supercar like the Mercedes-AMG One. As it turns out, Mercedes-AMG’s first hybrid-performance vehicle is a four-door saloon based on the GT four-door.
The 2023 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance is a hybrid grand-touring sports sedan. But unlike standard hybrids, Mercedes is using hybridization to unleash knuckle-wrenching horsepower and F1-levels of roadgoing performance. The result is nothing short of spectacular.
“With the new Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance, we are transporting our brand DNA into an electrified future,” said Philipp Schiemer, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-AMG GmbH. “In doing so, we are following our own technical path, which is what has always made AMG so special and desirable.”
2023 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance: Formula 1 Hybrid Technology
We’ll do our best to make it simple since talking about a Mercedes-AMG car is like reading the engineering blueprint for some advanced, futuristic machinery. The newest Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance utilizes learnings acquired from the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, the same F1 team headed by seven-time World Driver’s Champion Sir Lewis Hamilton.
It has a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 gasoline engine in the front and a single electric motor in the back. The gas engine produces 639 horsepower and 664 lb-ft. of torque, the latter arriving from 2,500 to 4,500 rpm. Meanwhile, the rear-mounted electric motor contributes 204 horsepower and 236 lb-ft. of torque.
Do the math, and the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance has a combined output of 843 horsepower and a bewildering 1,033 lb-ft. of torque. The gas engine has a nine-speed MCT automatic transmission, while the rear electric motor has a two-speed automated gearbox with an electronic limited-slip rear differential.
The rear electric motor is connected directly to the rear wheels for instantaneous throttle response. And despite this complexity, Mercedes-AMG came up with a fully variable all-wheel drive system with mechanical connections between front and back via a propeller shaft and the driveshafts in the front wheels.
How Fast Is The Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance?
With 843 horsepower and all that available torque, the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance is faster than stink. Mercedes-AMG claims zero to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds and zero to 125 mph in under 10 seconds. Moreover, the automaker claims powerful acceleration is present until its 196 mph top speed, which is mind-boggling.
Can It Run On Full-Electric Mode?
Yes, but only for seven miles, just enough not to wake up your neighbors in the morning as you depart in your V8 hybrid Mercedes. The GT 63 S E Performance has a modest 6.1 kWh battery pack mounted near the electric motor. It may be small, but the high-density battery enables 70 kW of continuous output and 150 kW of peak output for 10 seconds.
As you figured out by now, Mercedes-AMG chose this battery for its low weight (196 lbs.) and fast power delivery rather than allowing the highest possible all-electric range. If you think this is unacceptable, nobody’s stopping you from getting a Toyota Prius Prime.
If the battery runs out of juice, you can charge it via a 3.7 kW onboard AC charger using a charging station, wall box, or conventional household socket. The batteries are cooled individually by non-conductive fluid to offer optimum power delivery when you need it most.
Seven Driving Modes
Really, how many driving modes do you need in a hybrid GT car? As it turns out, the answer is no less than seven. The Mercedes-AMG GT 63 E Performance starts silently in Electric mode, and the motor has enough oomph to motivate the car up to 80 mph from a standstill. If the rear wheels are slipping, the AWD system can transfer electric driving torque to the front wheels without waking up the engine.
Next is Comfort mode that allows for all-electric driving at low speeds and hybrid driving on the highway. Meanwhile, Sport mode enables the V8 engine and electric motor to work in tandem, while Sport+ mode offers more boost from the electric motor. But if you find yourself on an empty racetrack, Race mode pre-configures all the algorithms to maximum attack while unleashing a full-electric boost from the rear-mounted electric motor.
In addition, Slippery mode reduces the power output and coaxes the powertrain to deliver a flat torque curve. Lastly, Individual driving mode allows you to customize the transmission, chassis, steering, and exhaust system.
Air Suspension & Ceramic Brakes
The 2023 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance has a multi-chamber air suspension with AMG Ride Control+ and two pressure relief valves: one valve controls the rebound damping, and the other controls the compression damping. The result is a fully variable air suspension system that can stiffen or soften the ride as needed.
You can have all the hybrid power in the world, but all that power is nothing if you can’t stop on a dime. For a vehicle as big as the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance, nothing but carbon-ceramic brakes with six-piston front and single-piston rear calipers will do. The carbon brake discs measure 17 x 2 inches at the front and 15 x 2 inches at the back to deliver reliable stopping power.
Pricing & Availability
The latest Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance Hybrid will arrive at U.S. dealerships in late 2022 as a 2023 model. Pricing, trim details, and the official U.S. specs remain forthcoming, but we have no doubt this car will command a six-figure price tag.
Alvin Reyes is an Automoblog feature columnist and an expert in sports and performance cars. He studied civil aviation, aeronautics, and accountancy in his younger years and is still very much smitten to his former Lancer GSR and Galant SS. He also likes fried chicken, music, and herbal medicine.
Photos & Source: MBUSA.
