How can you imagine that a plug-in hybrid signed AMG gives priority to autonomy? For its first PHEV model, the sports label of Mercedes rather exploits an electric boost synonymous with ultra high performance, like an F1. Demonstration with this terrifying AMG GT 63 S E.
Car tested: Mercedes-Benz AMG GT 4-Door 63 SE Performance 4matic+
|
From€211,250
€7,462 penalty
|
Let’s start this exceptional test with a few figures: 12 km of autonomy and a sluggish recharge at 3.7 kW. In a classic plug-in hybrid model, that would pale in comparison. On the other hand, even on board a hypercar, a power of 843 hp and a torque of 1,470 Nm (peak) are sacred values! A big gap that corresponds to the definition of this Mercedes-AMG GT Coupé 4 Portes 63 SE Performance 4matic+. “It’s the longest name I’ve ever been asked to say” humorously explains Jochen Hermann, head of engineering at Mercedes-AMG, who here unveils the first AMG plug-in hybrid.
Behind its looks of a large four-door coupe (or rather five with its hatchback), the Mercedes AMG GT E Performance hides a rather unique technical definition. Thus it combines its 639 hp 4.0 biturbo V8 equipped with a nine-speed automatic gearbox with a 400 V alternator-starter, a 204 hp electric motor and a battery positioned at the rear axle. The assembly is connected by a transmission shaft providing permanent all-wheel drive, regardless of the driving mode used, including 100% electric. This architecture also allows an ideal weight distribution, 50/50, which is not unimportant with a scale displaying a total of 2,380 kg. The position of the rear electric motor also allows more efficient energy recovery without intermediaries and more direct power delivery.
Affalterbach engineers have developed a small, high-density, liquid-cooled 6.1 kWh battery that weighs just 89 kg. She is designed for very fast charge and discharge cycles, with consistent performance whatever the demands. We will not know who is the supplier of its approximately 560 li-ion cells, capable of delivering 70 kW of nominal power and 150 kW at peak.
Visually, this version of the recently restyled AMG GT 4-Door Coupé can be recognized by its front end fitted with more aggressive air intakes, but also by its specific rear bumper, integrating the charging socket and four (false) power outlets. square exhausts. Moreover, the car sits firmly on 21-inch rims and 315 tires at the rear. With its more than 5 m long, the fastback sedan is impressive. And its sports car interior in our individual four-seat configuration immerses passengers in a world of performance that will soon prove itself on the road.
Mercedes-AMG GT 63 SE Performance Price
With an entry ticket of €211,250, this highly technological version marks a leap of… almost €75,000 compared to the AMG GT 53 4matic+ model with 367 hp (+ 22 hp from its electric micro-motor). A difference to put into perspective when compared to that of the old version 63S of 639 hp at launch, around 170,000 €. Obviously, the whole point of this new PHEV version is to escape the maximum penalty of €40,000, which weighs down sportswomen of its caliber. But, with its electric range limited to 12 km, our beauty of the day does not escape taxes, the CO malus2 culminating at €7,462 and the weight penalty at €5,800.
We can imagine: in this price zone, the standard equipment is more than complete, with the ceramic composite braking system, the massaging bucket seats or the panoramic roof. It’s just a shame that you have to put your hands in your wallet to be entitled to the driving assistance pack with its very efficient semi-autonomous driving or even to charge your smartphone by induction.
Driving
The first laps of the wheel are impressive… by the silence and comfort on board this 4-seater, 5-door coupé with a somewhat distressing technical sheet. As long as you don’t turn the knob that controls the driving modes by several notches until you reach the Sport+ position, the soundtrack remains discreet, the reactions soft, and the atmosphere conducive to a trip in comfort. This allows you to take the time to familiarize yourself with the seven driving programs, to be combined with four regeneration levels, four AMG Dynamics modes and Ride Control+ active air suspension! Enough to gradually increase the pace, with an eye on the energy distribution indications on the dashboard to understand operation of this formidable electro-mechanical gas plant.
Easy and balanced, always comfortable, the large AMG-Mercedes coupe delivers its performance without showing off but with a certain efficiency – the speedometer attests to it! In Sport+ mode, the hoarse sound of the V8, the slightly more pronounced gear changes, the hardened steering and the more nervous reactions to the accelerator plunge into an atmosphere closer to what one can imagine of a model displaying such performances, making it possible to raise the pace to a frankly unmentionable level…
Carbon-ceramic braking, with 420mm discs and six-piston calipers up front, provides immense stopping power. Unfortunately, the whole frankly lack of feeling on the pedal, with a systematic electrical attack which then gives way to friction braking. Nothing to worry about. Simply we would have appreciated better sensations at this level to accompany the dazzling performance of the car: 0 to 100 km/h in 2.9 s, less than 10 s from 0 to 200 km/h and 316 km/h peak !
On the outskirts of an Andalusian village, in the middle of a Sunday lunch, it is welcome to cross the main square in the silence of the all-electric EL mode. The triggering of the heat engine does not occur before the hard part of the travel of the haptic feedback pedal. Battery at 100%, we were able to travel 11 km. But there is no need to recharge beforehand on a terminal: the “battery” is self-powered regularly along the route, especially if you increase its level of regeneration by means of the rotary control on the steering wheel. Our track session will show us thatin race mode maximum energy recovery during braking helps to maintain an optimal electrical boost for performance.
The very abrasive surface of the Monteblanco track, near Seville (Spain), wears out the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S at high speed. The 4.1 km of our track today, with nine bends and a straight line of nearly 1 km, give us the opportunity to appreciate the balance of the car. We savor both its immense potential for pure efficiency and – depending on the settings adopted – its playful side. Be careful, however, to keep in mind the large mass of this big toy when you disconnect the aids because the rear is very, very lively! The ESP disconnected in Sport mode already offers a good margin of movement and, entirely deactivated, it will only come back into action in extreme cases, to avoid a spin, for example. Enough to keep a good figure on the circuit, which is however not the preferred terrain for this heavy road coupe capable of adapting to all driving rhythms. Question consumption, no miracle however. Even in quiet driving, it will be difficult to drop below the 15 l/100 km mark.
In the cabin
Competetion
Sedans or four-door coupés offering such a level of performance and the possibility of driving in zero emission mode are not legion… The natural competitor of this AMG is to be sought from Porsche and its Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, displayed from €195,216. With its V8 and its electric block claiming a total power of 700 hp, it offers fairly similar performance (315 km/h and 3.2 s from 0 to 100 km/h) in similar dimensions. Admittedly, its torque is much lower (870 Nm all the same!), but its electrical part is sized differently with a larger 17.9 kWh battery which benefits from a 7.2 kW charger and allows you to travel 50 km in zero emission mode.
Find the results of the test, the prices, the equipment and the technical sheet on the next page…
