Today’s Mercedes-AMG cars are by no means slow and in the event you needed a reminder, the Affalterbach-based firm just revealed the GT 63 S E Performance four-door coupe. It’s the most powerful production AMG car yet, with a whopping 831 horsepower and an Earth-stopping 1,032 pound-feet of twist. And above all, it’s a gas-electric hybrid.
Based on the four-door variant of the AMG GT Coupe, the 63 S E Performance is the top-of-the-line model sporting all the bells and whistles, including the company’s renowned 4.0-liter bi-turbo V-8. But it doesn’t produce power alone as its insane performance numbers happen thanks to AMG’s latest F1-derived electric hybrid-drive system.
Featuring Hybrid Tech Straight From Its Formula One Hybrid Race Cars
Mercedes-AMG might be known for making some serious Autobahn stormers and even track monsters today. However, that shouldn’t be much of a surprise, since Mercedes-AMG is the same division backing the company’s victorious Petronas Formula One team. So, needless to say, the firm knows a thing or two about speed and performance.
And that’s clearly exhibited not just by the AMG GT 63 S E Performance’s numbers, but how it achieves those numbers. Its twin-turbo V-8 is the same M177/177/178 V-8 we’ve become accustomed to as the choice powerplant for nearly all of AMG’s eight-cylinder cars for the past decade. In its latest form, the M177 is already good for an impressive 630 hp and 664 lb-ft of torque.
Said V-8 is then bolstered by an additional plug-in electric drive system. Although the AMG GT 63 S E Performance sports 4MATIC all-wheel-drive to help put all that power down, the hybrid system’s single electric motor with its own bespoke two-speed transmission sits at the rear axle. So it sports a conventional transfer case inside the AMG-tuned SPEEDSHIFT dual-clutch nine-speed automatic.
This is unlike some other vehicles, which drives the rear wheels solely with the internal combustion engine while the electric motor sits at the front, driving the front wheels. In total, the GT 63’s electric motor adds up to another 201 horses and 236 torques, with around 94 horses supplied continuously. With juice coming from a 6.1 kilowatt/hour (4.8 kWh usable) lithium-ion battery pack, the result is a supposed 0-60 MPH sprint in 2.8 seconds for a top sprint limited to 197 MPH.
When not being given the beans, Mercedes-AMG did say the GT 63 S E Performance can be driven on all-electric power. However, specific electric driving ranges were not officially disclosed.
Mercedes-AMG’s Battery Tech Investments Officially Paying Off
Mercedes-Benz has been known to be investing heavily in the advancement in battery technology, and it seems like it’s paying off in the AMG 63 GT S E Performance. Unlike most electrified or hybridized cars, it only gains some 196 pounds from its relatively lightweight and power-dense battery pack, which also sits above the rear axle and in the trunk space.
This happens thanks to 1,200 uniquely designed cells featuring an innovative direct-cooling system that saves considerable amounts of weight over previous cooling methods. Additionally, thanks to its constant-running cooling circuit, the battery is capable of maintaining a consistent optimal operating temperature averaging around 113 degrees Fahrenheit. This also preserves the long-term life of the battery cells during charging and discharging.
Despite still utilizing 400-volt architecture, the battery pack can be charged either at an EV charging station or using a conventional household wall socket, thanks to its onboard 37-kilowatt AC unit. Although a plug-in hybrid, the GT S E Performance system is optimized more for power output than saving fuel.
Mercedes-Benz USA didn’t announce official pricing just yet. But it probably won’t be cheap since the AMG GT 53 four-door coupe starts at $112,000 while the standard two-door AMG GT 63 S E Performance Coupe with the same plug-in hybrid powertrain runs just short of $200,000 at $195,900.
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