All-new Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Coupe

Mercedes-AMG has a new flagship sports car, which would typically be cause for celebration, but unfortunately AMG’s new hero is having an identity crisis.

Where the first-generation AMG GT was a manic hellraiser that somehow slipped past the bean-counters in Stuttgart, the all-new second generation Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Coupe is a larger, heavier and altogether more practical proposition. (It has rear seats! And all-wheel drive!) It’s also painfully expensive even by AMG standards: $195,000 to start while our well-optioned tester was $233,005 before the federal luxury tax which pushes it up over $250,000. Ouch.

Before we get into how AMG’s latest flagship drives let’s untangle what we’re looking at here.

Where the first-gen car was a clean-sheet design by the power-crazed lunatics at AMG, the second-gen model shares a platform with the Mercedes SL luxury cruiser. Such platform sharing is an entirely sensible cost-cutting measure that reflects an uncertain future for the luxury sports car market, but that’s not what anyone dropping $250k on a high-end AMG wants to hear.

Not just that but the first-gen GT felt, from the driver’s seat, as if it were shrink-wrapped around its pilot. That car’s long, flat expanse of hood stretching out to the horizon made it feel special. By contrast, the new model feels much more normal. It’s spacious and so much easier to get in and out of. The new rear seats may not work for actual human adults, but you could put a kid’s booster seat back there no problem.

That shrink-wrapped feel and ground-hugging stance made the old car seem exotic, where the new one feels more like your typical AMG coupe. In fact, it bears a passing resemblance (and is, on paper, quite similar to) the old Mercedes-AMG C 63 coupe built from 2016-2023. That was a spectacularly well-rounded and entertaining V8-powered 2+2 that cost less than $100,000. Asking double the price for the new AMG GT 63 feels a bit… greedy?

To hear Mercedes execs explain it, the 2024 GT 63 is the result of listening to feedback from customers. “The new AMG GT Coupe combines highly dynamic driving characteristics and outstanding sportiness with a high level of everyday comfort,” said Michael Schiebe, chairman of the board of management of Mercedes-AMG. It’s that “everyday comfort” that the old GT was entirely lacking. In other words, the second-gen AMG GT is aimed squarely at the Porsche 911.

Walking up to the 2024 GT 63 it certainly has the same girthy hips as a Porsche 911. The Merc, however, is not as slick of a design; with its (optional) carbon-fibre fixed wing and gaping grille, the AMG looks more aggressive than your typical 911 Turbo.

Gone is the claustrophobic (some would say ‘purposeful’) old cabin, replaced by a one covered in acres of stitched leather, carbon-fibre, moody ambient lighting and one giant central touchscreen. It’s plush and beautifully put together, but there’s still too much black plastic in here for a car in this price bracket. While we’re complaining, the many touch-sensitive buttons smattered across the steering wheel are finicky and why — why! — can’t Mercedes please just give us a regular volume dial.

Mercifully, however, Mercedes does give us dials for this car’s dizzying array of driving modes, exhaust settings, and chassis options. Unfortunately, no matter what suspension setting you select, the GT 63 never quite manages to be as comfortable as, say, a 911 Turbo S.

On the highway, the GT 63 is a decent cruiser; it’s much quieter and more relaxed than the first-gen car. On city streets, however, the ride still borders on too stiff even in comfort mode. Given that this is unlikely to be used as a track-day toy by owners, the suspension tuning seems like an odd choice by AMG. The nine-speed automatic gearbox too is neither quite snappy enough, nor quite smooth enough; it’s caught in compromise-land like the suspension settings.

But then you remember the V8. AMG’s legendary twin-turbo 4.0-litre engine starts with a buttery burble and settles into a subterranean hum, which — for a moment — washes away any concerns a driver may have. This motor is glorious: 577 horsepower from 5,500 to 6,500 rpm and 590 pound-feet of torque from 2,500 rpm. If you’re worried about fuel economy, look elsewhere; there’s no plug-in hybrid electric assistance here.

Despite weighing nearly two tonnes, the V8 brings the big coupe up to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds. More importantly, the motor feels meaty and power-rich whether your cruising down backroads, attacking an on-ramp or just going out to get groceries.

With all-wheel steering — which, like all-wheel drive, is a first for the AMG GT — the steering feels sharp and responsive. It would be excellent, were it not for the eye-watering price and the lingering memory of the first-gen AMG GT. It’s manic, twitchy, wild-eyed nature has been replaced by something more practical but also (inevitably) less exciting. For diehard enthusiasts, the old AMG GT was the sort of car you’d consider selling a kidney to pay for the downpayment. The second-gen model, while much more practical, spacious and comfortable is simply less exciting.

The 2024 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 coupe is a car you buy with your head, not your heart. If that’s the kind of driver you are — and you feel the 911 Turbo is too predictable — then AMG’s new flagship may just be the $250,000 toy you’re looking for.