The Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4-door 2019 gives the Porsche Panamera a race for its money

Yet AMG says it is ready to take on any challenge you throw at it. To drive this point home, and convince us that this car is its own thing and an explosion all by itself, the Germans set up a circuit to introduce this car to Austin, Texas.

And when you come to Austin, you have to come to the Circuit des Amériques. It's a law we have here now.

It is interesting to note that the car was developed by AMG itself, so it is not an optimized version of a normal Mercedes-Benz. The intention is to provide the sport driver with a great tourist who carries four adults and all he has to offer, and who can manage a race of several hundred kilometers on a Formula One circuit, then throws a dozen or towers so competent.

Incorporating the good looks front and back of the AMG GT Coupe, I rather like its look, compared to, say, a Panamera.

AMG is not shy when it claims that this car is destined to shoot that particular Porsche in the street and around a circuit. This is an ambitious goal because the Panamera is a powerful and renowned machine. Our boss Patrick George tested the Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo in April and congratulated him.

The numbers that matter

You get three engine options here: a 3.0-liter in-line six-cylinder in the GT 53 AMG and two versions of the punchy 4.0-liter V8 in the AMG GT 63 and GT S variant.

All engines are turbocharged, connected to AMG's multi-speed AMG Speedshift TCT automatic transmission, and are equipped with the latest state-of-the-art technology expected of any new, expensive Mercedes.

In 63 S, which I drive, you get 630 horsepower from 5,500 to 6,500 rpm and 664 lb-ft of torque from 2,500 to 5,000 rpm. AMG says it will go from 0 to 60 in 3.1 seconds and will reach a top speed of 195 mph, electronically limited. It will do the trick.

Featuring a sportback rear end, the four-door coupe offers great storage flexibility and a large rear seat with a ton of legroom, thanks to its 116.2-inch wheelbase.

Because it's big and loaded with a ton of luxury and performance features, it's not really light. At the time of publication, AMG had not set a weight limit, but I thought it would be around 4,400 pounds.

Bits that stand out

You can expect everything that came out of Affalterbach to be beautiful, and the fit and finish are the best you can see in a car that costs a lot more – materials are things of the world. space age. BMW needs to step up its game to get closer to this level.

AMG has introduced an intelligent four-wheel drive system with a variable front axle torque distribution system to maintain the power needed for the right wheels in all conditions. When you're ready to give the car a little kick in the corners, their new rear axle steering configuration is really in focus. Around the fun bends just outside of Austin and around COTA, I made sure to shake them up.

Benz is renowned for being a leader in safety and technology on its most expensive models. Inside, you'll find a multitude of customization options to make sure you're comfortable quickly.

The dashboards are easily the coolest on the market, with a pair of 12.3-inch screens, one in front of the driver, with a plethora of gauge views and information to suit your requirements, and central screen filled with all navigation functions. media, car data and phone information.

Having a hatch in the back provides you with a large amount of storage space, with the ability to load larger items. AMG also offers folding rear seats, if you need to load plywood sheets or any bulky items you want to carry. The backpack is clean and I really like how the curves work there.

Complaints?

If you want to know the best way to configure your car to suit your needs in the street or around a circuit, you will spend half an hour playing with different screens, switches and buttons.

As for the style and comfort of the interior, it's as amazing as any Mercedes-Benz on the market. But that also means that you have a million ways to change the interior lighting, the climate control flow (and the scent, yeah really) and the ambiance of the entire cabin.

Although it's cool, it gets a bit complicated. This can turn you into a total snob, but it's still difficult to have all this technology in a car, just as PG realized that we had taken the Mercedes-Benz S560 Coupe for a test in Detroit at the beginning of the season. 'year.

The game to get the most miles per gallon and reduce emissions means that many manufacturers work in as many reports as possible in the gearbox. Nine speeds are a lot, and if you're on a fun road, I do not like having to go back and forth between three or four speeds when you're only traveling about thirty kilometers an hour.

Maybe I just have to get used to cars that want to be in sixth gear or more when you're only 45 mph in town.

On the fun roads

No matter what tourer of this category should hold firm on a winding stretch of highway, but the AMG GT 4-door coupe is truly magnificent. The AMG Ride Control + system is a multi-chamber air suspension with adjustable damping, and I played with it in the Comfort, Sport and Sport + modes to understand what I liked best on the road.

Easily, the Sport mode was just responsive enough without being too stiff, going against my initial expectations of going to the typical KB mode with the dampers in their softer mode while putting the suspension, engine and transmission in their most sporting configurations. I like quick adjustment options using either the dynamic selection toggle on the center console, or the wheel located on the right side of the steering wheel.

The 4.0-liter V8 can hold a pair of turbos you'd expect to lose, but it's surprisingly noisy, with a baritone note. The small crackles of exhaust are perfectly bright when you release the accelerator.

AMG's speed-sensitive electromechanical stroke direction provides a feeling of softness in every corner, at every speed and surprisingly more weight than expected. Usually, the electric steering settings in larger cars are more numb and frankly too light for my tastes. Fortunately, this thing also uses the steering of the rear axle with the right amount of thrust when you cut a faster corner.

The Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber – measuring 315 mm at the rear – wrapped with 21-inch forged lightweight rims, allowed me to stay stuck on any curve and was perfectly quiet on the outside. 39; highway. The 63 S is equipped with standard front and rear six-piston steel brakes and offers optional ceramic discs if you want to lose unsprung weight and fade when you really brake.

For those who pay close attention to the amount of fuel consumed, AMG has developed its own cylinder deactivation system to keep fuel consumption and emissions down.

Pushed on the way

Since most 4-door GT coupe owners will stay true to the road, AMG engineers have always made this new car a perfect fit on the track. The AMG GT 63 S does not only have a turbocharged 630 hp V8 under the hood, but the driveline and the rear of the equipment embark on serious tools to meet the highest demands.

I am no stranger to COTA, I can play on the circuit about once a month, with a lot of experience in the fastest cars in the world and in the occasional racing car.

During my first session on the AMG GT 63 S 4-door coupe, it did not take time to get used to the size and weight of the car, and quickly adapted to the composition of the car at higher speeds. The AMG Performance 4MATIC + all-wheel drive system keeps the power in the wheels, with the continuously driven rear and the variable front, depending on the driver's input, by means of a clutch. electromechanical control.

The driving modes on the track are known as Mercedes' AMG Dynamics, offering a more precise adjustment of your driving style with Basic, Advanced, Pro and Master settings to optimize steering performance, throttle , suspension and all-wheel drive to your liking. To bring the theme of the track to another level, you can also change the settings of your instrument group with the Classic, Sport options and a brand new Supersport screen.

The Supersport setting displays additional displays indicating when to move up a gear, such as the Lewis Hamilton F1 headlights. I like the extra buttons on the left side of the steering wheel that allow you to customize the options to change the suspension mode, exhaust and performance settings.

By ensuring that the rear communicates your steering inputs as well as the front, AMG has equipped the GT 4-door coupe with its active rear steering, which points the rear wheels in the opposite direction when the speed is below 62 mph. and in the same sense as the fronts once you go past that.

When you're in the S-turn section of COTA Turns 3, 4 and 5, you'll notice how well this setup works to keep the car perfectly spinning while managing the understeer efforts of the super long wheelbase . With a ton of active aerodynamic bits working in and around the front grille and ducts, you can be certain that AMG Sorcery ensures that the air is forced to the right places to keep your buttocks in place.

Considering that this car probably weighs over 4,000 pounds, it moves easily. There is no roll in a sharp bend, and there is just a bit of understeer, which was not difficult to overcome with a heavier right foot and a hint of throttle direction. Large ceramic brake discs quickly lowered me from over 160 mph to less than 50 m after the 3/4-mile straight line of COTA before making the left turn at Turn 12.

My only wish for a track test was to drop the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires for a Cup 2 rubber set, as they better withstand the demands of a stack of hot sessions around an F1 circuit. The 4S began to degrade quickly early in the game, and would be much more under-steering at the end of their lives. Not that this car is really put to the test by its owners, but the 4S is not an ideal track tire for a 4000-pound car.

Early verdict

The first events do not allow you to spend a lot of time in the car, but I have had a good taste. The AMG GT 4-door coupe is undoubtedly a solid package, and is likely to reduce Porsche Panamera sales.

We have not yet seen the official prices, but we think this car will easily exceed $ 175,000. For this type of room, you could get an AMG E63 S and a fun car like a 718 Cayman in your garage.

Of course, the AMG GT 63 S 4-door coupe performs the functions of two cars in one, but it's a lot of money at the end of the day. Having piloted the E63 it is not so long ago, I can tell you that it is difficult to want much more than that.

But if you do, and if you need four doors and you do not want SUVs and categorically refuse to refer to your car as a sedan, AMG will not let you down here.