The Geneva Motor Show saw the début of the latest Mercedes-AMG model line, the all-new GT 4-Door Coupé, with two more doors, two more seats, two new badges, and a lot more horsepower.
We’ve been seeing teasers of the new four-door sloping-roof grand tourer for a while, and while we expected a GT S and a GT C, we were in for something else altogether. The new Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé, to take its official full name, is initially being offered in three choices, including the first-ever six-cylinder model. The three cars – AMG GT 53, the GT 63, and the GT 63 S – echo the badging of the E- and S-Class models.
What Mercedes call ‘Sensual Purity’ is the design philosophy that governs the lines of this new four-door. The swooping design language complements the GT line with its sporty proportions. It also packs the Airpanel active aerodynamics, new slim Multibeam LED headlamps. The ’63’ V8 models have three horizontal louvres in the front side air-intakes, with a silver trim element, a rear diffuser, and twin trapezoidal tail-pipes. The ’53’ six, meanwhile, has one louvre in each of the air inlet grilles, twin round tail-pipes, and a slightly less pronounced diffuser.
Inside, the cabin gets the new-generation layout, including twin wide-screen displays and lit air-vents. The central display acts as the interface for the navigation, radio, media, phone, and vehicle data. There is an optional sports steering wheel that has an integrated display beneath the right-hand steering-wheel spoke, apart from two vertically positioned colour display buttons beneath the left-hand steering-wheel spoke. The AMG drive programs can be actuated directly via the controller. No more taking your hands off the wheel! The selected drive program is shown on the colour TFT display directly integrated in the controller, too. The GT 4-Door Coupé is available with a choice of four or five seats. It can also be equipped with Energising Comfort Control.
The four-seat layout in the new Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé
The new line of powertrains begins with the GT 53. It gets the 3.0-litre in-line six turbo-petrol engine with the EQ Boost electric assist, as seen in the recently launched CLS 53. The petrol engine uses a single exhaust-driven turbocharger as well as an auxiliary electric compressor to put out 435 PS and 520 Nm, with a 16-kW motor adding 22 PS and 250 Nm in short bursts. The motor integrates the starter and alternator (ISA) between the engine and transmission. The ISA also provides the power required for the 48-volt electrical system. The GT 53 is equipped with the AMG SpeedShift TCT 9G, or torque converter transmission, with nine-speed gearbox. The 53 can get from 0-100 km/h in 4.5 seconds, and up to 285 km/h.
The 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder engine in the Mercedes-AMG GT 53 4MATIC+ 4-Door Coupé
On to the V8 powered cars. The engine in the GT 63 and GT 63 S is the 4.0-litre BiTurbo motor with two twin-scroll turbochargers mounted between the two cylinder banks, or ‘hot inside V’, to improve response time and performance. AMG have also equipped the V8 with a cylinder management system that deactivates cylinders two, three, five and eight under partial load, effectively functioning as a four-cylinder engine and saving fuel when running between 1,000 and 3,250 rpm. The V8 cars are paired with the AMG SpeedShift MCT 9G, or multi-clutch transmission, with nine speeds.
The GT 63 is the AMG GT R equivalent in terms of power, with its V8 making 585 PS between 5,500 and 6,500 rpm, but a heftier 800 Nm of peak torque between 2,350 and 5,000 rpm. It can dismiss 0-100 km/h in 3.4 seconds and go on to the top speed of 310 km/h.
The GT 63 S, the most powerful offering of the lot, also has the most powerful iteration of the 4.0-litre BiTurbo thus far, making an AMG-65-beating 639 PS, with 900 Nm of peak torque available between 2,500 and 4,500 rpm. This allows a 0-100 km/h sprint of just 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 315 km/h.
The AMG performance 4MATIC+ is standard on all three cars. An electro-mechanical clutch connects the permanently driven rear axle variably to the front axle. The transition promises to be seamless and is continuously monitored and computed for the best handling and maximum driver engagement. The Drive Select offers six modes: Comfort, Sport, Sport+, Slippery, Individual, and RACE. It also has a ‘Drift Mode’, standard in the 63 S and optional on the non-S models, accessible in ‘RACE’ mode using the paddle, with the ESP off and the transmission in ‘M’ or manual mode. AMG Track Pace, a part of the COMAND Online infotainment system, also allows drivers to capture and analyse 80 vehicle-specific data and times.
Dynamics are well taken care of with the AMG Ride Control. High-performance brakes bring the needed stopping power: six-piston calipers at the front, and single-piston ones at the rear. Carbon-ceramic brake rotors are on the options list. The GT 53 and GT 63 sports 19-inch wheels with 255/45 R19 front and 285/40 R19 rear rubber. The GT 63 S gets 20-inch wheels with 265/40 R20 front and 295/35 R20 rear tyres.
“The new AMG GT 4-Door Coupé blends the impressive racetrack dynamism of our two-door sports car with maximum suitability for everyday use. It has a unique way of embodying our brand core, ‘Driving Performance’, and with its systematic configuration it will attract new customers for Mercedes-AMG”, commented Tobias Moers, CEO of Mercedes-AMG.
Mercedes-AMG GT 53 4MATIC+ 4-Door Coupé
Story: Jim Gorde
