2020 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4-Door Coupe Road Test and Review

2020 Mercedes AMG GT63 hero ・ Photo by Mercedes-AMG

It’s easy to be confused by the 2020 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4-Door Coupe. The high-performance vehicle is part hot rod, part sports sedan, and part supercar. It’s also a hatchback. Confused yet? Wait, there’s more. Despite its five-door configuration, Mercedes calls it a four-door coupe. See what we mean?

Because it shares its name with the Mercedes-AMG GT, it’s also easy to assume that this is a five-door version of the Mercedes high-performance two-door supercar. But it’s actually based on the brand’s popular E-Class, sharing its 116.2-inch wheelbase with E-Class wagon, while its chassis, engines and other major components come from the E 63 S sedan. AMG is, of course, Mercedes’ in-house hot-rod shop, and it’s been adding sport-tuned suspensions, bigger brakes, and more horsepower to the brand’s mainstream models since the 1970s, creating some of the fastest cars and SUVs on the road. With 630 horsepower, the 2020 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4-door Coupe is its most powerful sedan ever — setting aside its "coupe" name and liftback body style. It competes with the Porsche Panamera Turbo S, BMW M8 Gran Coupe, and Audi RS7.

All-Wheel Drive and Turbo Power Across the Board

Built in Germany, the 2020 Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe was all-new just last year. Three versions are available, all of which are packing all-wheel drive, a turbocharged engine, and a nine-speed automatic transmission. First up is the GT 53 4-Door Coupe, which is powered by a very smooth 429-hp turbocharged 3.0-liter in-line six-cylinder engine. It has a base price of $100,945, including a $995 destination fee, and Mercedes says it can squirt to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds.

Then there are the heavy hitters. The AMG GT 63 4-Door Coupe has a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 making 577 hp, which makes it one of the most powerful sedans in the world. It has a base price just over $141,000 and Mercedes says it can reach 60 mph in just 3.3 seconds. Not enough? No problem. Step up to the GT 63 S, like our test car. It’s the brand’s ultimate high-performance four-door, with a 630-hp version of the twin-turbo V8 and 0-60 mph time of just 3.1 seconds. Its price is just north of $162,000.

Photo by Mercedes-AMG

Looks Like a Supercar

This isn’t just the most powerful Mercedes sedan ever, but it’s also the sexiest. Its long lean lines and fastback roofline give the AMG GT 63 S an aggressive silhouette that defies its considerable dimensions. Measuring 2.8 inches longer than an E-Class, this is not a small car. AMG has also bulged its fenders, exaggerating its width 1.8 inches to cover its larger tires. The results turn heads like few other sedans.

It really does look like a four-door version of the AMG GT supercar. Both high-performance machines share similar front ends, dominated by AMG’s pronounced grille with vertical chrome slats. Both also feature racecar-style front bumpers with large air intakes and rounded rumps dressed with a wind-cheating diffuser and four massive exhaust pipes. Underneath the sedan’s skin are steel and aluminum braces not found on the E63 S. They reinforce its structure to improve performance, and a carbon-fiber trunk floor shaves weight.

Photo by Mercedes-AMG

Incredibly Quick and Fun to Drive

This isn’t a fun car to drive. No, it’s thrilling. Whether you’re slipping through traffic in the city or attacking your favorite mountain road, the 2020 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4-Door Coupe offers explosive acceleration and overall performance once the exclusive rights to low-slung two-seat supercars.

Punch the throttle and it pushes you back into the seat and keeps you there. Part-throttle response is also exceptional. Turbo lag, once a problem in engines like this, has been dialed out completely. The engine starts making power the instant you ask for it, while the sedan’s nine-speed automatic transmission is well-tuned and always seems to be in the right gear. Still, it’s fun to use its paddle shifters, which give you manual control over the transmission. This is no rough-and-tumble muscle car, however. The AMG is also refined and comfortable, so it’s a pleasant car to drive every day.

Photo by Mercedes-AMG

Incredible Handling

AMG’s Dynamic Select System allows you to adjust the car’s personality and performance with the flip of a switch. There are six modes, including Comfort, Sport, Sport+, and Race, each modifying the sedan’s throttle response, steering effort, and transmission shift points. They also change the tuning of the sedan’s air suspension and modify the sound and volume of its engine.

We were able to drive our AMG GT 63 S 4-4oor Coupe test vehicle up the California coast into the Malibu hills, home to some of America’s greatest driving roads. Although it weighs well over 4000 lbs, the Mercedes impressed on the twisty, turny two-lanes with its stable but nimble handling and awesome traction. With its 4Matic all-wheel drive system and standard 20-inch summer tires keeping it glued to the road, it changes direction like a car half its size. We were equally impressed with the sedan’s responsive steering and the stopping power of its optional carbon-ceramic disc brakes. They cost as much as a good used Honda Civic, but they’re worth it.

Photo by Mercedes-AMG

One of the Best Interiors in Its Class

The interior of the 2020 AMG GT 63 S 4-Door Coupe looks like it belongs in an auto show concept car. There’s no denying the visual impact of the design. With its mix of dynamic shapes, rich materials — including leather, wood, and carbon fiber — and exceptional build quality, it’s one of the most beautiful interiors in the class.

Its wow factor doesn’t come at the expense of comfort or practicality, however. Control placement is excellent, and the heated and cooled front seats in our test vehicle were extremely comfortable. Its low driving position gives the sedan a racy feel, while its firm, well-bolstered driver’s seat holds you in place. Two massive 12.3-inch screens display the instrument cluster and infotainment information. Both are exceedingly configurable and simple enough to operate. Their graphics are beautiful.

Photo by Mercedes-AMG

Large Trunk

Storage inside the Mercedes’ interior is also sufficient and well thought out. The center console has large, felt-lined bins, and the sedan’s door pockets are sizable. Unfortunately, the placement of its two front-seat cupholders can cause tall drinks to block some of the switchgear on the dashboard.

With 12.7 cubic feet of trunk space, the 2020 Mercedes-AMG GT 4-door Coupe also has a good-sized cargo hold. The BMW M8 Gran Coupe has a smaller trunk, though the Porsche Panamera holds more. For more space, AMG offers the Executive Rear Seat package, which adds folding seatbacks as well as a touchscreen to manage the rear climate controls and seat heaters.

Photo by Mercedes-AMG

Family-Friendly for Four

This is a large sedan, but the 2020 Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe only seats four. There is no middle rear seat. This is common in this class, but isn’t universal. The sedan’s low fastback roofline also compromises rear headroom. If you’re taller than 6 feet tall, you won’t fit comfortably. Legroom is not an issue, but if rear-seat space is a priority, it’s better to stick with the more passenger-friendly E 63 S.

Unfortunately, this model has not been crash-tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. However, it’s based on the E-class, remember. And that sedan scored five stars by NHTSA and a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS, the industry’s highest possible ratings. If you’re worried about fuel economy, you’re probably not shopping a 630-hp sedan — but the AMG may not be a thirsty as you think. Its EPA ratings are 15 mpg city and 20 mpg highway. We averaged 18 mpg in mixed driving.

Photo by Mercedes-AMG

Many Advanced Safety Systems

Every 2020 Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door sedan comes standard with valuable active safety systems, including blind-spot monitoring with a rear cross-traffic alert, plus Active Brake Assist, which not only warns if a vehicle is in your path, it will automatically begin braking for you. If this occurs, another standard system called PreSafe will tighten the front seat belts, adjust the seats, and close the windows and sunroof to better prepare the car and its occupants for an impact. Pre-Safe Sound helps reduce the effects of a collision on occupants' hearing by emitting a special "pink noise" tone from the audio system just before the collision.

There is also a long list of optional systems, including parking sensors, Active Lane Change Assist, Evasive Steering Assist, and Pre Safe Plus, which prepares the car in the event of a rear-end collision.

Photo by Mercedes-AMG

Final Thoughts

Some people buy a car like this for the status. Others for the style. Or the performance. And that’s fine. But the GT 63 S also gives you bragging rights. With 630 hp, it isn’t only more powerful than your neighbor’s E 63 S, which only has 602 hp, but it’s also more powerful than all of its rivals. The turbocharged V8s in the BMW M8 Competition, Audi RS7, and Porsche Panamera Turbo S don’t even come close to that number.

Overall, Mercedes and the team at AMG have created something special with the 2020 GT 63 S 4-Door Coupe. It performs like a supercar, offers the comfort and refinement of a luxury sedan, and it’s a hatchback, so it’s kind of practical, too. If you’re looking for a high-performance luxury sedan, it’s a very desirable overall choice.

Photo by Mercedes-AMG