Mercedes-Benz AMG GT Coupe Review & Prices

This is the Mercedes-AMG GT Coupe, a supercar with gorgeous styling and a raucous V8 engine under the bonnet. It’s a bit like Rocky in the sequels, because it has come back bigger and better than before.

And it needed to, because the old model was never quite up there with the very best alternatives, such as the Porsche 911 and Ferrari Roma, and now also has to fight with the updated Aston Martin Vantage for your cash.

Something the AMG GT has never had an issue with is its design. It’s absolutely drop-dead gorgeous, and that sleek side profile with the massive bonnet looks just as classy as it always has. There are quirky lights at the rear and an aggressive front bumper design, but it is a touch disappointing there’s some vent and exhaust fakery going on.

It’s similarly lovely inside, from the exquisite stitching to the turbine-style vents that glow red when you turn the temperature up. You get soft upholstery on the top of the door so you have somewhere comfortable to rest your arm, and the steering wheel is wrapped in comfortable Alcantara. The seats are really comfortable and you can get nice and low for a properly sporty feeling.

It’s not perfect, because the start/stop button is positioned awkwardly behind the infotainment display and there are a few cheap buttons here and there, such as the gear selector and sun visors.

Watch: Audi R8 v Mercedes-AMG GT v Porsche 911 drag race

Practicality is decent by supercar standards. At 321 litres the boot is bigger than you get in a Porsche 911, though the rear seats are so cramped they’re almost pointless. Also the door bins and glovebox are pretty small, but there is a useful space inside the armrest and a couple of cupholders beneath the infotainment display.

Speaking of which, this display is big, clear and responds quickly to your inputs. It’s a shame the climate controls are on the screen rather than physical buttons, but they are at least always on display, whatever menu you’re in. You also get a digital instrument display, but it’s not very neatly integrated into the dashboard and some of the graphics are needlessly complicated.

You probably won’t care once you’re out on the road though, because the Mercedes-AMG GT Coupe is fantastic to drive. Beneath that long bonnet is a big V8 that barks and crackles its glorious soundtrack. In 63 guise it makes 585hp, while the 63 S adds an electric motor that boosts power drastically to 816hp.

The 63 we tested feels quick enough on the road, and with all-wheel drive as standard it does a great job of putting its power into the Tarmac, something the old GT struggled with. As a result, you can make swift, confident progress even on damp, broken British roads.

Perhaps more impressive for a supercar is just how easy to the AMG GT is to drive normally. The steering isn’t light but it’s not cumbersome, visibility is great all round, and while the suspension is sporty enough to make the car feel alert and alive, at lower speeds it takes the edge of bumps nicely so you don’t have to sacrifice too much comfort.

Choosing between this, the Porsche 911 and Aston Martin Vantage is really difficult – the Porsche is a brilliant all-rounder, the Vantage feels a bit more special inside, and the AMG GT is so confidence-inspiring it feels like you could drive it down your favourite country road quicker than the other two.

One potential downside is the price. The ‘63’ AMG GT starts at around £165,000 – similar to alternatives – but the hybrid 63 S goes up to £190,000 before options, which is £10,000 more than the full fat 911 Turbo S.

You’ll want to get a great deal, then, so check out Carwow’s Mercedes-AMG GT Coupe deals. You can also browse used Mercedes from our network of trusted dealers, and when it’s time to sell your car, Carwow can help with that, too.

With a starting price of about £165,000, the Mercedes-AMG GT Coupe is not cheap – but it’s actually not too wild compared with alternatives. The Porsche 911 Turbo, which has about the same power as the AMG GT 63, starts at just under £160,000, while the Aston Martin Vantage is more powerful and starts at a similar figure to the Mercedes.

Things start to get a bit silly for the plug-in hybrid AMG GT 63 S, which costs between £180,000 and £190,000 depending which trim you go for. That makes it pricier than a Ferrari Roma and puts it at a similar starting point to the Porsche 911 Turbo S, though with much more power.

Stupidly fast down a twisty road and surprisingly comfortable in town, but the gearbox can be quite jerky

In town

The Mercedes-AMG GT Coupe was never going to be as breezy to drive around town as a small SUV, but by supercar standards it’s actually pretty easy. Visibility is really good all around, and although the steering isn’t light, it’s not so heavy that three-point turns are a workout. You might be doing a few of those, mind, because the turning circle isn’t great despite standard-fit rear-wheel steering.

Regardless, the AMG GT takes little compromise to use for everyday duties, because although you can feel a sportiness in the way it drives along the road – the car always feels eager and alert – the suspension handles bumps really well and just softens the edges off. The brakes are really smooth and the car pulls away gently. That said, in relaxed cruising the gearbox can jerk and jolt between gears on occasions.

On the motorway

The lack of compromise continues on the motorway, because the Mercedes-AMG GT Coupe is a quiet and refined cruiser. There’s less wind and tyre noise than you get in a Porsche 911, and the suspension continues to iron out all but the worst bumps in the road.

Naturally with all that power on tap, motorway slip roads and overtakes are but the act of a moment. There are various drive modes, from comfort- to performance-orientated, and in its most relaxed setting there’s a bit of hesitation from the gearbox before giving you the power you want. Switching to a sportier mode for a swift overtake is easy thanks to a nifty dial on the wheel.

On a twisty road

Naturally, the AMG GT Coupe comes alive on a twisty road. The all-wheel drive system makes it much more approachable than the old car, which really struggled for grip when you accelerated quickly. As a result, it’s easy to make the most of a winding road and enjoy the car’s capabilities without being worried about losing control.

Utilising the drive modes to put the car in its sportiest setting makes the suspension a bit too stiff for British roads, so it crashes into hard edges. It’s better to use the ‘individual’ mode to make everything sporty but keep the suspension in its comfort setting.

The only real complaint is that the brake pedal has a long travel, which makes it feel not quite as immediate in its response as the Porsche 911 or Aston Martin Vantage.

The boot has a useful capacity but the rear seats are pretty much pointless

As supercars go, the Mercedes-AMG GT Coupe feels pretty spacious inside. The seats and steering wheel have a decent amount of travel so you can sit low to the floor or high to get a better view of the road, which is made easier by a decent amount of headroom.

Storage isn’t too bad by supercar standards. The door bins are small and will just about take a big water bottle if you force, and while the glovebox has a nice felt lining you can’t fit much in there. At least the space under the armrest is okay, and you get two cup holders beneath a covered section below the infotainment screen. There are two USB-C slots and the pad for wirelessly charging your phone here, too.

Space in the back seats

Space in the back seats is pretty much non-existent. This is a ‘2+2’ rather than a proper four-seater, but even that feels pretty generous. Adults will not want to spend more than a few minutes in the back, and even children will complain pretty quickly. There’s very little legroom and that sleek roofline means tall passengers will have to bend their neck to one side to fit.

You do get ISOFIX mounting points in both rear seats (and one in the front passenger seat), so you can fit a child seat, though because it’s cramped you’ll struggle to get bulky seats in.

Boot space

More impressive is boot space (in the non-hybrid, anyway). You get 321 litres of space, which isn’t as much as you get in the Aston Martin Vantage (350 litres), but it’s more than the Ferrari Roma (272 litres). The Porsche 911 Turbo has more luggage space combined, but the Mercedes’ boot is more usable, because the Porsche’s capacity is split across a front and rear boot. All this being said, the hybrid 63 S version has to make space for the batteries and as a result boot capacity drops to just 182 litres.

There’s quite a lip to lift heavy items over, but otherwise the space is practical thanks to a 12V socket, hooks for bags, nets and tie down points. You also get underfloor storage that has enough space to fit the load cover, something many big SUVs can’t even offer.

The interior design is lovely, material quality is high and the infotainment system works well, but the instrument display lets the side down

The Mercedes-AMG GT Coupe is an expensive car, but its interior design feels worthy of the heady price. The design is clean and classy, with cool features such as the turbine-style vents that turn red when you turn the temperature up.

Material quality is largely excellent, with soft upholstery on the seats and door tops, meaning you have somewhere comfortable to rest your arm. The stitching is also excellent and gives the cabin a real premium air, something that is occasionally shattered by some cheap parts, such as the gear selector and flimsy sun visor. The start/stop button is also awkwardly placed behind the infotainment display, which is annoying since you use it every time you use the car. As a result it’s not quite as posh inside as the Aston Martin Vantage, but the tech is better.

Mercedes’ infotainment tech is some of the best in the business, with a crisp and clear display that responds quickly to your inputs. It’s mildly annoying that the climate controls aren’t physical buttons, but at least they’re always visible on the display so you’re not digging through menus on the move just to turn the fan down. That said, the digital instrument display has a weird surround, and some of the dial designs are weird and unintuitive.

There are two variations of the Mercedes-AMG GT Coupe. The first is badged 63 and is the entry-level model, though with a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine that makes 585hp and can go from 0-62mph in 3.2 seconds, calling it entry-level feels like something of a disservice.

That said, spend a good chunk extra and you can get that same engine but with an electric motor attached. The AMG GT 63 S E-Performance, to give it its full title, has a ludicrous 816hp in total, which drops the 0-62mph time to just 2.8 seconds. Despite being a plug-in hybrid, don’t expect impressive economy – the battery has an electric-only range of just eight miles and is mostly there to boost performance. It can’t be charged much faster than a standard three-pin plug, either.

Still, Mercedes quotes 34.5mpg for the hybrid, which isn’t bad considering the performance on offer – not that you’ll get close to that if you enjoy said performance. The 63 is quoted at 20mpg but we saw just 12mpg in our testing.

Compared with alternatives, the Porsche 911 Turbo has similar power to the regular 63, while the Turbo S gets 650hp. The Ferrari Roma has 620hp and the Aston Martin Vantage makes 665hp, meaning they split the two Mercedes models on performance.

The 63’s incredibly high CO2 emissions mean it falls into the highest Vehicle Excise Duty band, but the hybrid fares a bit better meaning it’s less than half the price on tax in the first year. Neither is particularly attractive from a company car perspective, though, attracting the maximum 37% charge.

As an exclusive, low volume performance car, the Mercedes-AMG GT Coupe has not been safety tested by Euro NCAP and it’s unlikely that it will be. However, Mercedes has scored the full five stars on every one of its models that has been tested since 2014, which should be reassuring.

Standard assistance kit is expansive, with automatic braking, lane-keeping assistance, blind spot warning and much more. You also get a 360-degree camera to help with tight manoeuvres, and a system that will park the car for you.

The Mercedes-AMG GT Coupe is a low volume car, so clear reliability data is not readily available. However, Mercedes overall performed poorly in the Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, placing 25th out of 32 car makers. The standard warranty isn’t great either, at three years with unlimited mileage.