2025 Mercedes-AMG GT63 Coupe: Australian first drive

03/06/2025 03:00 PM

2025 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Coupe

The original Mercedes-AMG GT was a bewitching car. A beguiling blend of brutal V8 performance and uncompromising looks highlighted by that long, long bonnet and a two-seat cabin positioned so far back, it required its own postcode.

It was distinctive, an aggressive and edgy GT-cum-supercar that brutally bellowed its V8 symphony at the heavens and set Nürburgring Nordschleife production car lap records, seemingly at will. It was almost too brutal, and certainly for a grand tourer where long-distance comfort is the order of the day.

Now, with the second-generation landing in Australia dealerships, the AMG GT has grown up and matured into what Mercedes-Benz says is an altogether different beast. A softer grand tourer with four seats and practical boot space, but without compromising on the original's performance.

To accommodate that second row of seating, the all-new 2025 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Coupe is significantly longer (by 177mm), wider (46mm) and taller (66mm) than the superseded GT. And that has arguably resulted in a dilution of what made the original so menacing.

It's an altogether softer-looking car, and while it might be longer than the original, and wider, the addition of two extra seats ensures it's also now a far more conventional-looking sports car, shedding its aggressive punk rock clothing for something more mature.

Australia will, for now at least, enjoy just a single highly specified variant of the GT 63 Coupe, priced from $370,400 before on-road costs and options. But for those wanting even more menace and mumbo, there is a more potent GT 63 Pro on the horizon, slated for the second half of 2025.

Overseas markets enjoy a broader range of AMG GT Coupe models – from the four-cylinder GT43 to a slightly detuned V8 (GT53), and the bonkers 600kW and 1420Nm V8 plug-in hybrid GT 63 S E-Performance. There has been no word yet on whether Australia will see any or all of these variants.

The single variant making its way here is, as you'd expect from a $400,000-plus car once on the road, generous. Australians love up-speccing their luxury cars, even ones as potent as the GT 63 Coupe, and that means we get a lot of equipment offered as options in overseas markets.

MORE: 2025 Mercedes-AMG GT63 two-door Coupe price and specs – More seats, more speed

Setting aside the 430kW/800Nm turbocharged V8 under the bonnet (more on that later) and the GT 63 Coupe's all-wheel-drive underpinnings, the list of standard creature comforts, performance enhancements and technology is impressive.

Highlights include 21-inch forged alloy wheels, nappa leather seat upholstery, adaptive dampers, composite brake rotors, rear-wheel steering, a sports exhaust system, 11.9-inch infotainment touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and satellite navigation with augmented reality.

Additional technology items run to a 12.3-inch configurable digital instrument cluster, 64-colour ambient interior lighting, an 11-speaker 600W Burmester surround-sound system, head-up display, and wireless smartphone charging.

Advanced driver assist and safety systems include autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, and blind-spot monitoring. There are eight airbags throughout the cabin. Unsurprisingly, there is no ANCAP safety rating attached to the GT 63 Coupe.

Inside, you are reminded of the GT 63's new, larger footprint and cabin architecture. Whereas in the previous generation the cabin was very firmly positioned towards the rear, so much so that it felt like you were sitting just above the rear axle, here a more conventional layout has pushed everything forwards by around 200mm, robbing the GT 63 of one feature that made the original so special, so menacing – that long, long bonnet.

But that also results in better visibility from inside the cabin, thanks to a larger glasshouse that has also lifted cabin ambience, the GT 63 now a much lighter place to spend time in. It feels less crowded than before, no bad thing.

The nappa leather seats up front are comfortable, with good lateral support and, thanks to the standard-fit-but-optional-elsewhere Energizing Package Plus, are fitted with inflatable side bolsters that sculpt around your hips and thighs to hold you firmly in place.

There is the option ($2600) of an AMG Performance Seat Package, but having spent extended time ensconced in the contoured – and noticeably firmer, and uncomfortably so – seats, my recommendation would be to give them a miss.

And unless you're under 150cm tall, as specified by Mercedes-Benz, I'd strongly recommend giving the second row of seats a miss too.

Getting in and out is easy enough, thanks to the front seats sliding forward to offer a generous aperture, but once ensconced in row two, there is no way the driver's seat is able return to its rightful position with my 173cm frame in place. This is a second row best saved for small kids, those under the age of 10 or 11 say.

ISOFIX child seat anchors suggest the second row is capable of ferrying infants and toddlers, but without a seat on hand to test the space, we'll hold off judgment until we get the GT 63 Coupe through the Drive garage.

MORE: 2024 Mercedes-AMG GT63 S E Performance coupe is the company's quickest-ever car

Boot space has massively improved over the older model. Open the powered tailgate and there is 321 litres of space to play with. That expands to 675L with the second row stowed forward. Mercedes claims it’s capable of taking a couple of golf bags, which has apparently become the standard measure at this sharp end of the new car arena.

So, it's more practical (to a point), and with a more conventional profile, but how does Mercedes-AMG's new flagship perform? The answer, more than ever, can be found in the 'GT' badging on the tailgate.

Yes, the previous GT was also considered a grand tourer, but there was also no denying razor-sharp focus as a track day weapon. Hard, and uncompromising, the first-gen GT was a formidable performance car with theatrics – thanks to that menacing AMG V8 – to match.

Thankfully, Mercedes-AMG hasn't ditched the V8 (as it did with the C63), and the thunderous explosion of induction is still very much a core part of its personality.

But there have been some changes. It's more powerful, now making 430kW and 800Nm, and has ditched rear-wheel drive in favour of Mercedes's 4Matic all-wheel-drive system.

Also gone is the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic and in its place is a nine-speed multi-clutch automatic. It's moved house too, the transmission now hanging off the engine as against the older model's rear transaxle set-up. The move has had a dramatic effect on weight distribution, now heavily biased to the front at 54:46. Previously, the GT enjoyed 47:53 weight split front to rear.

Also new is AMG's Active Ride Control, which swaps out conventional torsion bar anti-roll bars in favour of hydraulic dampers that, as well as varying suspension stiffness, also work to minimise body roll, ensuring the GT 63 remains flat and composed through corners. The hydraulic dampers also enable the big GT's nose-lift function, which adds an extra 41mm of clearance at the front bumper, and is ideal for navigating driveways and speed humps.

It's not just trick suspension that helps keep the big GT composed and stable on the road. There's also four-wheel steering and a raft of active and passive aerodynamic aids including a standard-fit retractable rear wing, which adjusts automatically through five distinct angles depending on driving conditions. Buyers can option a fixed rear wing as part of the $10,000 AMG Night Package, but for my money, the retractable wing looks way better.

So how do all these elements combine on the road and from behind the wheel? Is there still enough fire and brimstone left or have AMG's softening touches diluted its monstering appeal?

MORE: 2024 Mercedes-AMG GT43 adds four-cylinder to circa-$200,000 sports coupe

Pressing the starter button does bring some thunder, the twin-turbo V8 barking into life with an enhanced and satisfying rumble inside the cabin. But thanks to ever more stringent noise regulations, the V8's rumble when heard outside the cabin is a touch muted, an altogether softer burble that doesn't quite elicit the same emotional response as it once did.

Still, there's no denying the V8's charm, and now more powerful than ever, its brutal acceleration is a reminder that this is still a purposeful GT.

Acceleration from standstill can be otherworldly fast, but the reality is that in an urban environment, you're not going to challenge Mercedes's 0–100km/h claim of 3.2 seconds. Instead, the satisfaction comes from that grumbling V8 eliciting the kinds of noises that have enchanted enthusiasts since the first V8 was crammed into a production car in 1905.

And grumble it does, the GT 63 quite happy to motor along at 60km/h in a way the original GT couldn't, or wouldn't, always giving the impression it wasn't entirely happy at slow speeds.

That's not the case with the newer, softer model, which feels right at home in an urban environment or out on the highway. But which can, when the opportunity presents itself, unleash everything it can muster in an explosion of induction and combustion.

Ride comfort, despite AMG's efforts, remains on the firm side, the adaptive dampers even in their softest 'Comfort' settings proving a little tetchy over imperfections and coarse-chip surfaces. Road noise, too, feels intrusive.

Of course, what matters is how the GT 63 performs on twisting and winding roads, and here the news is good. Dialling up some mumbo via either Sport or Sport+ from the drive mode dial on the steering wheel elicits a snarling demeanour from the V8, a firmer still suspension tune and a whole lot of attitude.

Despite its 1919kg tare mass (a 254kg weight gain over the outgoing model), the GT 63 still feels lithe and agile. That's in part down to AMG's 4Matic all-wheel-drive system, which does a terrific job of apportioning torque to the wheels that need it most.

So too the GT's four-wheel steering system that works like most of these systems do, turning the rear wheels counter to the fronts in slower-speed scenarios or in the same direction as the front wheels during high-speed bends.

The result is a big GT that remains nimble despite its size and heft, and one that can be driven with some menacing intent. The suspension too, despite firming up noticeably, plays its hand here, keeping the GT flat and composed through corners. Grip levels, thanks to some big Michelin rubber – 295/30 R21 up front and 305/30 R21 at the rear – is confidence-inspiring, as is brake pedal feel and the big composite rotors that pull up the big GT with alacrity every single time.

It’s a more assured grand tourer as a result, but perhaps one that has lost just a little of its playfulness and a smidgeon of its brutal character.

Quieter, more spacious and more conventional design have given the GT's demeanour a gentle makeover, resulting in a more resolved and more driver-friendly car that can be punted through corners in a way the old one couldn't – not without taking a decent a dollop of brave pills and some tail-wagging hair-raising moments.

Instead, the new GT 63 Coupe is all self-assured and cocky, knowing its purpose in life is to blend everyday comfort and liveability with the drama and theatre of a V8 in loud (but not too loud, mind you) song.

It's more mature for it, but also a fraction less exciting. It's a more capable car, yes, but it has lost a little of that emotional pull that made the previous model so special, if a little unruly.

But that doesn't dilute what the 2025 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Coupe is – a luxurious 2+2 grand tourer with practicality and enough character from that manic V8 under the bonnet fit for the modern age.

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