2024 Mercedes-AMG GT63 at Lightning Lap 2025
From the March/April 2025 issue of Car and Driver.
Class: LL4 | Base: $196,550 | As Tested: $209,450 Power and Weight: 557 hp • 4235 lb • 7.3 lb/hp Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport S5; F: 295/30ZR-21 (102Y) MO1, R: HL305/30ZR-21 (107Y) MO1
Whether it be around your belly or on four wheels, extra weight is never a good thing. The latest Mercedes-AMG GT63 coupe is heavy at 4235 pounds—567 more than the previous GT R—and we can't help but wonder why these AMGs have packed on so much weight.
Apparently, all-wheel drive and a back seat are a hearty meal, but despite being hefty, the GT63 is a joy to push to its high limits. It hides its mass with a rear axle that steers, adding nimbleness in slow corners and stability in high-speed bends. Put it in Race mode and toggle on the Master stability-control setting, and you'll feel confident getting up to speed quickly. The steering gives back just enough to keep the driver in the loop. It's easy to find this car's limits and stay there.
The GT's 2:50.3 lap outguns the mechanically identical SL's by 2.3 seconds despite that both cars have 577 horsepower. Putting all the horses to work out of corners is easy, and the large optional carbon-ceramic rotors absorbed the abuse leveled at them. The biggest difference between the SL and the GT is the tires. The SL rolled on Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber; for the GT, Michelin's new Pilot Sport S5 got the call. This is our first experience with the Pilot Sport S5 at VIR.
The new S5s provide more grip everywhere. Exiting the downhill right dubbed Hog Pen, the GT is 2.0 mph faster than the SL and stays ahead all the way down the Front Straight. In Turn 1, the GT hangs on at 1.07 g's, up 0.04 on the SL, and leaves the corner faster too. Added grip aside, the tires' consistency and resistance to fatigue over an 18.5-gallon tank impressed us. We wish the brake pedal showed the same steadiness, as it grew softer as we stacked on the laps.
The forthcoming GT63 Pro's upgraded brakes have the potential to remedy that problem, but we'll be more interested in its Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tires. And, hopefully, the Pro gets a prescription for Ozempic.
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Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 5.0 sec Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 10.0 sec Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 9.0 sec Top Speed (gov ltd): 155 mph Braking, 70–0 mph: 153 ft Braking, 100–0 mph: 312 ft Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.99 g C/D FUEL ECONOMY Observed: 18 mpg 75-mph Highway Driving: 24 mpg 75-mph Highway Range: 380 mi EPA FUEL ECONOMY Combined/City/Highway: 17/14/23 mpg 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door coupe PRICE Base/As Tested: $60,865/$73,205 ENGINE DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, port and direct fuel injection Displacement: 307 in3, 5038 cm3 Power: 500 hp @ 7250 rpm Torque: 418 lb-ft @ 4900 rpm TRANSMISSION 6-speed manual CHASSIS Suspension, F/R: struts/multilink Brakes, F/R: 15.4-in vented disc/14.0-in vented disc Tires: Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS F: 305/30ZR-19 (98Y) R: 315/30ZR-19 (100Y) DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 107.0 in Length: 189.7 in Width: 75.5 in Height: 55.2 in Passenger Volume, F/R: 55/30 ft3 Trunk Volume: 13 ft3 Curb Weight: 3975 lb C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 4.1 sec 100 mph: 9.7 sec 1/4-Mile: 12.5 sec @ 115 mph 130 mph: 16.4 sec 150 mph: 23.2 sec Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec. Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 5.0 sec Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 9.4 sec Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 8.8 sec Top Speed (mfr's claim): 166 mph Braking, 70–0 mph: 142 ft Braking, 100–0 mph: 278 ft Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 1.07 g EPA FUEL ECONOMY Combined/City/Highway: 17/14/22 mpg C/D TESTING EXPLAINED More Features and Specs
