The 2024 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Oozes Grown-Up Luxury

Even if you’re a driving enthusiast who prefers naturally aspirated gas cars with rear-wheel drive and a six-speed manual transmission, something in you changes a little when you become middle-aged. You start to appreciate comfort, space, all-wheel-drive traction, and even a good rapid-fire slushbox automatic transmission. Of course, when it’s all wrapped in slinky sheet metal that makes everyone’s heads turn, that’s even better. 

The sport-luxury coupe space is a tough pond to swim in. These are not high-volume cars that sell 100k per year, like a Ford Mustang. We’re talking 10,000 units sold per year at the high end and fewer than 2k at the low end, so you had better come packing style, power, tech, and luxury up to your eyeballs—or don’t come to play at all.

Mercedes took an already stunning automobile and made it better in almost every way. The swoopy and muscular sheet metal looks more cohesive than the first-gen AMG GT. The car is longer, wider, and taller than before. The result is a car with more polish and presence. That’s important because the $175,900 base MSRP is playing in the same sandbox as the Porsche 911 Carrera4 GTS and the BMW M8 Competition Coupe. The AMG GT 63 Coupe oozes sexiness that manages to one-up the iconic 911 while totally eclipsing the also-ran M8 in the looks department. All three cars have big rear haunches, sloping rooflines, and seriously fat rubber, but it’s the AMG GT63 that manages to look incredible from every angle. 

Important design changes for 2024 include a larger grille, reshaped front intakes, a new vertical front fender vent, and redesigned headlights and taillights. That rear end is a head-turner, and the car now properly embodies the exotic car look with the reshaped bumper and reflectors, the new three-cell taillights, and the squared-off quad exhaust outlets. The result of these seemingly small changes is an overall more cohesive and attractive look than before that still evokes the last AMG GT in spades.

For 2024, the AMG GT comes in two tasty flavors, one a bit more powerful than the other. Both the AMG GT 55 and GT 63 utilize a twin-turbo V8 mated to a new nine-speed automatic transmission. The GT 55 emits 469 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, while the GT 63 churns out 577 horses and 590 pound-feet of torque. While you shouldn’t balk at the more “affordable” GT 55, the engine still needs to move a substantial 4,300 pounds. If it’s top performance you’re looking for, upgrade to the GT 63 with its 2.7-second 0-60 mph sprint. That’s supercar territory from a grand touring sport-luxury coupe. The standard all-wheel drive system shows up for the first time in the AMG GT, and it definitely aids the acceleration numbers while diluting the driving dynamics. More on that later.

Mercedes has upgraded the interior for the second-generation AMG GT. The biggest change occurs with the massive portrait-oriented infotainment screen, the simplification of the waterfall center console, and the loss of some physical knobs and buttons. The gauge cluster is now ensconced within its own shroud, no longer housed in a single frame that once adjoined a landscape infotainment screen. Mercedes also ditched the four turbine center vents from the old car and flanked two next to the large 11.9-inch touchscreen. Although we lament the loss of the old center HVAC switches, the look is more modern and unified.

Sumptuous diamond-quilted nappa leather sport seats cradle you in comfort, packed with features like heat, ventilation, and massage. Beautiful backlit brushed metal in the turbine HVAC vents and the speaker grilles remind you that this is more than just your everyday two-door Merc. Gobs of real carbon fiber abound, and the flat-bottom leather and microfiber steering wheel has two levels of haptic-feedback controls that, once you get used to them, are marvelous to use. 

The AMG GT 63 is no slouch, but that comes with some caveats. Mash the gas, and the car moves quickly, but the transmission lacks the smoothness and quickness we expected. All-wheel drive puts down the power via superb traction and super-fat 295/305 staggered tires, but shifts feel unrefined and slow at times. While the GT63’s newfound quickness comes from an all-wheel-drive launch, the car feels somewhat unresponsive from a rolling start. Then, if you burp it, you’re surprised by the hurtle that slams you into the seat.

Regarding handling, the GT 63 corners very flat, despite its corpulence. It is a car of power and substance, but it’s far less rewarding to drive in a spirited fashion than the 911, and that’s exacerbated by the absence of rear-wheel drive dynamics that were present in the old car. You can still push it pretty hard into a turn, but the exit feels less thrilling than before.

What the GT 63 provides is effortless beauty in its grand tourer proportions, interior opulence that the competition can’t match, and four-season traction. It’s a car that cannot be ignored as its twin-turbo V8 burbles with authority, housed beneath some of the slinkiest sheet metal in the auto industry. It’s less for the driving enthusiast than an outright sports car like the 911, but in terms of everyday driveability and creature comforts, the GT 63 wins.