Mercedes-AMG GT 4-door coupe review

The Mercedes-AMG GT 4-door is a direct rival for the Porsche Panamera and BMW M8 Gran Coupe, offering a blend of performance and luxury similar to that of the original two-door Mercedes-AMG GT, albeit with an extra pair of doors and, now, a plug-in hybrid engine.

Based loosely on the Mercedes E-Class, but with significant bodywork and mechanical upgrades, the GT 4-door Coupe comes with a V8 petrol engine. All models come with Mercedes' 4MATIC four-wheel drive and nine-speed automatic gearbox as standard.

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From 2022, its 4.0-litre petrol engine has been joined by a 201bhp electric motor and 6.1kWh battery, making the AMG GT 4-door a plug-in hybrid. It’s officially called the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance, and its name gives you a clue that the hybridisation is more aimed at improving performance than efficiency.

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The combined power output stands at a colossal 831bhp, which is a considerably more impressive statistic than its electric range. You can travel just eight miles on battery power, compared with the 31 miles possible in the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid.

Developed entirely by AMG (rather than being a tuned version of a standard Mercedes model), the GT 4-door Coupe is agile, fast and remarkably engaging. In top-spec 63 S form, the car is particularly ferocious and is the most powerful car that AMG produces: 0-62mph takes just 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 196mph is possible where the law (or a large abandoned airfield) allows.

While capable, the GT suffers as most large, fast luxury cars do with fuel economy, CO2 emissions and pricing – it’s a six-figure car to buy, and you’ll only get anywhere near the 35.8mpg fuel economy figure if you predominantly drive on the GT’s tiny electric range. However, if you have the means, few cars of this sort come as close to offering a genuine sports-car feel in a luxurious package.

On its own, the twin-turbocharged V8 petrol engine only returns around 22mpg, with CO2 emissions of 256-257g/km. The addition of the electric aspects means the official CO2 figure drops to 180g/km, meaning this car is one of the few plug-in hybrids that still sit in the highest company-car tax band. It has a pretty steep P11D value, too.

After the first year’s road tax (included in the price), the GT will cost over £500 a year until it’s more than six years old. The GT 4-Door benefits from the same servicing packages and three-year/unlimited-mileage warranty as other Mercedes cars, with a fixed-price servicing package being available to spread the cost.

Although the GT 4-door Coupe was revealed with a pair of mild-hybrid six-cylinder petrol engines, the only options sold in the UK were the more powerful twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 petrols, putting distance between this model and the less powerful Mercedes CLS. The Mercedes-AMG GT 63 gets a 585bhp version of the engine, while the GT 63 S has 639bhp, making it the most powerful car that AMG has produced.

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The sole choice now is the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance, which takes the more powerful engine and adds a 201bhp electric motor – the same as the entire unit in the most powerful Volkswagen ID.3. Power is boosted to 831bhp, giving a staggeringly fast 0-62mph time of 2.9 seconds and a top speed nudging 200mph. However, our driving impressions are of the non-hybrid V8 models.

All cars come with 4MATIC four-wheel drive, with the 63 S boasting a high-performance version of the system that allows for a ‘drift mode’ – a way for experienced drivers to enjoy the car’s power in controlled environments by overcoming the tyres’ grip. The system sends most of the engine’s power to the rear wheels, with the front wheels coming into play when more traction is required.

A range of selectable driving modes are offered, including Comfort, Sport, Sport+, Slippery and Individual, plus RACE mode in the GT 63 S. These are supplemented by AMG Dynamics, a system that can track the car’s behaviour and adjust the way it drives accordingly by adjusting areas like the car’s four-wheel steering, engine and suspension.

Those who've driven the Mercedes-AMG E 63 saloon will be familiar with the general big-engined, muscle-car-like feeling that the most powerful GT 63 S gives on the road. The 4-door Coupe shares much of the character of the smaller Mercedes-AMG GT coupe, too: its steering, while slightly less sensitive, is just as direct and accurate, while the large amounts of grip and four-wheel steering help make high-speed cornering a fun experience. And while straight-line performance is remarkable, the car’s brakes are just as impressive.

The Mercedes-AMG GT 4-door Coupe isn't quite as driver-focused inside as its two-door siblings, feeling more akin to modern Mercedes saloons such as the Mercedes CLS and Mercedes S-Class. The dashboard flows across the width of the car, with turbine-style air vents in polished metal set into attractive decorative trim.

Wood and carbon-fibre are among the trim options, with leather upholstery for the standard sports seats that can be specified in a quilted finish. We'd prefer a sportier driving position to reflect the car’s AMG heritage, but otherwise the 4-door Coupe has an interior worthy of its price tag.

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Mercedes’ excellent dual-screen infotainment display features, with two 12.3-inch screens. The screen on the right sits behind the AMG steering wheel and can be set up to show a range of driving information displays, while the central screen combines displays for infotainment, car settings and connectivity, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It’s frustrating that the new console design has seen the usual rotary controller swapped for a touchpad that's far trickier to use.

When not being driven in its angriest settings, the GT 4-door Coupe does a good job of feeling like a luxurious Mercedes saloon – refined, smooth-riding (although with a firmer, sportier edge) and quiet at speed.

As it’s based on the same underpinnings as the Mercedes E-Class and CLS, the AMG GT 4-Door is relatively practical for a car of its type. There’s space in the rear for two adults to sit comfortably, as in a Porsche Panamera, but you have to specify a third rear seat if you plan to travel five-up. Headroom is hampered by the car’s dramatic roofline, although legroom is perfectly acceptable for a car of this type.

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There’s a large boot under the similarly large hatchback bootlid, measuring in at 456 litres – slightly less than the Porsche Panamera’s 495 litres. If you need to carry large loads while enjoying the thrust of an AMG V8 engine, the Mercedes-AMG E 63 estate is a better bet, thanks to its 640-litre load bay (expandable to a colossal 1,820 litres with the rear bench folded).

The Mercedes-AMG GT 4-door Coupe hasn't been crash-tested by Euro NCAP and as such doesn't have an official safety rating. However, Mercedes’ great track record in this department – and the car’s hi-tech, safety-conscious construction – should mean occupants are well protected in the event of a collision.

The usual array of modern Mercedes active safety and driver-assistance features can be found on the GT 4-door Coupe – in fact, Mercedes claims that all of the ‘Intelligent Drive’ functions found in the Mercedes-AMG S-Class are featured on the GT, including active cruise control, active brake assist and active blind-spot assist.

Reliability is as-yet untested, but Mercedes’ 13th-place finish in our Driver Power 2021 survey should bring some comfort to potential owners. Around 19% of Mercedes owners we surveyed reported an issue with their cars, while most praised their vehicles’ interior comfort, practicality and ride and handling. Build quality and styling were rated higher still.