Mercedes-AMG GT review: less sports car, more usable weapon
4.1/5motorssouq Editorial Team
The GT63 4MATIC+ is a genuinely quick, genuinely usable four-seat coupe rather than the focused two-seat sports car the AMG GT name once implied, and buyers should shop it against a Panamera or RS7 rather than against a 911 or an Aston Martin. Anyone who wants the visceral, back-seat-free experience of the original AMG GT should look for a low-mileage first-generation example instead.
Pros
- 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 with 4MATIC+ traction is genuinely quick and usable in summer heat
- Four usable doors and rear seats make it a daily-driver AMG rather than a weekend-only car
- Respectable boot space for a low-roofline performance coupe
- AMG Speedshift transmission shifts with real urgency in Sport+ mode
Cons
- Rear seats and low roofline make entry and exit less convenient than a GLC or E-Class
- Loses the raw two-seat character enthusiasts associated with the original AMG GT
- Tyres, brakes and servicing priced as a performance car, not a family sedan
- Thin resale market for performance coupes in Bahrain
Moving the AMG GT onto the SL's platform and adding two rear seats and two extra doors was a deliberate retreat from the purity of the first-generation two-seater, and enthusiasts noticed immediately. What Mercedes gained in exchange is a car that a Bahraini owner can actually use for the causeway commute and the school run without a second vehicle in the garage, while still hitting 100 km/h in the low-three-second range with the GT63's 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8.
Fast in a different way
The 4MATIC+ all-wheel-drive system puts the V8's 800 Nm down with none of the traction drama a rear-drive-only car would have off the line in summer heat, and the nine-speed AMG transmission shifts with genuine urgency in Sport+ mode. It is a car that flatters a quick driver rather than one that demands expertise to extract its pace, which suits a daily-use car far better than the raw first-generation AMG GT did.
The daily-use case
Rear seats are usable for children or short adult trips rather than genuinely spacious, and the low roofline that gives the car its coupe profile means entry and exit require a bit more care than a GLC or E-Class. Boot space behind the rear seats is respectable for a car this shape, swallowing a couple's luggage for a weekend trip without complaint.
Running costs sit at the top of the Mercedes range — tyres, brakes and servicing are priced for a performance car, not a family sedan — and resale in Bahrain's small performance-coupe market is thinner than for a mainstream SUV, so this remains a car bought for how it drives rather than as a rational financial decision.