Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe 2019 Review

The third unique AMG design to reach Australian shores is a high-performance machine measuring just over five metres in length. Named in full the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe (should get in the habit of copying that to the clipboard), it's a sedan with a liftback tailgate, but it's probably too large and too expensive to be labelled a hatchback. And the GT 4-Door Coupe features high-output powertrains mounted longitudinally ahead of the driver.

In other words, the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe is a direct rival to Porsche's Panamera.

For the local market, the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe (it's almost an anagram for 'crème de la crème') is offered in two versions , both all-wheel drive: the 53 S 4MATIC is mild-hybrid with a six-cylinder engine or the car tested here, the 63 S 4MATIC turbocharged V8 variant. Both cars channel their torque through Mercedes’ 4MATIC all-wheel drive system and the V8 is coupled to what the manufacturer calls the AMG Speedshift MCT 9G. That's a nine-speed automatic with a wet-plate clutch in lieu of the torque converter that is unique to AMG vehicles.

Mercedes-Benz calls the car the GT 4-Door Coupe to draw an association with the two-door GT models in the AMG range, and also highlight the coupe-like low roofline and the additional doors.

It's a striking design, and one which is unlikely to foster the sort of disapproval that greeted the first generation of Panamera. An optional rear wing was fitted to the Mercedes-AMG tested, enhancing the look.

While the GT 4-Door Coupe is visually arresting outside, it's also a knockout inside. Open a door and you'll be awe-struck by the stylish, high-tech design.

We love the turbine look of the eyeball vents, the configurable high-colour instrument cluster, the infotaiment screen, the swathes of carbon fibre, the conspicuous ambient lighting (visible even during the daylight hours) and the nappa leather. Adding to the rich ambience of the interior, the test vehicle came with the optional four-seat pack (five seat belts are standard).

About the only niggle is that rear-seat accommodation. It's roomy back there, but if the front seats are adjusted lower for taller drivers, that leaves little room underneath for rear-seat passengers to place their feet.

Otherwise, to be blunt about it, the interior makes the Panamera's cabin look a little working class – and that's from someone who has driven the Panamera GTS and liked it...

The Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4MATIC 4-Door Coupe (that reminds me: it's about time I changed my 16-character network password) was quite a big, brash car for navigating the drive program's winding country roads to Melbourne's east.

Still, the V8-engined AMG GT 4-Door put in a pretty fair effort. With blistering straight-line performance and secure dynamics to match, it's a car that can be punted satisfactorily over terrain that wouldn't normally flatter a vehicle like this.

The V8 engine's soundtrack is a soul-stirring symphony of bent-eight Benz percussion. There are pops and crackles audible on the overrun, plus a wall of thrust right up to the 7000rpm redline. Use the launch control setup (in Sport+ or Race modes, selected from the rotary knob on the steering wheel) and the 63 gets off the line fast and clean. Think catapult-assisted take-off from a carrier deck!

Although the engine packs the kind of wallop that demands a robust and rugged transmission, the automatic in the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4MATIC 4-Door Coupe goes about its business without any fluster or fuss. The clutch pack can be occasionally felt engaging and disengaging at low speeds and on light throttle, but mostly the transmission is highly refined and shifts imperceptibly.

With so much performance on tap, it was reassuring to have strong brakes. They reacted to the barest touch of the pedal, yet the progressive assistance and feedback allow for finely modulated stopping.

And complementing the braking, the suspension provided high levels of grip in what could be considered demanding conditions for such a large car.

Apply big power and the rear-biased all-wheel drive set up means the tail could be induced to step out – and this was particularly the case in the car's 'hammer-and-tongs' race mode. With less power applied, the front tyres take more of the load. Whatever the driver's choice, the Mercedes corners with quite some composure.

As an observation, the Michelin Cup 2 tyres fitted to the test vehicle needed some heat in them for best results. During the cooler morning of the drive program they felt a little more prone to slip than the tyres fitted to other cars.

Ride quality is not all that supple, even in Comfort mode, but it's finely judged for a car wearing a Mercedes-AMG label, and it isn't punishing over typical Australian country roads. In fact, the suspension seems to be calibrated for a very similar state of tune to the suspension of the Panamera GTS – it’s possibly even a little more compliant.

Comparisons like that, between Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4MATIC 4-Door Coupe and the Porsche Panamera, are inevitable.

In the broad landscape of the Australian new-car market, the contest between the AMG GT 4-Door and the Porsche will be a sideshow at best – but it is one that's shaping up to be some spectacle.

How much does the 2019 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4MATIC 4-Door Coupe cost?
Price: $349,900 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 4.0-litre eight-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 470kW/900Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: TBA (ADR Combined), 15.5L/100km (as tested)
CO2: TBA (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: TBA