Mercedes-AMG GT hybrid revealed as firm's quickest car yet
More than 800bhp and 1000lb ft make this one of the hottest PHEVs around
V8 PHEV makes 804bhp and more than 1000lb ft – making GT PHEV nearly as rapid as the Ferrari SF90
The new plug-in hybrid version of the Mercedes-AMG GT is not just the brand's quickest-accelerating road car yet, but also one of the fastest cars in production.
Arriving just a few months before Porsche is expected to reveal the long-awaited hybrid version of the 911, the GT 63 S E Performance shares its electrified innards with the recently revealed SL hybrid.
AMG's twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 (producing 603bhp on its own) is paired with a 201bhp electric motor on the rear axle to give four-wheel drive and 804bhp – more than the Ferrari 812 Superfast and McLaren 750S – and a colossal 1047lb ft, which is one of the highest torque outputs yet offered by a combustion-powered road car.
Those figures are enough to send the GT from 0-62mph in just 2.8sec, faster than any AMG road car yet, including the 1049bhp One hypercar. In fact, it's one of the fastest-accelerating combustion cars in production - just narrowly outpaced by the likes of the Porsche 911 Turbo S, Ferrari SF90 Stradale and Lamborghini Revuelto.
It will push on to a top speed of 198mph, just edging its slightly heavier soft-top sibling.
Power for the EV motor is stored in a 6.1kWh battery that gives an electric range of around eight miles from a full charge, and is topped up on the move via four-stage regenerative braking to ensure "maximum propulsion is always available when the driver needs it", says AMG.
Alternatively, the battery can be topped up at 3.7kW from a domestic charger.
The car starts up silently on the electric motor if it's set to Comfort mode, but a "powerful, sonorous, AMG-typical" start-up sound is pumped in to the cabin via the stereo speakers.
The E Performance is almost visually identical to the standard GT – which is offered already with a V8 in two states of tune and a 416bhp four-cylinder – but subtle bespoke cues include the red badging, aero-optimised wheels and the charge port in the rear bumper.
Carbon-ceramic brake discs (larger than the pure-combustion car's) come fitted as standard, as does rear-wheel steering and AMG's active ride control system.
Orders for the new super-PHEV open in autumn. Mercedes has not yet detailed UK pricing plans, but a starting price of around £200,000 looks likely, representing a premium of around £25,000 over the top-rung pure-V8 car.