Just three months after Porsche beat Mercedes at the German track, it has taken back its record and beating its own by more than 2 seconds, being the track king does not make the flagship AMG a bad luxury car as can be noticed with its superb ride comfort and plush interiors.

Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4Matic+ has conquered the Nordschleife in Nurburgring and has become the fastest luxury oriented vehicle to ever go around the iconic track. Former racing driver turned AMG engineer Demian Schaffert beat his own lap record of 2018 by 2.3 seconds. Nurburgring has recognized the record as official and posted the same on their website. The car used 4Matic+ AWD, rear steering, limited slip differential and AMG tuned dynamics which helped Mercedes regain the crown in only three months after it lost to the Porsche Panamera Turbo S.

The car was fitted with special Michelin Pilot Sport Cup2 tyres for the run, an optional for customers which provided optimal grip and speed on the track with 73 turns. The optional Aero package was also fitted, which reduces the drag coefficient and increases high speed stability of the car. “The four-door coupé is comfortable and equipped with many intelligent safety features for everyday driving, and on the other hand it offers this extremely high level of driving dynamics and precision.” said Demian.

As is customary for the Nordschleife, the weather was not favourable, with wet portions on the track at several spots and a chilling 7-degree Celsius air temperature which essentially makes it tougher to warm the tyres up and make them grip. The Race mode in the GT 63 proved to be instrumental, tightening dampers and making the steering more responsive. The AMG Dynamics set to Master position alters the AWD to extract every bit of grip available from the tarmac while adjusting the limited slip differential continuously. The driver is kept in position by the racing bucket seat and four-point seat belt.

The Mercedes AMG GT 63 S 4MATIC+ is the flagship model of the four-door performance models offered by the German automaker and is powered by a 4L twin-turbocharged V8, which makes 630hp and 900Nm of torque. The car can propel itself to a hundred in just 2.9s thanks to the AWD system which results in immediate off the line acceleration while reducing wheelspin. Top speed is rated at 315 kmph. Air suspension, adaptive damping, dynamic engine mounts and fully variable AWD are some of the driving dynamics available. The engine is mated to a 9-Speed gearbox which is precise and fast.

The car rides on 21in forged alloy wheels with the Michelin tyres and aerodynamics package adds a new front splitter, fixed rear wing instead of the active aero spoiler and other body tweaks to improve the downforce. There is a drift mode available which will aid in tyre shredding. The suspension is tuned by AMG for blistering performance but that does not make it a slouch at providing the signature Mercedes comfort for daily driving thanks to the air suspension.

The interiors rather contradict the car’s track performance, covered in Nappa leather and two 12.3in displays which create a flush running screen dominated cockpit it does not look like the top tier of performance, the AMG tuned steering has mini-screens as well and buttons to control the driving modes. Optional four or five seat layout is offered with the front seats coming as AMG performance ones, the seats are ventilated and come with power adjustments. The Mercedes AMG GT 63 S starts at $160,995 (INR 2.79 crore on-road Delhi) with the additional aero packs and other performance aid options taking it up to $190,000.

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Anagh Bhaskar

I am a journalism grad who has always had a passion towards machines, especially cars and war machines, the sheer competitiveness of the industry which works with the same enthusiasm everyday without fail is what fascinates me.
Favourie Car: Nissan GT-R R35
Quote: What you do in life echoes in eternity- Russell Crowe, Maximus, Gladiator

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