Yahoo Autos The 2025 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Pro Can Take The Heat
Don’t let the “Pro” in "2025 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Pro" intimidate. This two-door sports car’s name might label it as the version reserved for professionals, but it’s a sweetheart, even on the rain-soaked Circuito Ascari in the south of Spain.
With 603 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque — 26 hp and 37 lb-ft more than the standard AMG GT 63 respectively — it certainly sounds like a lot to reign in on wet pavement, especially for a car wearing semi-slick Michelin Pilot Cup Sport 2 R tires on its 21-inch forged wheels. After one lap, though, "Pro" turns out to be a better description of what the car makes you feel like rather than the standard of required race license.
Despite a similar shape and price, this new generation of AMG GT shares little with its predecessor. Dynamically, it has gone from being a twitchy, heart-palpitation-inducing rear-driver to a much more secure all-wheel-driver. It's also gained rear seats, which the first generation car never had, although these can be deleted in the Pro. The trunk has also gone from being a useless parcel shelf to a cavernous hatchback sized for multiple suitcases.
Has AMG gone soft? The division does admit the new GT came as a response to customer feedback about the previous one being too hardcore (and also the need to share a platform with the open-topped SL.) The original GT had a narrow bandwidth; it appealed to performance junkies, but not so much to those just in search of a fast, good-looking coupe. The Pro version of the previous car, only offered on the GT R variant, was even more single-minded, with a manually adjustable coilover suspension, a driveway-smashing splitter and a huge rear wing.
The new Pro is a very different proposition, one no longer just a step or two removed from a GT4 race car. Revised aerodynamics have made marginal gains over the regular GT 63 — lift is reduced by 66 pounds at the front, downforce increased by 33 pounds at the rear.
More significant are cooling improvements intended to allow for long, grueling track days in high ambient temperatures. Mercedes is serious the Pro be seen as a track car, so it has two additional radiators up front, plus water cooling for both the front and rear differentials, plus the electronically controlled transfer case that divides torque between the axles - all upgrades from the regular car’s air-cooled items. New air deflectors also direct more air to the wheels to help the standard carbon-ceramic brakes stay cool under brutal thermal loadings.
On track, the most obvious difference came from the increase in grip afforded by the sticky Cup 2 R tires over the standard GT’s Pilot Sport 5 rubber. These circuit-biased tires make it simple to hang onto all 4273 pounds with ease, the Pro forgiving small mistakes and optimistic corner entry speeds. The steep curb weight is a disappointment in what is meant to be a track version, being only 20 pounds less than the standard car. While mass has been saved in the forged wheels, deleted rear seats and standard carbon-ceramic brakes, it has also been increased by the additional cooling.
The Pro does not feel significantly different than the standard GT — anybody looking for a more radical change should look at the GT 63 S E PHEV. The GT Pro is the same sure-footed, no-frills sportscar as the regular car. The hand-built 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 doesn’t have a weak zone, and the claimed 3.1-second 0-60 mph time seems perfectly believable, with the exhaust snarling and snapping just the way an AMG is meant to.
There's no scrambling or sketchiness to the Pro’s acceleration, even in wet conditions. The smart AWD system works overtime to keep the GT’s long nose pointed in the intended direction, the security of the fast-acting stability control meaning a driver can pick how silly they want to be in the rain with low risk of dire consequences. For me, the Pro’s front axle felt more involved than it does on all-wheel-drive Porsche 911s, making the car’s limits feel well-flagged and approachable. Longtime racer Bernd Schneider, acting as our guide around Ascari, admitted that the last-gen AMG GT would have struggled on the track wearing the same tires. The new car makes it possible for even less-experienced circuit pilots to feel instantly comfortable driving quickly.
The carbon-ceramic brakes slow things down in a neck-straining hurry, with little dancing around or wander under maximum use. And while the chassis doesn’t exactly feel wanting for more, it is odd to learn Mercedes didn’t tweak a single setting with the Pro’s suspension. Even the calibration of the active dampers and high-tech anti-roll system (which does away with traditional sway bars) is exactly as in the standard GT 63. AMG engineers say the bandwidth of the existing hardware was plenty sufficient, from on-road comfort to maximum attack on track. The same goes for the snappy nine-speed multi-clutch transmission, stability control and all-wheel drive system. Those who enjoy using the manual mode and chunky paddle shifters will find a unique-to-Pro sound-based shift indicator, but that’s it.
What the Pro amounts to is an AMG GT 63 for a buyer who intends to beat on it relentlessly, whether on road or track. Our lapping at Ascari only saw 15 minute stints at a time, but the car felt capable of far longer sessions — potentially only limited by fuel range and driver stamina.
I didn’t get to drive the Pro away from the circuit, which is a shame, given some of the spectacular mountain roads near the Ascari resort. But considering the forgiving nature and pliant ride of the regular car, it's hard to see there will be any significant compromises on the same suspension settings; the Cup 2 R tires are the only big change. The lack of roll, utter neutral balance and ability to play with the rear end on track should translate to a superbly fun back road car. While the GT’s size and weight hold it back from being as agile as a Porsche 911 Carrera GTS or 911 Turbo, is is definitely now a very sporting grand tourer.
AMG still isn’t talking prices for the new Pro, but I'd guess it'll end up about $20,000 more than the standard GT 63 — a change that will push it to right around the $200,000 mark. While that's a big number, the aftermarket would struggle to replicate the same changes for anywhere close to the price. Plus, buyers will get the cred of the Pro’s checkered flag badge and every carbonfiber extra AMG can offer. The Pro’s appeal may be niche, but it is also unarguable.
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