For reasons that definitely, for sure have nothing to do with the 2027 Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe EV that makes as much as 1,153 horsepower and can hit 60 mph in two seconds flat, I found myself looking at cheap AMG GT 4-Door Coupes this week. You know, as research. Important job-related research. Turns out, they aren’t buy-on-a-whim cheap just yet, but it probably won’t be long before we see one listed for less than $40,000. Unless you want a V8. But would you really want to pay the premium for an extra-sporty E-Class with a V8?
The easy answer is, of course, yes, definitely go for the V8. Why would you settle for an inline-6 when you could have a V8? It gets a little harder when you’re looking at the actual price difference between two real-life car listings. And what do you know, I found two good deals on heavily depreciated, cheap-for-what-you-get AMG GT 4-Door Coupes in New Jersey that are both 2020 models and should help us make this game a little more fun.
If you absolutely had to choose, with only two options available, would you rather own this $43,000 AMG GT53 with its I6 or pay the premium for the V8 and drop $69,000 on this AMG GT63?
Would you rather
As the cheaper car with the smallest engine, the GT53 is probably the smarter on-paper play. I just paid $4.99 for premium in a state that’s already suspended its gas tax, and the EPA-rated 21 mpg combined you get from the GT53’s mild-hybrid setup would make keeping your car fueled up way less expensive than the GT63 and its V8’s 17 mpg combined. A difference of only four miles per gallon may not sound like much, but when the V8 gets such terrible gas mileage, it adds up fast.
The V6 isn’t slow, either. It makes 469 hp and 384 lb-ft of torque, which was enough for Car and Driver to hit 60 mph in 4.1 seconds. The V8 is, of course, a V8, and its 577 hp and 590 lb-ft make the GT63 significantly quicker, dropping the 0-60 time down to 3.3 seconds. And if you really need more speed, there’s always the 630 hp AMG GT63 S.
Bumping up to the GT63 gets you more than just a V8 with extra power, too. It’s one of those cars that really shouldn’t handle or be as enjoyable to drive on track as it is, and it’s arguably more sport sedan than any normal driver could ever justify needing. Then again, if you’re buying an AMG GT 4-Door Coupe instead of an E-Class, you’ve already thrown what you “need” out the window, and going with the GT53 makes no sense, at least as long as you can afford it.
And that’s the real rub. Objectively, the GT63 is the better version of this car, the more desirable car, and the one that will likely hold its value better in the future. You will enjoy driving it more. But the dealer with the GT63 wants a premium of more than $25,000 to get the V8 instead of the cheaper, more practical GT53. Personally, I think I’d pay it if I had the money, but what about you? Is a heavily depreciated AMG GT63 worth paying a premium that would buy a brand-new Honda Civic to get the V8 over the I6?
