Performance Luxury is a full-sensory experience. That has always been the case at Mercedes-AMG, and it is also the core value of the electric evolution. In our "Feel Electric" series, we deliver an emotional insight into the exciting present and future of AMG. We take you behind the scenes, which means it's off to the race track where Mercedes-AMG GT3 driver Maro Engel shares his enthusiasm for the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E PERFORMANCE. Meanwhile, Jochen Schmitz, Head of Hybrid Operating Strategy and Powertrain Electronics at Mercedes-AMG, explains the technology bringing it all to life.

It begins with a gentle rumble, like a distant thunderstorm gathering behind the Mercedes-AMG Test Center in Immendingen. The sound comes closer. Quickly. Dramatically. The high-frequency tire squeals blending into the dull beat can only belong to the ignition sequence of a powerful V8. Then the "orchestra" appears. Red, sideways, and in perfect balance, the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E PERFORMANCE drifts around the bend.

Maro Engel captains the coupe with deft, precise impulses at the steering wheel. He grins happily, visibly thrilled by the power with which the four-door catapults itself from one curve to the next.

If you ask Maro Engel, the developers have met the challenge with flying colors: "The GT 63 S E PERFORMANCE combines the best of both worlds for me," he says, describing the interplay between the components. "There's the fantastic-sounding 4.0-liter V8 biturbo, which with its 639 hp is an impressive piece of performance engineering in its own right. Then you add the electric powertrain, which generates another 204 hp, and the two work in perfect harmony."

Similar solutions are required for braking. The Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E PERFORMANCE makes efficient use of its immense kinetic energy by recuperating during deceleration – i.e. it feeds energy back into the high-performance battery. For optimum recuperation, the brake pedal is decoupled from the friction brake. Braking nevertheless feels consistent. At Mercedes-AMG, this is done via a vacuum-independent brake booster (iBooster). "This allows us to achieve a seamless pedal feel and maximum flexibility between friction and recuperative braking," explains Schmitz. What does the race driver have to say about it? "You feel virtually nothing from the energy recuperation. And it happens so quickly that you have full power available at all times." Challenge mastered.

For Engel, the high-performance battery is one of the most impressive ingredients of the GT 63 S E PERFORMANCE. "It really stands out," he says, partly because it pays into what surprised him about the Performance Hybrid. "I didn't necessarily expect the great handling." After all, the electric drive adds weight to the car. Engel is impressed: "The battery and electric motor are integrated in such a way that the weight distribution is almost perfectly balanced." That helps when steering, braking, and in the curves. "Combined with the 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive, this gives you great traction when accelerating," Engel says.

Ah yes, the all-wheel drive. Here, too, the developers in Affalterbach made no compromises. The Electric Drive Unit combines the electric motor, a two-speed transmission, and the electronically controlled limited-slip differential in one compact unit. In the event of increasing slip on the rear axle, the transfer case also transmits the drive force to the front wheels in a fully variable manner.