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2019 Mercedes-AMG G63 Takes on Old G63 in Russian Half-Mile Drag Race

Mercedes-AMG switched to a new 4-liter twin-turbo V8 on all its big cars. The engine proved its metal ever since the GT S sports car came out, but some people still say bigger is better, arguing that the older 5.5-liter was superior.
2019 Mercedes-AMG G63 Takes on Old G63 in Russian Half-Mile Drag Race 3 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot/Dragtimesinfo
The driver of the older G63 seems to know how to get a better launch, which makes the race much closer than the official 0 to 100 km/h sprints lead you to believeThe driver of the older G63 seems to know how to get a better launch, which makes the race much closer than the official 0 to 100 km/h sprints lead you to believe
To some extent, we agree. For example, some older 63 models still sound breathtaking, and there's a lot more power that can be extracted from the 5.5-liter when tuned. However, AMG did fantastic work with response times, and there's no better way to prove this than with a drag race.

The Russians at Dragtimesinfo are the first in the world to put the 2019 G63 up against the older generation. Of course, we already know that AMG has made it faster, not only by adding a bit more power, but also helping the aerodynamics and lowering the overall weight. But let's look at some specs first.

The 2019 model gets 585 HP (430 kW) and 850 Nm (627 lb-ft) of torque from its 4-liter engine. This goes to the 9-speed automatic and permanent AWD. Considering this still weighs about 2.5 tons, it's amazing that it claims 0 to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds, though it has been clocked to be even faster. Also, the Germans were confident enough to let it reach 220 km/h (137 mph).

The previous version entered production in 2015 (W463 facelift) and its best G63 setup featured 571 HP and 760 Nm (561 lb-ft) of torque. The standard sprint takes 5.4 seconds and the SUV clocks out at 210 km/h (130 mph). This is important because, by the end of the runway, the two bricks are almost maxed out.

As per usual, the Moscow drag race spans half a mile and also shows the reaction times, 60-foot time and what the vehicles managed over the first quarter-mile. The driver of the older model had a better reaction time, giving him an advantage at the 60-foot market. But power and torque play a huge part when you're racing a G63.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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