Ever since Mercedes-AMG unveiled the GT 63 S E Performance at the end of August last year, we knew the plug-in hybrid liftback was going to be extremely expensive. That said, we are still in a bit of a shock to discover the price tag the boys and girls from Affalterbach have slapped onto their most powerful production car ever, outside of the One hypercar starts at an eye-watering £173,655 OTR.

Full UK pricing has not been announced yet but for the sake of comparison, the car with a long name can also be had in a more expensive Edition version in Germany for an additional €21,777 on top of the €196,897 base price. Featured here with options, the five-door PHEV with supercar performance costs no less than €218,674 at home in Deutschland. To put that sum into perspective, the Mercedes-Maybach S680 (yes, the one with the V12) is only about €5,800 more expensive in Germany.

Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance Edition
Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance Edition

Yes, we know the two models cater to different people, but it's still interesting to see the GT 63 S E Performance costs about as much as the absolute flagship car from Daimler Mercedes-Benz. The Edition… edition is dressed to impress in AMG Green Hell Magno (not available in the UK) and rides on 21-inch forged wheels with a five Y-spoke design finished in black. It gets the AMG Night Package and the AMG Night Package II as standard for a series of black accents.

For that kind of money, Mercedes will also throw in the Aerodynamics and Exterior Carbon packages, a panoramic roof, illuminated door sill plates, and Nappa leather with a two-tone look. The GT 63 S E Performance Edition receives numerous black piano-lacquer accents, which can be replaced with carbon fibre for a sportier vibe. An "Edition" badge on the inside rounds off the tweaks.

The technical specifications are downright amazing, with 831 bhp on tap courtesy of a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 engine working with an electric motor. The AWD-equipped hybrid machine offers up to 1,084 pound-feet (1,470 Newton-metres) of torque and accelerates to 62 mph (100 km/h) in only 2.9 seconds. That's not too shabby for a vehicle that weighs a whopping 2,380 kilograms (5,247 pounds). It's actually a tad heavier than the Maybach S680 we mentioned earlier. Flat out, it will do 196 mph (316 km/h).

Not that anyone interested in buying the GT 63 S E Performance Edition will care, but the PHEV monster has a 6.1-kWh battery with enough juice for 7.5 miles (12 kilometres) of electric range. The combined fuel consumption is an impressively low 7.9 litres / 100 km, which works out to 29.7 miles per gallon.

Mercedes will have the car on sale in the UK from April.