The 2022 Mercedes-AMG GT63 S 4Matic+ is one of those frustrating cars you really want to love but end up only being impressed by. We’d hoped in the nearly three years since we’d driven one, the good folks in Affalterbach might’ve made adjustments that would endear the car more to us but, alas, they have not.

Therefore, our previous reporting on the Mercedes-AMG GT63 S holds true for the 2022 model. The GT63 S is an incredibly capable car that sets track records while failing to make any serious emotional connection with its driver. We come away deeply respectful of what it’s capable of, but we don’t feel any need to go another round with it.

We’re not exaggerating when we say we respect what the 2022 Mercedes-AMG GT63 S can do. The numbers speak for themselves. The car we tested recently wasn’t the overall most impressive GT63 S we’ve ever tested, but it was close. It tied the top performer, a 2019 model, in 0-60-mph acceleration by recording a run of 2.9 seconds. And it beat that car by a tenth of a second in the quarter mile, 11.1 seconds at 124.6 mph.

On the other hand, this GT63 S needed 3 additional feet to stop from 60 mph, 103 feet in total. In doing so, we noted the pedal is squishy at the top of its travel before really digging into the massive carbon-ceramic brake rotors; we’d like to see that initial response firmed up.

Similarly, the 2022 model was slightly off the pace in our handling tests. It matched the older car on the skidpad with an average lateral g measurement of 1.05. However, when acceleration, braking, and handling were combined in our figure-eight test, the AMG GT63 S was 0.2 second slower with a 23.3-second lap at 0.88 average g.

While not a perfect recreation of the 2019 model’s performance, the 2022 Mercedes-AMG GT63 S 4Matic+ was impressively consistent throughout our tests.  Some cars put down slightly different numbers across the board every time you test a new model year, so the GT63 S coming out nearly the same four years later is worth mentioning.

It’s a tragedy, then, that a sedan that repeatedly delivers supercar numbers is so dispassionate to drive. It has all the right moves, but the delivery feels mechanical and overly rehearsed, not natural and organic. On a mountain road, it’s incredibly fast and has seemingly endless grip, but it provides little sense of joy. You and the car work together to put in a fantastic drive, and then you go to lunch and never think about it again.

It would be excusable in a vacuum, but with thrilling alternatives like the Porsche Panamera Turbo S, BMW M5 CS, and Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing all vying for the same customer, the AMG doesn’t make the best case for itself.

It’s especially true if you’re at all price conscious when it comes to your six-figure super sedan, as the BMW is nearly $20,000 cheaper and the Cadillac is literally half the price. Also, the BMW is quicker in the quarter, stops shorter, and pulls higher lateral g.

The upshot is, you get a very nice car for your money. The GT63 S has this sleek, chic presence to it. The deep-dish, two-tone wheels and the fixed carbon-fiber rear wing give away its performance intentions, but the Mercedes still gives off a cool, suave vibe. It’s like a shark gliding through traffic: People know it means business, but they don’t really understand how deadly it is until it strikes.

The vibe is the same inside. The cockpit feels modern and forward-looking with a bit of an expensive-lounge atmosphere. It’s trimmed in excellent materials, all stitched and bolted together quite expertly. It’s a hell of a boulevard cruiser.

The interior is also where you’ll find its other shortcomings, though. That wing mentioned earlier is a double-edged sword as it perfectly bisects the already tiny rear window and manages to make your rearward visibility even worse.

Like all new Mercedes-Benz products, the user interface is fitted with experience-compromising touch-sensitive buttons that make the already layered MBUX infotainment software more cumbersome to use.

Even the shortcut buttons—which otherwise make the system quicker and easier to use—are touch-sensitive pieces that work against the goal, as you still have to look at them and the screen to see what you’re touching.

Although we’re disappointed to find the 2022 Mercedes-AMG GT63 S hasn’t gotten any more fun to drive during the past several years, all hope is not lost. The upgraded GT63 S E Performance is coming soon with 831 hp and 1,033 lb-ft of torque from a hybridized version of the car’s twin-turbo V-8.

The plain old GT63 S certainly isn’t hurting for power, so we’re even more excited by the new high-tech dampers on the GT63 S E Performance. Hopefully, those and other changes made to put down all the extra thrust will help bring out some personality in a car desperately in need of it.