Ye Gods: Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe lands
Here it is, then: AMG's new flagship, with V8 soundtrack, axial flux motors, 600kW charging - and up to 1,169hp
So this is what we’ve been waiting for. This is the Mercedes built on the new high-performance AMG.EA platform, the flagship EV that will serve as the tech showpiece for all others to follow, and the replacement for a much-loved AMG hellraiser. Welcome, all, to the new GT 4-Door, nothing less than AMG’s ‘masterpiece of engineering.’ This isn’t an adaptation of existing architecture, a hybrid with a nominal range or a limited edition flight of fancy; this is AMG throwing everything it has at a new production car to sit at the top of its range, rivalling everything from Jaguar Type 01 to Taycan Turbo GT.
With 1,169hp. Electric or otherwise, this is still an AMG - crazy power was guaranteed. And don’t forget the final 4-Door PHEV departed with 839hp. That four-figure output comes with the new GT63; the 55 is rated at 816hp. Obviously, then, it’s stupendously fast, despite 2,460kg to lug around: AMG reckons 2.4 seconds to 62mph and 6.8 seconds to 124mph for a 63, then all the way to 186mph if the right option boxes have been ticked. (And if you see 2.1 seconds to 62mph anywhere, that's with a one-foot rollout, which is like quoting your height on tiptoes.)
More interesting than the acceleration, however, is how it’s achieved. Power in both models comes from a trio of axial flux motors, developed with YASA (a UK-based, wholly owned subsidiary) and debuting for the first time in a production car. The technology makes for much more compact motors, the front unit just 9cm across and the pair on the rear axle measuring 8cm wide. Mercedes suggests that axial flux motors, compared to conventional units, offer higher torque and continuous power. It also means ‘demanding driving performances’ can be repeated over and over again. Think of the 25 records achieved by the GTXX concept using axial flux motors: it could sit at top speed, charge, and immediately go again, without any performance degradation.
At the back of the GT, the brace of axial fluxes sit in a High-Performance Electric Drive Unit (HP.EDU) alongside a planetary gearbox and two water-cooled silicon carbide inverters. The front HP.EDU with that single motor has another inverter, an integrated parking lock and a Pump Control unit. The GT is very much pitched as a rear-biased all-wheel drive machine, the front EDU only called on as required and able to be disconnected in milliseconds if it benefits efficiency. That’s thanks to the Disconnect Unit, which also has its own acronym, but we’ll take a break from those for the moment.
The battery isn’t any old battery, but an AMG HP.EB - AMG High Performance Electric Battery. Its maker suggests that the 106kWh unit is inspired by F1 and, to be fair to them, it isn’t your average lithium-ion lump underneath the GT. It consists of an entirely new cell design, 105mm tall and 26mm in diameter, in a laser-welded aluminium cell housing. Built of Nickel, Cobalt, Manganese and Aluminium, to the benefit of charging, energy density and service life. We all know that cooling is vitally important for, say, a high-performance AMG V8 - the same is true for a battery.
So the 2,660 cells in a 4-Door are packed into 18 modules, but with coolant oil able to flow around each individual cell; the coolant channels should keep an ideal temperature throughout the battery pack, whatever the weather or driving conditions. A battery at the right temperature will charge better and deliver its power more reliably. Or, as Mercedes would put it: ‘Overall, the combination of the tall and slim format, aluminium housing, full-tab technology, and NCMA chemistry provides the foundation for maximum performance, particularly in terms of continuous power capability, in each individual battery cell.’ It’s a very advanced battery and motor setup, put it that way.
In terms of raw stats, the AMG GT 4-Door’s 800-volt battery can charge at up to 600kW, or almost twice that of a Taycan. It means a best-case scenario of 286 miles in 10 minutes. Not that it would ever be that quick, because people would want to talk about your new Mercedes. Perhaps more importantly, range for the 63 is said to be between 370 and 432 miles, with efficiency rated at 2.96-3.47mi/kWh. That doesn’t change much for the 55, so expect the 1,169hp variant to be most popular: it scores 371-435 miles of range, at 2.96-3.49mi/kWh. Nothing in it.
In among the tech overload is something called AMGForce S+. This drive mode introduces ‘an unparalleled and immersive V8 experience with authentic shifts.’ Interesting that AMG has embraced this technology from the get-go, while Porsche has for so long resisted it in the Taycan. They’ve really gone for it, too, with a patent pending on AMGForce S+. More than 1,600 sound files (using an old AMG GT R as the base) are mixed in real-time to ‘sonically interpret each driving situation.’, be that a cruise or a hot lap. Indeed there are sounds to accompany every bit of the GT experience, from ‘confirming heartbeats’ when it’s locked to Launch Control that’s inspired by the One. ‘Those who love V8 engines will adore this car’, proclaims AMG. So that’s one thing to test extensively when the time comes.
Another is the AMG Race Engineer; we’ve become used to AMG offering up all manner of ride and handling configurability, which the GT now takes to a new extreme. Note the three rotary dials on the transmission tunnel: they are Response Control, Agility Control and Traction Control. Underpinned by the AMG Race Engineer Core chip, they offer up ‘ultimate individualisation’ when it comes to driving dynamics. And more than just the adjustment familiar from a drive mode - there’s now seven, including Eco on an AMG for the first time - Race Engineer promises ‘central and individual regulation’ of everything.
So the throttle response can go from languid to razor sharp, the handling balance from ‘slight’ understeer to ‘controlled’ oversteer, plus there’s nine levels of slip from the TC - just like the old GT R. Quite where people are going to be dialling down the intervention of assists in a 5,094mm, 2.5-tonne, £200k Merc isn’t quite clear - there’s even a Drift Mode still - but the option is there for those feeling brave. Something called Predictive Performance Manager (PPM, warned you about the acronyms) is direct from the XX concept, optimising energy flow depending on if you want a hot lap or sustained performance.
And, in fairness, those who want to take their GT 4-Door to a track should be ably supported by the chassis hardware. The familiar AMG Ride Control is now AMG Active Ride Control, standard on 55 and 63, introducing a hydraulic element that eliminates the need for anti-roll bars as well as speeding up ride height drops and climbs. Every bit of the suspension bar the tie rod is forged aluminium, and we all know how handy less unsprung weight is to driving feel. That’s helped by ceramic front brake discs and wheels that are either light alloy or forged. Go for the aero optimised rims and rubber combo and AMG reckons another 18 miles of range is possible.
There’s even significant active aero for the new 4-Door, there to help both range and laptimes. So underneath something called Aerokinetics Venturi Flow can lower two flaps to benefit downforce; the front element drops at 75mph, the central one at 87mph. And check out the diffuser; also said to have its benefits, but surely with a primary aim of showing off when stationary. It really does seem about the size of the surfboard.
Not that anyone’s really going to need much encouragement to stare, because this really is unlike anything we’ve seen before. The concept inspiration is plain to see, as are nods to the past like a power-domed bonnet and broad rear shoulders. Having had the chance to poke around the GT in a studio, however, it would be hard to call it immediately handsome in the way that, say, an AMG CLE might. Despite the size, too, and the fact that its roofline is actually lower than before, this GT 4-Door seemed to want for a bit of presence versus the old one. The wheels seemed to sit a bit apologetically in the arches, the grille was odd, the vibe not quite as aggressive as might be expected from a new four-door AMG flagship. The old one wasn’t necessarily pretty, but the intent was plain to see. Let’s wait and see until it’s out in the open for absolute judgement. But you wouldn’t be alone in having reservations, put it that way.
For now, the interior is more successful, even if neither boot is quite as big as might be hoped for from such a large car (415 litres VDA, then 41 frunk). It’s pleasingly driver-focused, displays very deliberately angled to the driver and those AMG Race Engineer dials prominent. The driver sits low, there’s decent space in the back (including ‘foot garages’ carved out of the floor) and all the driver touches feels appropriately expensive. We’ll leave you to debate the screens; suffice it to say there are plenty of them.
At any rate, there were no half measures permitted in the development of the AMG.EA flagship, and it’s great to see so many of those jaw-dropping features make it to production in the new 4-Door. Mercedes AMG Chairman Michael Schiebe said: “The new Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé ushers in an entirely new era. It is an absolute high- performance machine, packed with pioneering innovations that enable previously unimaginable driving performance in this segment. It creates a driving experience that is unparalleled: thrilling, intense, irresistible – typically AMG. The pride and spirit of our AMG team are reflected in every detail." Expect to see the AMG in showrooms and on the road soon.
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