Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe | PH Review

A full sim rig's worth of fake engine tech ought to make for the most gimmicky EV ever. But it doesn't...

While the design of AMG’s GT 4-Door Coupe has been the main topic of discussion since it was revealed back in May, the promise of groundbreaking new engine simulation tech was also an intriguing factor. In stark contrast to other new EV flagships – from the Jaguar Type 01 to the Ferrari Luce – this one gets V8 vocals to go with a suite of hardware intended to convince passengers that they're not just hearing an engine, but also feeling it. If Porsche’s Taycan E-Shift system seems like a bit of a half-hearted attempt to do what Hyundai did first, this might just be the system to actually move the game on.

That said, AMG hasn’t exactly rushed over the other details in making an electric car that can pretend to drink petrol. The GT 4-Door Coupe’s AMG.EA platform has been developed from the ground up to work with a trio of completely independent axial-flux motors, a solution that can produce much more torque while being smaller and lighter than conventional radial-flux motors, like the ones that will be used in the following entry-level GT 53. Axials are also easier to cool, which means more power for more of the time. Hence why AMG doesn’t just claim a 1,169hp peak output for its 800-volt four-door, but also a continuous supply of 721hp.

Those headline stats are, admittedly, for the range-topping GT 63 4Matic+ model (seen here), but the GT 55 4Matic+ that sits below it isn’t exactly lacking in muscle. With the same trio of motors (which, by the way, come from UK firm YASA) and an identical-spec 106kWh battery to the 63, the 55’s specific tuning means it tops out at 816hp. But it actually has an identical continuous power output, meaning its accelerative performance should, for the most part, feel largely identical. If you activate Boost Mode with launch control, however, the 63 sprints from 0 to 62mph in 2.4 seconds, four-tenths quicker than its sibling and one-tenth quicker than the Luce.

With the same underlying mechanical setup, the 55 and 63 variants of the GT 4-Door Coupe each tip the scales at 2,460kg. This represents a 400-kilo weight gain over the old petrol-powered 63 S, but as is almost always the case with heavy performance EVs, there’s a heck of a lot of hardware aboard to mask the mass. Engineers have developed a new AMG Active Ride Control air suspension system that works with rear-axle steering and hydraulic roll stabilisation. The tech – along with the torque-shifting flexibility offered by a trio of completely independent electric motors – is said to produce a shifting of balance akin to shortening or lengthening the car’s wheelbase.

The advantages of the new AMG.EA architecture do not end there. The charging capabilities of the GT 4-Door also leave other EV flagships far behind, with a 600kW peak enabling the addition of 286 miles in just 10 mins. Granted, British buyers will be unlikely to find a rapid charger offering more than 350kW at their local services anytime soon, but this future-proofing of hardware illustrates just how capable the battery setup is of handling high workloads. AMG’s in-house-developed and oil-cooled cylindrical cells are said to be one of the key reasons why this coupe can continuously produce so much mechanical muscle.

One good thing about the GT 4-Door’s rapid turn of pace both on the road and at the plug is that people will have fewer opportunities to direct you to the nearest Specsavers. Six months since the covers were pulled off, AMG’s hot EV is no easier on the eye. But, as is often the case, parts of its design do look far better in the metal - at least under Spanish sun. The nose in particular, with its purposeful frown, is (to this writer’s eyes) quite cool, and the black wheels with a diamond-cut edge look ace. But the rear will no doubt remain an acquired taste – and that’s before you spot its moving floor, which automatically slides out from under the car at 74 mph to boost stability. It works with a fully active rear spoiler.

Inside, there’s a predictable mix of Alcantara, leather and carbon fibre – and since this is a Mercedes, screens. But it all works rather well, as the new dash shape pushes the central display towards the driver to more effectively create the feeling of a cockpit. The steering wheel feels good in your hands, and the seats and overall driving position are spot on. It sits you low, although visibility is great, meaning this 5.1-metre-long four-door wraps around you as if it were a big two-seater. It isn’t, of course, and the space in the back is actually generous given the shape of the roofline. Oh, and you can option three rear seats instead of the standard two. And boot space is a tad bigger than a Taycan’s.

It couldn’t feel much more different to Porsche’s EV, though. Where the Stuttgart car does a good impression of a sports car, Affalterbach’s GT 55 (which we drive first) feels appropriately burly on the road. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that even before you’ve switched on the S+ mode’s fake engine, the synthesised sounds coming through the speakers are already burbly and V8-like. There’s also an elastic power delivery with millimetre accuracy from the right pedal to give you the feeling of an almost infinite amount of torque, to go with a supple chassis that still manages to be tangibly connected to a big, heavy car. The steering is light, yet feels comfortable and solid. Like a proper luxury GT.

Click the steering wheel’s rotary dial to S+ and the make-believe V8 properly awakens. But that’s where the similarities with other engine simulation stuff end. In the GT – which uses 1,600 sound files of the AMG GT R’s engine to create a genuinely convincing soundtrack – there are also vibrations in the seat produced by an, ahem, “exciter”, according to engineers. As you rev the fake engine, the vibrations build in intensity as if you were in a V8 supercar with firm engine mounts – and most impressive are those felt in the floor of the car too, presumably via the bass from the speakers. Along with rear speakers producing exhaust sounds, the interior offers 360 degrees of simulation for both engine sounds and mechanical vibrations, to go with the very real and savage delivery of power.

Additionally, there’s the rev counter ahead, which can be hammered into a limiter in neutral like Hyundai’s N system (and unlike Porsche’s E-Shift). The steering wheel paddles also switch from adjusting the very strong regenerative braking to controlling a simulated nine-speed dual clutch. Set off gently and the gears will shift themselves like a normal performance automatic; floor it and you’ll notice that even though you’re free to shift with the paddles, there’s always an auto upshift waiting for you if you hit the redline. That’s a shame, as it means it’s never fully ‘manual’.

But my goodness, is it convincing. With the vibrations adding a strata of physical reality to the simulated tones, even a seasoned driver could be persuaded that there was a V8 up ahead. And with the digital gears, the frankly ludicrous delivery in both axial-flux versions of the EV GT can be controlled not only with your right foot, but also your right finger. Like a race driver managing power on corner exit, you can bury the accelerator pedal and click up the gears quickly to cut torque, as you would with a real engine.

That said, the torque is always strong, so much so that even if you’re in top gear at low speed, the car will power on (this is different to Hyundai’s version, which can actually be made to simulate bogging down). But the difference in the rev band is significant enough. It’s elastic low down, and nuclear-bomb explosive up top. Conversely, if you shift down quickly on a trailed brake, there’s strong and very believable simulated engine braking, which blends perfectly with the powerful mechanical brakes. Suffice it to say, all things combined, this is the best example of fake engine tech in an EV so far.

And yet it’s only part of the equation as far as the GT’s dynamic talents are concerned. On track at Ascari in the 63, the new AMG Race Engineer system can be fully utilised. Only usable if the ESC has been switched off, the system is controlled via three rotary knobs next to your thigh on the centre console. One adjusts accelerator responsiveness, while the middle one alters chassis agility by utilising the aforementioned air suspension hardware to shift the balance from safety understeer, through neutral stability and into on-demand oversteer. The third knob clicks through nine stages of traction control, from fully on to fully brown trouser.

The system works fantastically well, allowing you to make tweaks as you go with instantly noticeable effects. On a sunny day at Ascari, on its Pilot Sport 5 Ss, the 63 feels as stable at high speed as an RS Audi on a hot day, or, if you prefer, as lively as a 296 Speciale in the wet. With the settings at their most extreme, it will practically back itself into a bend with a trailed brake, the torque vectoring and active suspension giving it the body control and agility of a car half its length and weight. You might think a clumsy stab of power would send the car spinning around, but with both axles engaged, the 63 is actually a lot more fluid with its movements. This is a two-and-a-half-tonne GT that naturally wants to four-wheel drift - unless, of course, you put it in Drift Mode. But even then, the clever torque vectoring makes it manageable under power.

This all-new AMG is effectively a two-for-one. It moves the fake engine stuff on substantially, yes, but it also pushes the boundaries of what electric cars can achieve when plugged into a rapid charger. The claimed range of 426 miles (for the 55, the 63 can do 424) is obviously not achievable if you drive it like you stole it, but we saw 2.8 miles per kWh during our road-paced drive from the track back to the hotel. That equates to a real-world range just short of 300 miles, which isn’t bad going at all for a model of its size and potential.

Combine that usability with the immersive nature of the synthesised powertrain, and the new GT – at least in the 55 and 63 forms we’ve driven – is not far short of superb. Sure, those not wanting an EV will almost always be better served by the old car’s actual V8, but for the powerfully built company car users who will inevitably run battery-powered AMGs, this might be the best driver's EV yet produced. Will that make everyone else want one? Who knows. But at least from behind the wheel, you won’t be able to see its back end.

SPECIFICATION | MERCEDES-AMG GT-4-DOOR COUPE (GT 55 & 63)

Engine: 106kWh battery, three electric motors
Transmission: Single-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 816 / 1,169 with Boost Mode
Torque (lb ft): 1,328 / 1,475
0–62mph: 2.4 / 2.8 seconds
Top speed: 162mph
Weight: 2,460kg
Efficiency: 424 / 426 miles WLTP range
Charging: 600kW max rate, 3.4 miles/kWh
Price: £120,095 / £159,870

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