Mercedes-AMG Doesn't Care That You Hate Its EVsManufacturer - MotorTrend"I think many of your competition, like BMW M and Cadillac V-Series have too many driving modes, don't you?"René Szczepek, head of vehicle dynamics, integration and simulation at Mercedes-AMG, doesn't take the bait. He just looks at me and smiles. I try again."How many modes do you have there?" I ask, pointing to three swirly metal dials on the center console, backlit in red, each with a different name: Response, Agility, and Traction.AdvertisementAdvertisement"Each dial has nine settings, so 9 x 9 x 9…" says René."Don't you think that's too many?" I ask, struggling to do the math in my head. Turns out 9 x 9 x 9 equals 729 possible combinations.Don't mind the button snaps. This is a near production prototype and those are for snapping on covers to hide the interior.Manufacturer - MotorTrend"No, not at all," he replies, before providing an overview of the modes and when you might have throttle response dialed up, steering agility dialed back, and traction control set to however you like.René is driving me around in the SUV variant of arguably the second most hated-on EV to launch this year—the 2027 Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door. You remember that one, right? The one Mercedes-AMG launched in highlighter yellow, with a big party on the sixth street bridge in downtown L.A., complete with Blink 182, Brad Pitt, and Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell? To be clear, we don't hate the AMG GT 4-Door; we haven't driven or tested it yet, but we have had a very close, in-depth look at it, including playing with its V-8 inspired sound. But a lot of folks in the comments section of your favorite social media platforms sounded off, and it wasn't pretty.Obama be like... tan suit?MotorTrend - MotorTrendThe Next AMG EV Is Almost HereTo further clarify, René is not giving a quick ride-along in that vehicle, but its sibling, the soon-to-arrive AMG GT SUV, the first ever AMG-badged SUV to be built on its own dedicated AMG platform. It's a near-production prototype, wearing the typical black and white camouflage on the outside, but with a beautifully finished, nearly complete interior covered in yards of blue leather. Only the huge red panic button in a chunky yellow housing, some unfinished plastic surfaces, and exposed button heads on the dash—to snap on camo covers before the interior was revealed—indicate that this is not a fully baked production vehicle. Otherwise, the ride and handling are as smooth as driver René.AdvertisementAdvertisementAnd the head of AMG's vehicle dynamics team does not appear to give a schnitzel about anyone's concerns regarding the EV's driving dynamics, powertrain, or the artificial sounds it makes. If anything, he's quite excited to show me the variability and tunability of his newest baby, including all the different artificial sounds it can make—from a deep rumble at idle, to louder, higher pitch roars when the "engine" is "revved" (throttle is goosed).BIG RED BUTTON = engine kill switchManufacturer - MotorTrendThis not so surprising given that the other part of René's job is "integration and simulation" of the AMG ethos. And while we never got above 50 mph on our 30-minute cruise along a stretch of California's famed Highway 1 straddling the Monterey peninsula, it's clear that René spends a lot of his time thinking about maximizing the performance, handling, and driving experience of AMG's EV GTs—both in simulation and in real life.I probe a little deeper into the thinking behind the GT SUV. The base architecture and powertrain appear to be carried over from the AMG GT 4-door coupe; three high power electric motors, one in the front, two in the rear. But why not four?"Because we don't need it," says René, explaining that for high-performancefeel, especially the oversteering condition, you need two motors at the rearwheels, and only up front for launch and traction.René Szczepek, head of vehicle dynamics, integration and simulation at Mercedes-AMG, driving the AMG GT SUV prototype.Manufacturer - MotorTrendKeep Advancing, Block Out the NoiseIn our discussion of benchmarking the competition, René casually let it slip he's a Mercedes-AMG licensed Nürburgring Nordschleife driver. I ask him what it takes to achieve that certification, and he explains that a driver needs to be within 10 seconds of the fastest lap possible in a particular vehicle. Who sets the reference laps? Former DTM drivers, AMG test drivers, and German racing legends Maro Engel and Bernd Schneider. That's right, René stays within 10 seconds of those guys, on a 12.9-mile track, where fast production cars lap around 7 minutes. I imagine criticism of what he is trying to deliver gets lost among the twisting rush of trees surrounding the Green Hell.Mercedes-AMGRené and Mercedes-AMG don't appear to be at all concerned that social media commenters do not like the way the AMG GT 4-door looks, what it sounds like, or that it's powered by electricity. They have to keep advancing the state of performance, across powertrains, to remain globally competitive, especially so with the SUV variant. Sports cars and coupes, even those with four doors, don't pay the bills.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe volume is in SUVs, globally and especially here in America. Porsche drew up an SUV blueprint when it launched the Cayenne back in 2003 and faced a lot of heat andhate at the time. Now it has set the EV SUV bar extremely high with the bonkers Cayenne Turbo Electric.But Mercedes-AMG isn't just concerned about its longtime, hometown rival. Everyother day, it seems, another super sporty EV or "new energy vehicle" is launchedin China. So, keep on hatin', or maybe hold your tongue until you drive one—either way, René and AMG don't care.Photo credit: Mercedes-AMGPhoto credit: Mercedes-AMGPhoto credit: Mercedes-AMGPhoto credit: Mercedes-AMGAdvertisementAdvertisementPhoto credit: Mercedes-AMGPhoto credit: Mercedes-AMGPhoto credit: Mercedes-AMGPhoto credit: Mercedes-AMGAdvertisementAdvertisementPhoto credit: Mercedes-AMGPhoto credit: Mercedes-AMGPhoto credit: Mercedes-AMGPhoto credit: Mercedes-AMGAdvertisementAdvertisementPhoto credit: Mercedes-AMGPhoto credit: Mercedes-AMGPhoto credit: Mercedes-AMGPhoto credit: Mercedes-AMGAdvertisementAdvertisementPhoto credit: MotorTrendPhoto credit: Mercedes-AMGPhoto credit: Mercedes-AMGPhoto credit: Mercedes-AMGAdvertisementAdvertisementPhoto credit: Mercedes-AMGPhoto credit: Mercedes-AMGPhoto credit: MotorTrend