24The challenge of creating a high-performance electric car that’s thrilling to drive not just because it does 0-62mph at once unfavourable speeds has occupied the minds of many an engineer in recent years. The new Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe may have cracked the formula however, because it roars, tingles your spine and should deliver a visceral driving experience similar to the petrol-swilling V8 AMGs of days gone by. This car represents a critical movement in the future of AMG as it works to make its range of speed machines much more evocative and characterful. It’s also the culmination of more than a decade of innovation in electrified vehicle technology by the performance division, including in road cars starting with the short-lived electric SLS that was launched in 2013 and in Formula One. The Porsche Taycan’s latest foe has been designed and engineered with an uncompromising approach to be a true AMG. So there’s no hand-me-downs from Mercedes as there were with the previous V8-powered GT 4-Door, which underneath was based on an E-Class. It sits on brand-new, purpose-built architecture called AMG.EA and features a bespoke powertrain. At the heart of this are three ‘axial-flux’ motors developed by British firm Yasa – one on the front axle, two at the rear. These are smaller and lighter than the radial motors used in most EVs, yet are three times more power dense at the same time, resulting in a truly colossal combined power output of up to 1,153bhp and 2,000Nm of torque. That means this practical four-door super saloon is more powerful than the 1,049bhp AMG One hypercar. It rockets from 0-62mph in as little as 2.4 seconds, and it can hit 124mph in just 6.8 seconds. There are two versions of this car, with the GT 55 producing 503bhp in everyday driving and 805bhp when you’re feeling frisky; still enough for 0-62mph in only 2.8 seconds. The GT 63 version has 711bhp on tap during the school run and that hypercar-embarressing amount of power after you’ve dropped the kids off. With enough road (plus the optional Driver’s Package) both will reach a top speed of 186mph. But the new GT 4-Door isn’t merely about numbers – this is supposed to be a truly engaging car for drivers. 24We got to poke around before the car’s world premiere and after two heartbeat-like pulses to indicate it’s awake, in Comfort or Sport mode the GT 4-Door sat there as silently as a Nissan Leaf. But one more turn of the dial into Sport+ mode and suddenly it roared into life, with the bellow of a V8 filling the cabin and studio. The deeply satisfying sound, complete with crackles and burbles as we ‘revved’ the car, is pumped out by numerous speakers inside and outside. Many people we spoke to from AMG had been joking with us that even its most hardcore, V8-loving customers were convinced the new GT 4-Door has an engine, and honestly after hearing just how rich and authentic the synthesised soundtrack is for ourselves, we can understand why. The noise of this car was modelled on the AMG GT R and its hand-built 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine. It’s generated as you drive by mixing more than 1,600 individual audio files to create something that’s natural and reacts to what you’re doing behind the wheel. Michael Schiebe, CEO of Mercedes-AMG, told Auto Express that sound was a hugely important part of this car’s development, and in order to create it, he said the brand had to convince some of the best minds in the music industry to come over to Affalterbach and form its own ‘Ministry of Sound’, as the big boss put it. Their first attempt was apparently very artificial, but then they teamed up with the people who made the exhaust systems for AMG’s petrol-devouring combustion cars to produce this very angry final symphony. Schiebe also told us he and the team weren’t just judging the sound of the car from inside the cabin, but what passerbys will hear as it flies past. The AMG boffins went further though, by fitting the seats with what are called ‘exciter’ speakers. These create vibrations that you can feel from the moment Sport+ mode is activated, replicating more of the sensations that you'd get from having a V8 engine under that very long, very low bonnet. 24The GT 4-Door also utilises the same kind of virtual gearbox trickery we’ve seen in other high-performance EVs, most notably the exhilarating Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and 6 N. The AMG’s simulated shifting and torque distribution were modelled on the GT R as well. “You basically have the best of both worlds here. You have the characteristics of a true combustion-engine car that makes you feel emotional, that gives you a connection to the car,” Oliver Ganzmann, product manager for the new GT 4-Door tells us as we walk around the newcomer, which he eloquently describes as “truly insane”. “But we also have the performance capabilities of a high-performance EV that would have not been possible with a combustion engine,” he adds. When asked if AMG had taken some inspiration from other players in the high-performance EV game – specifically Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 N and 6 N – Ganzmann proudly tells us: “Well actually, even before they launched it, we were already working on that and we have prototypes going way back. “Sure, you do look left and right to see what other people do, but actually when we saw Hyundai’s version and understood how they applied it, we thought well, that's good, that's interesting, but our system is definitely way more holistic. “And it came from a very different angle because we said we do not only want to make a sound, but we want to make the whole car feel like you're sitting inside a real AMG.” The full monty is available in both versions of the new GT 4-Door when launch control or the boost function are activated, with the latter done by pulling on the paddles behind the steering wheel. That lasts for 55 and 63 seconds for the respective models, not a 10-second squirt like in some EVs. Throttle response is sharpened, too, and all the seatbelts tighten to prepare passengers for the jump to hyperspeed. 24Again, rather than just being capable of ludicrous feats of acceleration, AMG wanted the GT 4-Door to deliver relentless or repeatable performance, more like a combustion car. It was able to do this thanks to those special motors and a unique battery design, directly derived from those used in Formula One. The 106kWh unit features tall, slim cylindrical cells that are similar to BMW’s latest EVs and are designed for optimal cooling, plus an oil-cooling system that keeps the battery at the ideal temperature. Ganzmann tells us borrowing technology like this from the F1 team “really ignites our customers’ imaginations and their passion for the brand, because obviously AMG was always about racing, about motorsports. And that's what we want to bring in our production cars as well”. The car’s 800-volt electrical set-up also helps with performance, and allows it to charge at a frankly ridiculous 600kW. There’s currently no charging point in the UK that can deliver even close to that speed, but when there is, drivers will be able to add 287 miles of range after just 10 minutes plugged in. A 10 to 80 per cent top-up is done in 11 minutes. Speaking of range, AMG says the GT 55 and 63 can cover more than 430 miles before they’re out of juice, and on a motorway the front e-motor can be decoupled to help save some energy. Other features under the metal include a unique braking system that uses carbon-ceramic discs up front and steel ones at the back, which AMG claims helps to offer drivers a consistently precise and adjustable feel to the brake pedal. There’s also rear-axle steering that boots agility and stability, and an adaptive air suspension system. 24Having its own bespoke architecture to build upon and being able to design the new GT 4-Door itself, rather than basing it on anything in the Mercedes model range, meant AMG could create something radical. The AMG GT XX concept we saw last year gave us a pretty good idea of what this car would look like, and the road-going model has stayed true to the show car; from the gigantic grille that stretches across the face and can be had with illuminated vertical slats, if customers want, to the sleek silhouette, sweeping roofline and big shoulders. Despite having that massive battery under the floor, the GT 4-Door is four centimetres lower than its predecessor. The rear – which is the angle most people will see this car from as it rockets down the road – features a unique set of three tubular tail-lights and a large active spoiler that’s concealed within the tailgate. However, that’s nothing compared with the enormous active diffuser that extends from the bumper to improve stability and speed, but which apparently also helps with efficiency. Meanwhile, two underbody venturis are deployed from around 120mph and in effect suck the car into the tarmac. It’s all about the driver inside the GT 4-Door, with the main 14-inch touchscreen angled towards you, sitting alongside a 10.2-inch driver’s display with a big red rev counter. But there is also an additional 14-inch display for the front passenger. The benefits of the made-to-measure platform see you sit low down in the car, not like you’re perched on top of a big battery pack. Then there are three physical dials on the carbon fibre-trimmed centre console that can be used to adjust a different parameter of the driving experience. There are nine stages for each; ‘Response’ controls how sharp the throttle response and power delivery is, ‘Agility’ deals with how the car behaves in corners by adjusting the torque distribution, and finally ‘Traction’ – also referred to as slip behaviour – changes with the traction and stability programmes. 24This McLaren-like ability to quickly and easily control different parts of the driving experience is new for AMG, and allows drivers to easily tailor the car’s behaviour to their liking. That said, you have to be in Race mode to use all the dials freely, otherwise the settings are adjusted automatically. Other features include dual wireless phone charging areas, a new ‘chain-link’ air-vent design and ambient lighting everywhere, including the panoramic glass roof. It might have hypercar levels of power, but the GT 4-Door is designed for everyday use. There’s a surprising amount of room in the rear, so much so that two six-foot-tall adults can sit relatively comfortably here, thanks largely to the recesses in the floor that create more room for occupants’ feet, hence the term ‘foot garages’. Meanwhile the 507-litre boot – which is 141 litres bigger than a Porsche Taycan Turbo or Turbo S’s – is complemented by 62 litres of additional storage in the car’s nose. Order books for the AMG GT 4-Door will open later this year. Pricing remains under wraps for now, but we do know it’s not going to start from under £90,000, as with the Porsche Taycan. The old V8-powered GT 4-Door cost between £160,000 and £180,000, depending on the exact model, and we expect its all-electric successor will be similarly pricey. Although that asking price wouldn’t be far off the 939bhp Taycan Turbo S, which starts from more than £160k, and the 1,019bhp Taycan Turbo GT that’s nearly £190k. In terms of AMG’s ideal customers for this car, Ganzmann says the brand isn’t exclusively targeting EV lovers or current Porsche Taycan owners. “We gave the car everything to fulfill the wishes and requirements of customers of the previous AMG GT 4-Door,” he explained. “So we can really talk to both groups of customers. If you say, I prefer all the advantages I get with an EV, you have them in there. But if you say, I want a loud, aggressive car that is extroverted, you also get it with this.”
