Mercedes-AMG GT 4-door coupe review – the Porsche Taycan has competition

As capable and sophisticated as electric cars have become, the general consensus is that they’re tough to make engaging. Their performance is so effective, predictable and one-dimensional that there’s little nuance to decode or depth of personality to explore. This has begun to change with the advent of simulated gears and sound, however, and AMG might just have crossed into the uncanny valley with its latest creation.

Called the AMG GT 4-door coupe, its name is identical to its V8 predecessor, as is its form. This is a 4-door saloon near-identical in dimensions to a Porsche Panamera, with looks as unconventional as its claimed performance is impressive. While it avoids the featureless blob aesthetic of the now-defunct EQ line through the use of its full-width GTXX-inspired grille, it's very clearly tailored towards efficiency. Its rear end is abrupt to help cleanly detach airflow and though there have been attempts to invoke AMG heritage into its design, it falls flat. The blistered arches and hunkered stance of Affalterbach’s icons are absent and many see that gloss black rump as cheap, but then we’re not here to critique its design.

The carport of what is usually a serene resort hotel sounds like it’s host to the grid of a WEC round as we depart. This is the first car AMG has produced with the ability to replicate the vocals of its ICE V8 and the sound doesn’t just play inside. Before I’d even unlocked my car, fellow journalists had ‘fired up’ their GT’s, promptly revving them to puzzled looks from onlookers. You’d never think of doing the same with a V8 equivalent in these surroundings, but curiously, it being an EV appears to change the mindset.

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Powertrain and technical highlights

• Dual, or triple-motor all-wheel drive with up to 1153bhp
• Chassis rides on air springs and hydraulically interlinked dampers
• 106kWh battery, up to 435 miles of range & 600kw charging

The range starts with the £103,275 dual-motor GT53, but we’re driving the middling GT55 on these Spanish roads, a variant with three motors, a 106kWh battery pack and a peak output of 805bhp. The GT63 has more power than an Aston Martin Valkyrie at 1153bhp, but identical hardware to the GT55 under the skin.

Cruise away in Comfort and it’s a refined place to be. You don’t get any of the V8 sound or simulated gears in this mode. Instead, a supple ride, a well-measured, relaxed throttle and a tight turning circle thanks to six-degree rear-axle steering. It’s suspended on three-stage adjustable air ‘springs’ and swaps physical anti-roll bars for the virtual kind, enabled through the use of hydraulically interlinked dampers – it might not have the 6.2-litre V8 we wish it did, but it does have an 8.2-litre pressure accumulator for rapid ride height changes. It’s brake-by-wire too, but despite the lack of physical connection and the integration of regen, response is natural and easy to modulate, with the front and rear carbon ceramic discs (should you option the Dynamic Plus Pack) providing excellent power when you need it.

Opt for the £4550 Aerokinetics package and you get a multitude of moveable aerodynamic elements too, ranging from an active front splitter to a (very) extendable rear diffuser, a rear wing and even underbody elements designed to manage the venturi effect. Despite all of this, Mercedes says it has an ultra-slick 0.22Cd drag coefficient better than efficiency-focused models like the Tesla Model 3, giving both the GT55 and GT63 a WLTP range of around 435 miles. Spend an extra £2000 on ultra-fast charging and it’ll even charge at a class-leading 600kw, if you can find a compatible charger.

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Performance, ride and handling

• Complex chassis setup provides supple ride & agile handling
• Axial flux motors deliver immense power and response 
• Simulated V8 elevates engagement beyond rivals

It’s a complex setup, but it works seamlessly for a smooth ride befitting a high-end Mercedes-Benz, plus good body control given the mass at play. Knock the dial up to Sport+ to ‘enable’ the V8 and the throttle gains urgency along with the ride. On these roads at least, it maintains the supple edge we’re looking for in a super saloon – high frequency imperfections are kept away from the cabin in all modes. Those interlinked dampers keep roll, and its 2460kg kerb weight, in check, and while the effects of more significant humps can occasionally be felt for a second or two longer than we’d like, it rides how an AMG saloon should. 

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It steers that way too, as while wheel weighting is light and occasionally inconsistent under load, it rotates keenly. Dual-motor rear axle torque vectoring and rear-wheel steer are at least partially responsible, but while some cars feel unpredictable and corrupted by such complex hardware, the experience is cohesive and predictable here. There’s a reasonable sense of load through the wheel for its huge 275-section front tyres, giving you confidence to push on, and that’s before you’ve used its party piece.

Taking pride of place on the centre console are three nine-stage rotary dials, the first of which being ‘Response’ to turn throttle response all the way from leisurely S-class to ‘call my chiropractor’. This car utilises cutting-edge Axial Flux motors from British firm Yasa which have class-leading power density (they’re only slightly thicker than a Coke can), and ludicrous response… as neatly demonstrated by this dial.

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When ESC is disabled, the ‘Agility’ dial allows you to request precisely how keenly you’d like the car to pivot into a corner. All of the maths is done seamlessly in the background, taking it from a safe, neutral balance, all the way to a setup that gives you the sensation of lift-off oversteer without inducing a change in balance yourself – it’s freakishly effective, especially on track. The Traction dial works in tandem with this, giving the rear axle increasing freedom to over-rotate the closer you get to stage nine.

And overspeeding the 315-section rear tyres isn’t difficult, especially with 1153bhp to call upon in the GT63. Given the number of systems employed to enable oversteer though (those rear two motors aren’t physically connected in any way), it does feel slightly synthetic, without the transparency we’ve come to love in old AMGs in these extremes. Nevertheless, it’s quicker than the £2.5m Project One hypercar to 124mph, at 6.8sec, and hits 62mph from a standstill in a Bugatti Chiron-beating 2.4sec if you use its brutally effective launch mode. We’ve seen this all before though, so how does the AMG differ?

AMGFORCE S+ is the primary reason this EV retains the AMG feel, simulating a nine-speed gearbox and the meaty swell of torque and sound of its ICE predecessors. As the owner of an S204 C63, a ‘fake’ V8 AMG should be repulsive, but the polished execution of this system makes it impossible to deny its benefits – Hyundai and Porsche have both implemented their own takes on simulated ICE powertrains in the Ioniq 5/6 N and Taycan, but neither are as convincing as the AMG. This is a considerably more engaging car to drive than it would be otherwise.

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Seat ‘exciters’ and a highly granular, detailed replication of the V8 sound - developed out of 1600 separate AMG GT R sound files - make it just as addictive to run up and down its snappy gears as an ICE car. This, plus torque cut on upshifts, simulated torque curves and subtle (if a little exaggerated) vibrations on downshifts all conspire to convince your brain there’s a V8 ahead. The ratios are shorter than they probably should be, but this is something you quickly adjust to. Long ratios were after all often a product of emissions reduction requirements, not an issue here. It improves the experience on the limit where you rely on it for a sense of speed, but adds theatre at road speeds too. Exactly what an AMG is all about.

Price, specs and rivals

The Mercedes-AMG GT 4-door coupe starts from £103,275 in GT53-form, but that’s not the model you’ll want – it doesn’t get the same trick dual-motor rear axle as the GT55 and GT63, or the V8 sound experience. Stump up £120,095 and the GT55 comes into view, which seems reasonable value for what is such a well-rounded performance EV. It has range, everyday comfort and genuine engagement to make it a much more attractive proposition than virtually anything else on the market at this price point. The much less powerful 590bhp Porsche Taycan 4S is perhaps the closest alternative at £102,200, but has less performance, a lower 394-mile range and a much less convincing simulated gearshift should you opt for the £750 E-Shift option.

If you want the range-topping GT63 you’ll pay much more at £159,870, and while that gives you a ludicrous power output, you’re getting the same hardware as the GT55 – the only physical difference is the Dynamic Plus Pack as standard, swapping steel rear brakes for carbon ceramic, and giving you ride height control out of the box. Porsche's closest alternative is the 939bhp Taycan Turbo S, but you'll pay more for less on paper, with its output and 393-mile range marginally down on the AMG. The Tesla Model S Plaid and Lucid Air Sapphire are both c1000bhp electric saloon alternatives, but neither are readily available in the UK.

Mercedes-AMG GT 4-door coupe specs

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