The official announcement of the production-ready Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé makes a good addendum to our recent piece on the future of electric performance, if not something of a mea culpa. Although it’s true that Chinese firms are powering ahead with all-electric GT cars, we were definitely remiss not to flag up this new contender from Sindelfingen, the production version of the car teased with last year’s DayGlo Concept AMG GT.
The launch event took place in Los Angeles
The launch event in Los Angeles certainly stressed the power and performance of the big new coupé. A replacement for the original Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door, it eschews the original car’s signature hand-built AMG V8 in favour of batteries and three electric motors; it’s performance sub-brand’s first venture into electrification.
The launch event took place in Los Angeles
Mercedes itself has weathered a shaky start to become a major player in long-range EVs. It’s now in the process of blending EV and ICE models together in a single unified line-up, rather than keep them as separate, distinctive identities.
That won’t apply to the big GT, as it was always intended as a singular one-off, distinct from any Mercedes equivalent. In its first-generation ICE configuration it had few direct rivals but, as noted, the speedy GT EV sector is hotting up. Will the historic Mercedes-AMG badge be enough to switch buyers to electric?
Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé
Two things stand out. The first is that Mercedes-AMG is not au fait with subtlety. You can spec this beast to bear more logos than a Vuitton handbag, from the stylised three-pointed stars in the lights, front and rear, to the seats, headrests and headliners.
In launch specification, the mix of black and red leather, carbon fibre and carbon fibre gives off a slight seediness but Merc will offer buyers the chance to demonstrate their own taste, or lack of – for a price.
The GT 4-Door Coupé's screen-filled dashboard
Inside the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé
That price will probably end up exceeding the £178K+ of the outgoing model, but we’ll wager it will still slip comfortably under whatever Ferrari ends up asking for the Luce. In terms of design, the two models are chalk and cheese, with the Italian offering refined elegance and good taste and the German contender going all out to grab your eyes and ears.
Yes, the Merc-AMG will come with the synthesised sounds of a V8 (a path Ferrari will very much not be taking), just in case you’re feeling threatened by the absence of physical cylinders under the long bonnet.
The GT’s stats are impressive, from charge speed to range and outright performance. In GT63 trim (a cheaper GT55 model is also available) power peaks at the equivalent of 1,169hp, with a top speed of 186mph and a 2.4 second sprint time to 62mph. As you’d expect from a performance brand’s first dedicated EV, in other words.
The big 106kWh battery suggests a range of around 370 miles when pressing on, or a maximum of 432 miles with a featherweight right foot. High speed charging peaks at 600kW, meaning you can add over 250 miles of range in around 10 minutes.
Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé
Visually, the car is dominated by its whale-like front grille, more prominent and pushed forwards than ever before. The fastback-style body culminates in a cut-off tail, with the rear light configuration mirroring that of the original concept. Luggage space is excellent, really amplifying this car’s GT credentials, with a separate frunk bolstering the capacity.
Inside, it’s more Reeperbahn than Autobahn, with the now familiar Mercedes cliff of pixels facing down the driver and passenger. The easily information-overloaded might want to sit in the back, where it’s a little bit calmer.
Ultimately, however, calm isn’t really the AMG way. The overall style, sound and ambience of the new 4-Door Coupé makes this abundantly clear.
Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé, more information at Mercedes-AMG.com, @MercedesAMG
Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé