After the gopping horror that was the new GT 4-Door Coupé, Mercedes-AMG has made a second attempt at creating an electric performance car. The mildly-easier-on-the-eyes GT SUV is Affalterbach’s first ground-up crossover, utilising the building blocks of its lower-slung sibling and offering a similar amount of performance.
Built on the Mercedes-AMG Electrical Architecture (AMG.EA), the GT SUV is offered in GT53, GT55 and GT63 variants, the numbers obviously referring to the ascending performance. The GT53 utilises regular radial flux motors and a rear two-speed gearbox to send a maximum of 367 PS (270 kW, 544 PS/400 kW on boost) and 800 Nm to all four wheels, getting it from zero to 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds on its way to a top speed of 250 km/h with the Driver’s Package.
Step up to the GT53 or GT63 and you’ll gain AMG’s new axial flux motors that produce higher sustained power and torque in a smaller package. There are two at the rear – each with its own single-speed planetary ‘box – for torque vectoring, plus another motor at the front that can be disconnected when not needed for greater efficiency.
Put that all together and the result is a preposterous amount of power. Even the GT55 will push out 721 PS (530 kW, 816 PS/600 kW on boost) and 1,860 Nm of torque, enabling it to complete the century sprint in just 3.1 seconds and hit 200 km/h in 9.9 seconds.
But for the full effect, you’ll have to punt for the GT63, which churns out a ridiculous 1,169 PS (860 kW) and 2,000 Nm (!) on boost. So equipped, the car will fling itself to 100 km/h in 2.7 seconds and to 200 km/h in a barely-believable 7.2 seconds.
Top speed for both models is 270 km/h with the Driver’s Package, and what’s interesting is that the boost duration corresponds to the variant – 53 seconds for the GT53, 55 seconds for the GT55 and 63 seconds for the GT63. That’s more than long enough for any overtaking manoeuvre and sprints on circuit straights.
Also interesting is the choice of batteries. Aside from the 106 kWh NMC battery from the GT 4-Door Coupé, the SUV gains a bigger 128 kWh pack to suit its larger size and extra weight; rather incredulously, it’s only available as an option on the GT55 and GT63.
Range on the WLTP cycle is thus as such – up to 668 km for the GT53 and 585 km for the GT55 and GT63. With the bigger battery, the latter figure gets boosted to up to 700 km. All versions come with an 800-volt electrical architecture, but as standard, the GT53’s DC fast charging capacity maxes out at just 350 kW, which is barely any higher than the GLC electric. So equipped, it takes 16 minutes to be topped up from 10 to 80%
You’ll have to pay extra for AMG Performance Charging, which nearly doubles this number to 600 kW, slashing the charging time down to 11 minutes. The 128 kWh battery boosts input to 710 kW, although the larger capacity means it takes an additional minute to be charged to the same percentage. More worryingly, AC charging is capped at just 11 kW, meaning that a full charge takes a yawning 11 hours – even for the smaller 106 kWh battery.
At least Mercedes has seen fit not to skimp on the chassis tech. The GT SUV rides on multi-link suspension front and rear with forged aluminium links, steering knuckles and wheel carriers to reduce unsprung mass, as well as standard AMG Ride Control+ air springs and adaptive dampers. You can also spec the GT55 with AMG Active Ride Control+ with hydraulically cross-linked dampers; this is fitted as standard on the GT63.
Also standard is rear-wheel steering at up to six degrees, along with steel brakes. Again, carbon ceramics are optional on the GT55 and standard on the GT63. Then there are the software toys, starting with AMGForce Sport+ that simulates engine noise, gear shifts and even the shaking of the seats, similar to the pioneering Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and 6 N.
To synthesise the “exhaust note”, Mercedes used 16 microphones to make 100 recordings of various vehicles, including the GT R. The system creates a six-cylinder noise on the GT53 and a V8 rumble on the GT55 and GT63, analogous to the company’s combustion 3.0 litre M256 turbo straight-six and 4.0 litre M177 twin-turbo V8 engines.
Adding further control to the car’s dynamics is the AMG Race Engineer Control Unit, which enables drivers to tweak the powertrain response, torque distribution and stability control intervention through triple knobs on the centre console. The drivetrain, brakes and energy recuperation are all managed by a centralised AMG Race Engineer Core computer.
With more height to work with compared to the GT 4-Door Coupé, the SUV’s front end looks a lot less like an anglerfish, although it’s still not exactly pretty. L-shaped headlights with an elongated version of Mercedes’ typically gaudy star graphic sit atop a massive closed-off grille with illuminated vertical Panamericana strips. The GT55 and GT63 models throw on an upper scoop and “gills” on either side, adding unnecessary busyness to the whole look.
More than just a GLC EV with a fancy frock, the GT SUV measures 5,084 mm long (+239 mm), 2,001 mm wide (+88 mm) and 1,656 mm tall (+12 mm) with a 3,040 mm wheelbase (+68 mm), making this the largest of Mercedes’ latest-generation EVs.
The generous dimensions deliver an elongated roofline, made even more elegant by the fitment of frameless windows. Bonnet power domes and flared fenders make for a very aggressive look; the latter house wide wheels measuring up to 22 inches in diameter, and there are also fender vents at the front.
The GT SUV’s height again pays dividends at the rear, making the (hideous) slatted, ski mask-like rear graphic – which house six star taillights and an optional light bar – look a trite less incongruous. An active tailgate spoiler on the GT55 and GT63 works with the active grille shutter and flush pop-out door handles to lower the drag coefficient to 0.27.
Inside, the GT SUV carries over the 4-Door Coupé’s dashboard layout, which thankfully is a bit more sculpted compared to the flat panels of other Merc models of late. A curved display panel houses the 10.25-inch instrument display and a 14-inch infotainment touchscreen, the latter angled towards the driver. A second 14-inch passenger touchscreen is available as an option.
All three screens run on the latest Mercedes-Benz Operating System (MB.OS), featuring an updated “Zero Layer” interface and ChatGPT, Microsoft Bing and Google Gemini generative AI support. The GT SUV comes with a bespoke AMG Special gauge display as well as an AMG Performance Menu for real-time data, as well as AMG Set-Up, an AMG Track Pace lap timer and performance analyser and a Predictive Performance Manager for optimising energy deployment.
A silvery hoop housing the centre air vents sit above a wide centre console, housing dual Qi wireless chargers and the aforementioned triple control knobs. There are more drive mode knobs clustered on the AMG Performance steering wheel, which also comes with Mercedes’ new “rocker and roller” controls, although physical switchgear remains in short supply.
The GT SUV is only offered as a five-seater, with a Sky Control panoramic glass roof with electrochromic dimming coming as standard. This being a new-age Mercedes, however, the options list remains vast and includes an illuminated glass roof, heavily-bolstered AMG Performance seats and a Burmester 4D sound system with stainless steel speaker grilles.
Lastly, the boot, which measures 607 litres with the rear seats up and 1,740 litres with the pews folded flat; there’s also a 78 litre front boot. The GT53 is available to order now, with prices starting from €113,050 (RM517,000) in Europe. The GT55 and GT63 will follow in the second quarter of next year.
