First-generation high-performance electric vehicles, like the Tesla Model S Plaid, had a party trick that would wow first-timers: straight-line acceleration. Feeling your internal organs shift under the G forces of acceleration is cool the first few times but gets annoying after repeated launches. Why? Because a one-trick pony car isn't interesting or fun to enthusiasts.
Mercedes-AMG understands this now, and the company is attempting to make its most engaging, most interesting, and most technologically advanced high-performance EVs ever. Based on the AMG.EA architecture, at least two vehicles have been confirmed. After the reveal of the concept GT XX and the AMG.EA architecture in Affalterbach, the company took me for a ride in a future production version of the car.
You might think this car looks like a next-generation AMG GT four-door, but Mercedes won't confirm what it is other than that it's AMG.EA underneath. The purpose of this ride-along isn't to experience the power or performance but, rather, the feel of the car.
Mercedes-AMG has gone the Ioniq 5 N route with its new performance hardware and incorporated simulated gearing, with the associated noises, as part of the driving experience in Sport+.
With the chief engineer behind the wheel, we pulled out of the Mercedes-AMG facility and headed out on some lovely back roads. Under normal driving, the car felt like any other EV. Once we cleared the outskirts of the village, the driver turned the steering wheel dial to Sport+, and immediately the car sprang to life.
The first thing I noticed was the simulated engine noise. It was developed to be unique to AMG.EA, taking inspiration from some of the great AMGs of the past. AMG boss Michael Schiebe tells us that they set up shop outside the offices and had people drive by in various cars to find the right engine and exhaust notes to fit into the creation. It's a deep, throaty sound.
It’s a sound you can feel
Seriously, I feel something in my seat. The engineer later asks if I notice anything in my seat, and while I can't confirm what it was adding to the sound—be it a speaker or a motor—it does help make the car feel more alive.
The artificial gearshifts are more than just halting power for a brief period; they're part of a mapped-out torque curve. Like in the Hyundai, you can feel the acceleration build like you would in a combustion engine. It's not as prominent as in the Hyundai, but it's there.
When the car shifts, it feels a lot like a ZF 8-speed automatic in a modern performance car. It's smooth, but enthusiastic. It's not as extreme as the Hyundai, but I'd argue the Hyundai driver and the AMG driver are looking for a different experience, with the AMG being a bit more adult.
The AMG also, at least as it sits now, will automatically upshift at redline. The fun thing about the Hyundai is, if you intentionally miss a shift, the car will throw your head into the steering wheel as you hit the artificial rev limiter. It's hilarious. The vibe from the prototype I'm in is that things are a bit more serious.
Perhaps that's rightfully so, considering the concept GT XX makes over 1,200 hp (895 kW).
Also, as it sits right now, you must be in the Sport+ setting to experience simulated shifting. When the engineer put it back into Comfort to pass through a village (and not get busted by the speed camera), the car settled back into a comfortable cruiser.
So, does it all work?
Electric vehicles, especially high-performance models geared toward enthusiasts, must be both interesting and efficient. They must be powerful, but also fun. We're past those first-generation performance EVs and in an era where not being able to make a fun EV isn't a failure of the technology; it's a lack of imagination.
The concept Mercedes took me out in is on the right track. Taking the best of previous AMGs to make the sound experience adds a layer of authenticity. Adding in the fun and feeling of gear shifts makes the car more of an experience to be in.
It will need to be an excellent performance car at the end of the day, but Mercedes-AMG is considering the whole experience of driving in its future performance EVs, which is how it will be able to differentiate from its rivals as more EVs hit the market.
Schiebe and the team know they must get it right. Listening to Schiebe talk about the process of coming up with the car and the sound had him grinning from ear to ear. He appears both proud and excited for where this architecture is heading.
I'd prefer it to be even more raucous still, but it's already leaps ahead of what BMW M and Audi RS are currently doing in terms of performance EVs. The production version of this car should hit showrooms next year.
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