Mercedes-AMG’s 1,169 hp GT SUV makes most supercars look slow

For the first time in its 59-year history, Mercedes-AMG has built a full-size SUV entirely by itself. The Mercedes-AMG GT SUV is the second model on the electric AMG.EA platform, after the recent AMG GT 4-Door Coupé, and it uses the same main hardware in a taller, more practical body.

That hardware is unusual. The top two versions, the GT 63 and GT 55, use three axial flux motors. Two sit on the rear axle and a third on the front, which only engages when extra power or grip is needed. The GT 63 claims a peak output of 860 kW (1,169 hp), 2,000 Nm of torque and 0–100 km/h in 2.5 seconds. That time uses a one-foot rollout, so the standard figure is 2.7 seconds. The GT 55 manages 600 kW. The entry GT 53 drops the axial flux motors for two conventional synchronous motors producing 400 kW, with a two-speed gearbox on the rear axle.

The more meaningful number is sustained output. AMG quotes 530 kW of continuous power for the 63 and 55, which tackles a long-standing problem with fast EVs: they look brilliant in a straight line and then cut power once heat builds up. The fix is an 800-volt battery whose cylindrical cells sit directly in non-conductive cooling oil, an approach AMG says comes from Formula 1. It comes in 106 kWh or 128 kWh sizes. The larger pack claims up to 710 kW DC charging, adding up to 450 km of WLTP range in ten minutes, with a 10–80 percent charge in about 12 minutes. That only works at the rare stations that can deliver that much power. Mercedes also says the charging figures are preliminary.

Weight is the obvious catch. Even with an aluminium, steel and composite body, kerb weights range from 2,525 kg to 2,715 kg. AMG relies on its new ACTIVE RIDE CONTROL+ suspension to hide that mass. It replaces conventional anti-roll bars with hydraulic pitch and roll control, adds rear-axle steering of up to six degrees and puts carbon-ceramic brakes on the GT 63 as standard. The AMGFORCE Sport+ mode adds recorded V8 or six-cylinder engine sounds, fake gear changes and vibrating seats. How much buyers want a simulated V8 in an electric car is still an open question.

The GT 53 is available to order from 20 October, priced from €113,050 in Germany. The 63 and 55 follow in spring 2027. Regional pricing hasn’t been announced. The GT SUV goes straight up against Porsche’s electric Cayenne, and its real test is whether AMG’s track-focused engineering holds up in a 2.6-tonne family car.