Mercedes-Benz provided flights from Detroit to Stuttgart, Germany, and accommodation so Ars could be briefed on the AMG.EA prototype as well as the GT XX that we covered last month. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.
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.