AMG finally built its own SUV, and it brought 1,153 hp and a recorded V8
In 59 years, Mercedes-AMG had never developed a full-size SUV entirely on its own. Its first one is electric, makes up to 1,153 hp, charges at up to 710 kW and reaches US dealers in summer 2027.
Specs, charging figures, US timing and the Sindelfingen detail checked against the Mercedes-Benz USA and Mercedes-Benz global releases of Oct. 17, 2026, on Oct. 19, 2026. Performance figures are Mercedes estimates. US pricing has not been announced.
AMG has been putting big engines in Mercedes SUVs for years. What it had never done, in 59 years, is develop a full-size SUV from the ground up entirely in-house. The new Mercedes-AMG GT SUV is that first one. It is electric, the top version makes 1,153 hp, and it plays a recorded AMG V8 while you drive. Think of it as decaf that still comes with the sound of the espresso machine.
What it is
Mercedes revealed the GT SUV on Oct. 17 at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. It is the second model built on AMG.EA, AMG’s electric high performance architecture, and it shares its three-motor layout with the recently unveiled AMG GT 4-Door Coupe. Mercedes pitches it as the presence of a full-size SUV with the driving feel of a sports car. In plain terms: tall enough to see over traffic, quick enough to leave it.
The numbers
Three versions come to the US. The GT 53 uses two motors, one on each axle, for a combined 536 hp, with a two-speed transmission at the rear. The GT 55 and GT 63 use three axial flux motors, two at the rear and one at the front. The front one is a booster that only joins in when the car wants more power or grip.
The GT 55 makes up to 805 hp. The GT 63 makes 1,153 hp at peak, 711 hp continuously and 1,475 lb-ft of torque. Mercedes estimates 0 to 60 mph in 2.6 seconds, or 2.4 seconds measured the drag-strip way with a 1-foot rollout, and limits top speed to 168 mph. Carbon ceramic brakes are standard on the GT 63, which seems wise.
Charging
The 800-volt battery comes in two sizes: 106 kWh in the GT 53 and 128 kWh in the GT 55 and GT 63. Mercedes says the larger one accepts up to 710 kW of DC charging and goes from 10 to 80 percent in 12 minutes. The GT 53 tops out at 600 kW. On a more common 400 kW charger, Mercedes quotes 14 minutes for the GT 53 and 16 minutes for the bigger battery. US cars use the NACS plug, the Tesla-style connector. That is a charging stop shorter than most drive-thru lines.
About that V8
The AMGFORCE Sport+ drive program plays a V8 sound in the GT 63 and GT 55 and a six-cylinder sound in the GT 53. Mercedes says the sounds are recorded, not synthesized, from over 100 measurements taken with 16 microphones on reference cars such as the AMG GT R. It also simulates gear changes, lets you shift with the paddles and shakes the seats along. There is a slider with Powerful, Balanced and Silent settings. Silence was never the AMG brand, but at least it is now on the menu.
Underneath
The new AMG Active Ride Control+ suspension, standard on the GT 63 and optional on the GT 55, swaps traditional anti-roll bars for active hydraulics and pairs them with three-stage air springs. Rear-axle steering is standard and turns the rear wheels up to 6 degrees. Below 50 mph they turn against the fronts, which Mercedes says makes the big SUV turn in sharper and easier to maneuver at low speed. Above 50 mph they turn with the fronts for stability.
Price and timing
The 2028 GT 53, GT 55 and GT 63 reach US dealers in summer 2027. Mercedes has not announced US pricing. The SUV will be assembled in Hall 32 at Sindelfingen, a Mercedes-Benz plant founded in 1915 and retrofitted for the new electric hardware.
Our take
AMG’s first homemade SUV skips the V8 and then works very hard to sound like it has one. The numbers are huge and the charging figures may matter more than the horsepower. The real test comes next summer, when US buyers see the price and decide how much a recorded V8 is worth to them.
Sources
- Mercedes-Benz USA press release, “High-tech SUV with sports car DNA: The new Mercedes-AMG GT SUV,” Oct. 17, 2026
- Mercedes-Benz Media, “High-tech SUV with sports car DNA: The new Mercedes-AMG GT SUV,” Affalterbach, Oct. 17, 2026
- Mercedes-AMG, “World premiere of the all-new Mercedes-AMG GT SUV at the 140 Festival,” Oct. 17, 2026
