- New level of driving dynamics - even on snow and ice tracks
- Innovative AMG RACE ENGINEER enables maximum driving pleasure individualisation
- Fully variable all-wheel drive AMG Performance 4MATIC+ for best traction and driving stability
- Last winter test with near-production prototypes successfully completed
Before the new Mercedes‑AMG GT 4-Door Coupé celebrates its world premiere in a few weeks, it has once again demonstrated its power and precision during the final winter tests in Northern Sweden. On the frozen lakes and snow-covered roads of the AMG test site, everything revolves around perfect traction, superior power distribution, and absolute vehicle control. Testing on snow and ice makes it possible to explore a vehicle's limits faster and more safely, and to optimise control systems in detail.
AMG RACE ENGINEER ensures exceptional driving enjoyment
During these tests, the central driving dynamics control system developed by Mercedes‑AMG, the AMG RACE ENGINEER, was put through its paces. With its associated control unit – three driving dynamics rotary controls – the driving behaviour of the future Mercedes‑AMG GT 4‑Door Coupé can be tuned even more finely and individually than before:
- The “Response Control” dial coordinates the response of the electric motors to accelerator pedal commands. This also depends, among other things, on the selected driving programme – from comfortable and harmonious to excessively sharp. The new AMG GT 4‑Door Coupé will have power in abundance. The art is to bring this power to the road as needed and situationally, with maximum agility and traction, but at the same time exemplary driving safety. And that means driving satisfaction for every level of driving skill.
- The “Agility Control” rotary control changes the agility around the vertical axis (individually switchable only in driving programmes S/S+/Race with ESP® off) and thus the cornering behaviour. The variable and adaptable power distribution allows for the perception of a shorter or extended wheelbase. This creates a completely different driving behaviour: from slight understeer to neutral to controlled oversteer.
- The “Traction Control” rotary control – used to control slip – influences the intervention of traction control in nine stages (switchable only in driving programmes S/S+/Race with ESP® off). This feature has already proven itself in the AMG GT R and the AMG GT Black Series.
The three driving dynamics rotary controls unleash their full functionality exclusively in “ESP® off” mode. They allow experienced drivers to experience a new level of driving dynamics on closed-off tracks. The “Response Control” function is also available with ESP® on.
High traction and driving stability: AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive
The new AMG GT 4‑Door Coupé transfers its power to the road with the AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive. For the first time in a fully electric sports car, this system uses three axial flux motors. The decoupled electric motors enable maximum variability in torque distribution to the front and rear wheels. In addition, there is the individual distribution of drive force between the two rear wheels (torque vectoring). The optimal drive torque control is continuous and situation-based. The imperceptible blending from rear-wheel to all-wheel drive and vice versa occurs based on a sophisticated matrix that integrates the control algorithms into the entire vehicle system architecture. To ensure optimal traction and driving stability on snow and ice, sensors instantly detect spinning wheels and distribute torque precisely according to the driving situation. Since all electric motors are controlled independently, optimal drive power is maintained.
Additionally, the new AMG GT 4-Door Coupé relies on a high-performance, hydraulic composite braking system. This combines a carbon-ceramic brake on the front axle with a steel brake on the rear axle, allowing for a needs-based and weight-optimised design. This innovative braking concept ensures drivers a consistently precise and pleasantly modulated brake pedal feel – regardless of whether the braking force is generated by recuperation, the friction braking system, or a combination of both systems.
AMG ACTIVE RIDE CONTROL suspension with semi-active roll stabilisation
Furthermore, the AMG ACTIVE RIDE CONTROL air suspension is included. It offers a wide spread between sportiness and comfort through triple-switchable air springs and semi-active roll stabilisation. An 8.2-litre pressure accumulator enables rapid raising and lowering operations, including speed-dependent level control. This can, among other things, further improve the range.
The shock absorbers, adjustable in rebound and compression, feature semi-active, interconnected hydraulic elements that replace conventional anti-roll bars. This reduces roll movements and also enables the wide spread of the AMG driving programmes. A novel lightweight technology made from die-casting and forging saves weight and increases the recycling rate.
The system hydraulically connects the spring struts, making the roll spring rate variable. This increases comfort over uneven surfaces and improves precision during cornering through higher camber stiffness. When driving straight, the system can be fully opened for maximum comfort. The basic principle is based on the hydraulic interconnection of the compression and rebound sides of the dampers. A central pump and valves regulate the system pressure to set the desired roll support and thus the roll stiffness.
Powerful drive technology – even in icy cold
Three innovative axial flux motors combined with directly cooled battery cells are the heart of the new Mercedes‑AMG GT 4‑Door Coupé. The battery concept enables high performance that can be called upon frequently in succession. But not only the power output is impressive; the energy intake during charging is also convincing – even in icy cold conditions.
The battery's temperature control is intelligently adapted to various driving situations and works in both directions: warming up to the optimal temperature window occurs quickly and precisely, as does efficient cooling. The clever aspect is that the individual cells are grouped into laser-welded modules. Integrated into these is the direct cooling of the cells, which ensures optimal heat dissipation but also enables targeted heating. A high-tech coolant based on an electrically non-conductive oil flows around each individual cell, tempering it optimally. The oil flows through cooling channels in the modules, ensuring steady temperature control of all cells.
In Arjeplog and elsewhere: Demanding test programme by Mercedes‑AMG
For decades, Mercedes‑Benz and Mercedes‑AMG have subjected every new model to extreme winter tests near the Arctic Circle. For this purpose, the company operates its own test centre in Arjeplog, a Swedish town in Lapland. There, vehicles are tested at icy temperatures far below freezing on snow-covered roads and the bare ice of frozen lakes. Beyond pure road testing in the far north, intensive tests take place on specially prepared test tracks. These include challenging hill climbs with gradients of up to 20 per cent, test tracks with varying friction coefficients, handling courses, and circular tracks on the almost mirror-smooth ice of the lakes. Such extreme conditions place the highest demands on the vehicles' drive and control systems. The entire test programme for validating a new model comprises over 500 individual tests, supplemented by the specific tuning of driving dynamics and the ESP® system.
Continue reading...
