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Energieverbrauch kombiniert: 24.3 - 20.9 kWh/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 0 g/km | CO₂-Klasse: A | Emissionsangabe [1,4]
Susie Wolff is an expert in the interplay between performance and electrification. We spoke to her about her test drive in the first battery-powered performance luxury sedan from AMG, her initial skepticism about e-vehicles, and her commitment to women in motorsport.
Mercedes-AMG is going electric.
Who better than Susie Wolff to judge how well a high-voltage heart aligns with AMG's core values? The Scot knows a thing or two about performance, and especially about performance with electric drivetrains. As one of the most successful racing drivers of all time, she drove for Mercedes-Benz in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM), worked as a development and test driver in Formula 1, and today heads Formula E's Venturi Racing team.
She confesses she was "very skeptical" at the beginning when it came to electrification, and electric race cars in particular. "But how wrong I was," she says today, as electric propulsion takes off. "It's not quite mainstream yet, but the momentum is very strong.” That's true in sport as well as on the road, so we invited Susie Wolff to test drive the new Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+, the first production e-vehicle from Mercedes-AMG that’s purely battery powered. Spoiler: Susie Wolff was delighted with this unique driving experience and looked completely at home behind the wheel.
Wolff needs this enjoyment factor when driving. She gained her first experience in motorsport at the age of eight, without a real career plan. "You just enjoy what you do. And I loved cars – the competition, the speed, and the adrenaline," she says. At 14, she decided she wanted to be a racing driver, preferably in the top class, Formula 1. The path to that goal was not easy. "Sport is brutal; there is always only one winner. You have to learn from doing things over and over again. But I've always focused on performance," she says.
In 2015, the Scot ended her active career as a driver and joined Mercedes-Benz as a brand ambassador. She maintains a close relationship with Mercedes-AMG, which is particularly influenced by her time driving for the brand from 2006 to 2012 in the DTM. "For me, AMG always stands for luxury and performance," Susie Wolff emphasizes.
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Energieverbrauch kombiniert: 24.3 - 20.9 kWh/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 0 g/km | CO₂-Klasse: A | Emissionsangabe [1,4]
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Energieverbrauch kombiniert: 24.3 - 20.9 kWh/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 0 g/km | CO₂-Klasse: A | Emissionsangabe [1,4]
"AMG is a sporty but also very luxurious brand. One aspires to the luxury of driving a Mercedes-AMG, especially if you have a passion for cars and performance."
It's part of Susie Wolff's story that male drivers are assumed to own this passion. "Motorsport is very male-dominated," she says. In 2015, Wolff founded an organization to promote women and girls in motorsport, which exists in its current form as FIA's Girls on Track initiative. Wolff's commitment earned her the Order of the British Empire. "I wanted to give something back to the sport that has given me so much," she says. She revealed she has given only one interview in her career in which she was not asked about her gender. Now, she says, she wants to use her knowledge and network to "change the preconception that motorsports is just for boys."
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Energieverbrauch kombiniert: 24.3 - 20.9 kWh/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 0 g/km | CO₂-Klasse: A | Emissionsangabe [1,4]
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Energieverbrauch kombiniert: 24.3 - 20.9 kWh/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 0 g/km | CO₂-Klasse: A | Emissionsangabe [1,4]
Electrification in motorsports: "Spearheading development"
Electrification, too, will change motorsport. In fact, the e-drive will change the entire automotive industry, including in the field of performance. As Formula E team boss, Susie Wolff has a wealth of experience. "In Formula 1, we work with hybrid engines that recover energy. In Formula E, we run pure electric cars," she says, summing up the obvious impact of the technology. But she also mentions less obvious aspects: "Track time in development work has dropped significantly. A large share of research and development now takes place in the simulator." What hasn't changed is the essential influence of motorsports on vehicle development. "Motorsports is and remains the spearhead of research and development for car manufacturers. The major advances come from what we learn by challenging the technology at the highest level."
Wolff was particularly interested in how Mercedes-AMG translates these findings into series production before she took the Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+ for a spin. "I've driven many AMG vehicles before, so I had high expectations. And I was not disappointed. The AMG EQS offers a fantastic driving experience," she says.
As for the numbers behind this feeling, even the base model, the Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+, produces a maximum output of 484 kW (658 hp) with a maximum torque of 950 Newton meters. This enables the vehicle to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds. The AMG DYNAMIC PLUS package boosts the maximum output in RACE START mode to up to 560 kW (761 hp). The EQS then sprints to 100 km/h in 3.4 seconds.
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Energieverbrauch kombiniert: 24.3 - 20.9 kWh/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 0 g/km | CO₂-Klasse: A | Emissionsangabe [1,4]
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Energieverbrauch kombiniert: 24.3 - 20.9 kWh/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 0 g/km | CO₂-Klasse: A | Emissionsangabe [1,4]
Mercedes-AMG has done a great job of making sure that when it comes to power and handling, all the elements that define the brand are there .
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Energieverbrauch kombiniert: 24.3 - 20.9 kWh/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 0 g/km | CO₂-Klasse: A | Emissionsangabe [1,4]
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Energieverbrauch kombiniert: 24.3 - 20.9 kWh/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 0 g/km | CO₂-Klasse: A | Emissionsangabe [1,4]
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Energieverbrauch kombiniert: 24.3 - 20.9 kWh/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 0 g/km | CO₂-Klasse: A | Emissionsangabe [1,4]
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Energieverbrauch kombiniert: 24.3 - 20.9 kWh/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 0 g/km | CO₂-Klasse: A | Emissionsangabe [1,4]
The car offers everything she expected from the first Mercedes-AMG electric car. There's a lot of development work behind this driving experience: a heavy-duty thermal concept ensures that repeated acceleration maneuvers can be completed with consistently high performance. Standard rear-wheel steering with a steering angle of 9 degrees ensures the sedan handles like a compact model.
And how does Wolff like the interior? "It impressed me a lot. The car looks very futuristic inside but it's very comfortable and top quality," she says. Here, the Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+ offers typical AMG flair, with custom graphics on the seats and special seat covers. The hyperscreen dashboard has direct access to the AMG TRACK PACE software in addition to independent displays. It records more than 80 data points on the race track and displays lap and sector times. The overall digital experience is "a step forward compared to the systems I'm familiar with," Wolff says.
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Energieverbrauch kombiniert: 24.3 - 20.9 kWh/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 0 g/km | CO₂-Klasse: A | Emissionsangabe [1,4]
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Energieverbrauch kombiniert: 24.3 - 20.9 kWh/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 0 g/km | CO₂-Klasse: A | Emissionsangabe [1,4]
And what about that special V8 sound?
Does Wolff really not miss anything? She, who grew up as a horsepower aficionado with the feeling and driving experience of combustion engines? "At the beginning I was worried that I might miss the sound," she admits. Like many AMG enthusiasts, she knows and loves the character of a V8 engine. "Turning on the engine is a different experience now. But it is a positive experience," she says, and is thrilled "that Mercedes-AMG has included such great sound options." The AMG SOUND EXPERIENCE in the Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+ is created with the help of additional hardware such as speakers, a bass shaker, and a sound generator.
As the miles go by, Wolff shifts her attitude: "The quietness of an electric car can have a very calming influence. The silence allows you to merge with nature and the environment," Wolff says – and thus experience the car's performance even more directly. "It's a change, but any change becomes normal with time," she says. "Eventually, you might not want to use the AMG SOUND EXPERIENCE the way I did in the beginning."
Wolff adds another reason for her anticipation to drive everyday vehicles like the Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+ in the near future: "The great thing about this car is that it offers the performance you need on race day but also the durability and comfort you need for everyday driving. It's not often that these two aspects merge. But in this car they do, and at a very high level.”
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Energieverbrauch kombiniert: 24.3 - 20.9 kWh/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 0 g/km | CO₂-Klasse: A | Emissionsangabe [1,4]
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Energieverbrauch kombiniert: 24.3 - 20.9 kWh/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 0 g/km | CO₂-Klasse: A | Emissionsangabe [1,4]
The new Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+
Electric found its voice
The status quo has just been overtaken. Luxury, performance and sustainability coalesce in the new Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+ to generate a completely novel driving sensation: 100% electric – 100% AMG.
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Energieverbrauch kombiniert: 24.3 - 20.9 kWh/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 0 g/km | CO₂-Klasse: A | Emissionsangabe [1,4]
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Energieverbrauch kombiniert: 24.3 - 20.9 kWh/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 0 g/km | CO₂-Klasse: A | Emissionsangabe [1,4]
