Mercedes-AMG’s Fake V8 Soundtrack Actually Sounds Good (Unlike Dodge’s Embarrassing Attempt)

Mercedes-AMG just reminded us that there’s a right way and a wrong way to fake a V8 engine sound in an electric car, and Dodge’s Charger Daytona has been taking notes on how not to do it.

In a promotional video featuring CEO Ola Källenius and F1 development driver Doriane Pin, the brand gave us our first real listen to the synthesized V8 soundtrack that’ll come out of the upcoming GT 4-Door Coupe when you hammer the throttle. And unlike some other EVs that shall remain nameless, this thing actually sounds purposeful—complete with fake gear shifts that build toward a pretend redline as if you were rowing through a manual transmission.

The Synthetic Soundtrack That Works

What makes this interesting isn’t that Mercedes slapped a fake engine noise on an EV. It’s that they actually seem to have nailed the execution. The synthesized V8 rumble doesn’t sound thin or hollow—it has weight to it. The simulated gear changes don’t feel gimmicky; they build dramatic tension in a way that mirrors what a real AMG V8 would do coming out of a corner.

Obviously, judging audio quality through a compressed YouTube video is about as scientific as beer-tasting through a phone speaker, but the engineering here suggests Mercedes took the assignment seriously. The soundtrack kicks in when you select Sport+ mode, giving drivers a choice between silence and theatrical performance. That’s the key difference: they’re not forcing it on you—they’re letting you opt into the theater.

The video also shows the GT pulling off donuts with power routed exclusively to the rear wheels, proof that this isn’t some under-engineered compliance car pretending to be an AMG. It’s got real performance credentials backing up the audio spectacle.

The Hardware That Matters More Than the Sound

Let’s be honest though: the fake V8 noise is the sideshow. The real story is what’s spinning those rear wheels. The GT 4-Door Coupe uses axial flux motors from Yasa, the boutique motor company that Mercedes acquired in 2021 after supplying high-performance electrical tech to the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team. These aren’t your garden-variety EV motors—they’re designed for efficiency and light weight, which matters when you’re building a genuine performance machine.

The tri-motor setup (one motor per rear wheel, one at the front) will reportedly produce somewhere north of 1,340 horsepower, though Mercedes hasn’t confirmed exact figures yet. To put that in context, Porsche’s most powerful Taycan maxes out around 1,034 hp, and even Xiaomi’s remarkable SU7 Ultra tops out at 1,526 hp. The AMG is going to be right in that brutally powerful neighborhood when it finally launches—probably this summer.

That power matters because the GT 4-Door Coupe is built on the new AMG.EA electric platform, Mercedes’ bespoke EV architecture designed from the ground up for performance cars rather than retrofitted from some mass-market EV bones. It’s the same platform that’ll underpin future AMG EVs, so this first car sets the tone for where the brand is heading.

Why Fake Sounds Actually Make Sense Here

Now, some purists will argue that if you want a car that sounds like a V8, you should just buy a V8. That’s a fair point, except for one thing: the tax code doesn’t care about purity. In many European markets—where Mercedes sells most of its cars—there are massive financial incentives for going electric that fundamentally change the calculus. You’re not choosing between a V8 and a pretend one; you’re choosing between an EV with character and an EV without.

And here’s what separates this from Dodge’s tone-deaf Charger Daytona: Mercedes isn’t pretending this is a real V8. They’re being honest about what they’re doing. The fake shifts, the synthesized rumble—it’s an intentional design choice, not an elaborate lie. It’s adding drama to an electric drivetrain, not covering up the fact that an electric drivetrain exists.

The Larger Game at Play

Mercedes is banking that enthusiasts want performance, drama, and a sense of occasion from their expensive sports cars, not just straight-line acceleration. The Taycan proved that electric performance cars can work, but Porsche’s approach is more clinical, more Germanic in its precision. Mercedes is saying: what if we went clinical AND theatrical?

The GT 4-Door Coupe will be a four-seat grand tourer, not a pure sports car, so the fake gearbox simulation serves a purpose beyond novelty. It’s pacing the power delivery in a way that mimics how a combustion engine would behave, making the driving experience feel less like piloting a video game and more like commanding an actual car with character. Whether that’s essential or just nice to have is a question every buyer will answer differently—but at least Mercedes is thinking about the experience rather than just the spec sheet.

When this thing finally arrives, it’ll face off against the Taycan and probably the upcoming Lucid Gravity in the ultra-luxury EV performance segment. The fake V8 won’t close any performance gaps, but it might just be the thing that makes people want to choose AMG over the alternatives. And that’s worth something in a world where every EV is starting to feel like every other EV.

Sources: Carscoops