New super-SUV that seems old
Mercedes-AMG’s new $280k G 63 parties like it’s 1999, says David Linklater.
You might have to look twice to make sure it’s not 20 years old, but this is the all-new, all-singing Mercedes-AMG G 63.
If you want set-square styling, muscle-car levels of V8 noise and three locking differentials, you’ve come to the right place. Heritage is the only reason the mighty G-wagen exists.
It was launched back in 1979 as a hard-core off-road wagon and like so many capable and functional vehicles that have stayed around a long time, that original style is now synonymous with old-school cool.
AMG started fettling the G-wagen in 1999 and in fact it’s such an AMG thing now, the highperformance division even developed the suspension for this new model.
Thing is, if the G-wagen didn’t look traditional, there would be no point having it. Buyers wouldn’t want it.
So a huge amount of work has gone into making a high-tech new vehicle look and feel old. The upright windscreen isn’t aerodynamic, but it’s essential for a G. There’s a fake ‘‘seam’’ around the pillars and roof that’s surely not necessary with modern manufacturing.
The external door hinges were a major design effort – it would have been much easier to have them concealed like a modern car.
The exposed indicators atop the front guards are an iconic design touch, but they apparently cost five times as much to engineer than expected because they have to deform in crashes and pedestrian impacts.
The whole package gets pumped up in our Edition 1 test vehicle, which costs an extra $19,500 and adds 22-inch wheels, black detailing everywhere, upgraded interior with dynamic/ massaging seats and lots of carbon fibre interior trim.
It’s not just the look.
The biturbo V8 engine is Mercedes-AMG’s latest and shared with many other models, but in the G 63 it sounds like a 1970s muscle car: an idiosyncratic ‘‘woofle’’ under load and truly thunderous under load.
Pump the throttle at idle and the whole vehicle rocks side-toside – surely a deliberate trick with the engine mounts.
It’s awesome. See above. But really, ‘‘Why don’t more cars have enormous exhaust pipes sticking out the side?’’ would be a better question. Don’t forget that this is an all-new model with the engineering and build quality you’d expect from a Mercedes-AMG. With that rumbling V8 under the bonnet (or ‘‘hood’’ as G 63-driving Hollywood actor might say), it’s a wonderfully relaxed cruiser when you want it to be.
When you drive it hard, it can feel terrifying... but you also know there are all those electronic systems keeping you safe.
Under hard acceleration the car squirms as power shifts frontto-rear (and back again). Plant the throttle mid-corner and the front is wrenched wide; do the same on the way out and the rear end says hello. You shove, it shoves back.
So no, despite adaptive dampers and selectable drive modes, it’s not a road warrior like a GLE 63 and doesn’t want to be. It’s a tough off-roader that has acquired nonsensical aspirations towards extreme performance and high fashion somewhere along the way.
Speaking of which: the interior is incredibly luxurious and ultramodern.
It has a split-screen digital dashboard like an S-class and every conceivable interior appointment, including Nappa leather upholstery and a windowrattling Burmester sound system... with tweeters atop each corner of the dashboard that mimic the shape and position of the front indicators; they just can’t help themselves.
The fact that the flagship, superblingy AMG G 63 model has been released first speaks volumes about the G-wagen’s market position in the modern world.
But it’s also a proper ladderframe off-road vehicle underneath, which is key to the credibility of this model. It’s still a world-class off-roader, with a live rear axle and three locking differentials.
Maybe not as tough in G 63 Edition 1 guise, with those ultralow-profile tyres and precious 22-inch alloys – but there is a more functional diesel-powered G 350 on the way to New Zealand.
And don’t forget the G has traditionally been the base for all manner of hard-core commercial and military machines.
It’s tempting to say the G 63 is highly unlikely to do any extreme off-tarmac work, but if you visited some sand dunes in the Middle East you might find that’s not quite correct.
Mercedes-AMG G 63 EDITION 1 Base price: $283,400. Powertrain and performance:
In reality, all of them because you can’t buy a G 63 right now. It’s sold out until 2020. That aside, there’s still nothing quite like the G 63 in terms of old-school status and sheer character.
But the $270k Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic, with 22-inch wheels and the monster supercharged V8 engine, has a similar mix of heritage, outrageous grunt and off-road ability. It’s not as amusing though.
Mercedes-AMG’s own GLS 63 seven-seater is in the frame due to its sheer size, although it’s actually quite refined and grownup.
We would include the smaller GLE 63 in here too, but there’s an all-new model coming soon so hold off on that.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk has a similarly wild side and it’s almost $100k cheaper. BMW’s X5 M has always been a rorty thing too – but again, there’s a new one on the way.