Mercedes-amg G63
New chassis brings 577bhp off-roader thundering into the 21st century
IT TAKES ALL OF ONE CORNER TO deduce that the latest Mercedes-AMG G63 is a better car than its predecessor. Mainly because you can navigate said corner with a much lower heart rate and plenty of colour still left in your knuckles.
The old G63 could be startlingly unpleasant to drive at times, the hilarity of its outright speed and boisterous V8 soundtrack outweighed by wildly inconsistent steering responses and the disconcerting motion of a pair of live axles struggling to contain the undulations of the road beneath you.
The new car may look very similar to its predecessor – brutal, brash and bloody brilliant all at once – but it’s not an exaggeration to say that it’s completely different underneath. Mercedes has kept the spirit and purpose of the old G-wagen but improved every aspect of its underpinnings, and the result is a car that must be causing some red faces inside Land Rover as they stumble over replacing the much-loved Defender.
Key to the G63’s newfound lack of cornering terror is an electromechanical rack-and-pinion steering system in place of the old car’s recirculating ball set-up. It’s joined by entirely new front suspension, now double-wishbones mounted to a stiffer ladder-frame chassis, and while there’s still a live axle at the rear, it’s controlled by no fewer than four trailing arms on each side, plus a Panhard rod to improve lateral location of the axle.
The G63 now uses AMG’S 4-litre biturbo V8 in a 577bhp, 627lb ft state of tune, with a nine-speed automatic handling cog-swapping duties. Power is sent to all four wheels via locking front, centre and rear differentials, controlled via three chunky metal buttons placed front and centre on the dashboard. A low-range transfer box – activated with a centre-console button – bolsters the G’s enviable off-road abilities.
And it really is astonishing in the rough, crawling confidently up inclines you’d struggle to ascend on foot and fording water up to 700mm deep. It devours the punishing rally raid test course at Château de Lastours with ludicrous verve for something creaking in at 2485kg, thundering along like you’re only a four-point harness away from troubling Carlos Sainz on the Dakar timetables.
More relevant to most are those vastly improved road manners. The steering now has some say in your intended direction, with accuracy, consistency and pleasant weighting. There’s little feedback, so you have to build up trust that the G will negotiate the next turn, but the relatively early onset of scrubbing and squealing noises from the front axle usefully telegraphs the tyres’ limits.
The G63 ultimately leans and pushes wide, but opt for the slow-in, fast-out technique and you can carry impressive pace down a twisting road, confident that the mighty engine (in its best-sounding application short of an AMG GT R, courtesy of twin-exit pipes on both sides) will catapult you out the other side.
Harsh inputs are less well received, creating rocking and leaning motions that overload the tyres, rouse the stability control and can induce eye-widening levels of understeer. Driven smoothly, though, you’d scarcely believe how quickly you’ll be moving, a sensation enhanced by the high driving position, fabulous visibility through the upright windscreen and flat sides, and great view over the boxy front wings.
The cabin, meanwhile, is a fantastic mix of G-class boxiness and modern Mercedes tech, and the doors still shut with the finality of locking the vault at Fort Knox.
A Range Rover undoubtedly gives you more for your money, but with the old car’s character now matched to decent on-road ability, any lust you might have been hiding for the G-class has never been easier to justify.
Engine V8, 3982cc, twin-turbocharged Power 577bhp @ 6000rpm Torque 627lb ft @ 2500-3500rpm Weight 2485kg (236bhp/ton) 0- 62mph 4.5sec Top speed 137mph (limited) Basic price £143,305 Vastly improved chassis, fabulous engine, mighty off-road Dynamic ability still limited; heavy; expensive evo rating