Breadth of performance; flat-window vision; ride; charm; character PLUS& Weight; drag coefficient; wind noise; turning circle; cost; consumption
MINUSa
uoFrame job
G-Class is still the only series-production vehicle
to boast three 100-percent locking diffs, which
now combine with an on-the-fly ability to switch
between high- and low-range at speeds up to
40km/h. All-new double A-arm front suspension
is mounted directly to the frame, gifting 270mm
of ground clearance at the front axle and 6mm
more between the axles, in combination with
improved fording depth (up 100mm to 700mm),
improved approach, departure and break-over
angles (by one degree each), and a far-superior
35-degree tilt angle (seven degrees better).Frame job
G-Class is still the only series-production vehicle
to boast three 100-percent locking diffs, which
now combine with an on-the-fly ability to switch
between high- and low-range at speeds up to
40km/h. All-new double A-arm front suspension
is mounted directly to the frame, gifting 270mm
of ground clearance at the front axle and 6mm
more between the axles, in combination with
improved fording depth (up 100mm to 700mm),
improved approach, departure and break-over
angles (by one degree each), and a far-superior
35-degree tilt angle (seven degrees better).Frame job
G-Class is still the only series-production vehicle
to boast three 100-percent locking diffs, which
now combine with an on-the-fly ability to switch
between high- and low-range at speeds up to
40km/h. All-new double A-arm front suspension
is mounted directly to the frame, gifting 270mm
of ground clearance at the front axle and 6mm
more between the axles, in combination with
improved fording depth (up 100mm to 700mm),
improved approach, departure and break-over
angles (by one degree each), and a far-superior
35-degree tilt angle (seven degrees better).46 whichcar.com.au/wheels
is laugh-out-loud quick. Nailing
the throttle from a standing start
sees it squirm and shift around
like a fired-up rodeo bull, lifting
its nose as it charges ahead and
barking its fury through four
gloriously non-PC side pipes. This
hair-raising theatre is so goddamn
addictive on so many levels that
I doubt anyone will ever get close
to AMG’s 13.1L/100km combined
fuel-economy claim.
But it’s the cornering talent of
this 2.5-tonne Tessie that gilds
the straight-line experience. With
2.7 turns lock-to-lock (spanning a
quaint 13.6-metre turning circle)
via Mercedes-Benz’s delightful
new three-spoke wheel, the G63
essentially goes where you point
it. And if you drive it the way it
desires – with a dose of patience
in tight corners, trailing brakes in
to pin the nose before squeezing
copious amounts of 98RON juice
into its combustion chambers
and feeling the poised delights of
60-percent rear drive-bias – it’s not
only quick but also fun. Even with
Dynamic Select in Comfort mode,
especially if you enjoy bodyroll.
Sport mode is the go, however,
as it combines a still-supple
ride with greater corneringends. Which is all good to know
when you’re burbling along in
traffic at 10km/h. But, given the
opportunity, even the G63 version
(Australia isn’t getting the G500)
has some serious off-road savvy,
as our rock-strewn thrash in Trail
mode (which disables ESC) in a
20-inch-wheeled example proved.
With loads of suspension travel
and a loping, almost luxurious
ride, the G63 is breathtakingly
accomplished. And when the
bends get tighter, there’s proper
balance and steering precision to
nail your line of attack, combined
with the rear-biased delights of
the G63’s all-wheel-drive system
and 850Nm torque reserve.
Almost unbelievably, the same
applies out on tarmac roads. Here,
our Edition 1 test trucks (wearing
huge Goodyear Eagle F1 295/40R22
tyres) defied any pre-conceived
unguided-missile fears by
demonstrating a love of corners –
both fast and slow – and a level of
accuracy that’s in a different solar
system to the old knuckle-dragger.
Likewise the comparative lack of
stability-control intrusion.
With nine ratios channelling
its loin-stirring 430kW/850Nm
4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, the G63
cede some modernity to the
everyman’s new-gen A-Class. You
won’t see any MBUX theatrics in
this SUV’s Widescreen Cockpit
display – merely the same stuff
you get in E- and S-Class – and
now that we’ve sampled the sleek
minimalism of the new A’s new-
gen column stalk and gear-selector
wand, the older stuff in the G feels
slightly parts-bin. Which is all an
illusion, of course, because this
beast is no Frankenstein.
Instead, it’s a spectacular
achievement. I hated the old
heap, yet feel blown away by the
bandwidth of this new-gen G63,
and the immensity of its character.
Few vehicles on earth can achieve
as much as this one can, with all
the menacing, yet cuddly feels
that a Grisly Bear gives you before
ripping your face off.
The steadfast determination
of the engineers in Graz, Austria
(where the G is predominantly
hand-built) to keep it true to its
heritage, and the input from AMG
into making this truck not drive
like one, has produced a mega-
fast SUV that feels wonderfully
old-school Benz. It’s as if money
was no object when developing
the new-gen G-banger ... in much
the same fashion that money has
never been a hurdle for those who
aspire to own one. Only this time,
it’s actually worth the coin.
NATHAN PONCHARDprowess and sharper transmission
response. But there’s something
deeply satisfying in belting down
straight-ish back roads in Comfort,
sports-exhaust button illuminated
to unleash some backing-track
thunder, marvelling at just how
plush a G63 Edition 1’s ride is, even
on 22-inch wheels. It’s remarkable.
Sport+ brings the most intuitive
mix of drivetrain smarts and
stability-control freedom, but you
can play with all that in Individual
mode, amping the engine, tranny
and exhaust while relaxing the
damping firmness and ESC reins.
At least with the exhausts
bellowing and the 15-speaker
Burmester stereo cranking, you
don’t notice the wind noise so
much. Despite all the wonders
of modern sound deadening and
noise cancelling, this thing has
more front than a cyclone, and
on a gusty day, the wind rush is
voluminous. Yet the G63 powers
ahead, rock-steady and rock-star
ready, with the pick-power to pull
up forcefully if a star-struck fan
happens to lunge into its path.
There’s far less trade-off than
there used to be in the G63’s
body-on-frame interior, though
the posh new G-Class doesNailing the throttle sees it squirm and
shift around like a fired-up rodeo bull