Weighing in at 4 tonnes and with looks that could send children crying home to mummy, this monster truck is not for the faint-hearted. It is however made for those who take their offroading very seriously. You see its story began when the Australian Army contracted Mercedes-Benz to create 2,000 go-anywhere special military vehicles. A few years later and the lunatics at AMG have had a chance to tinker with the equation. The result is something that blows the realm of unstoppable invincibility into an entirely new galaxy, all the while providing a full measure of comfort and luxury to all within.
“This model's off-road world begins at a point where anything less than a vehicle with caterpillar tracks would have to capitulate,” Mercedes said in a statement. Germans are not known for their love of hyperbole so the fact that they could even allow themselves to throw down the gauntlet in such a manner lets you know just how capable this car is.
How good is it? Well, it’s got portal axles that increase ground clearance to a whopping 40 centimetres – think Hummer H1. It’s got five differential locks – the 2014 Range Rover, by the way, has just one – and all of them can be engaged on the fly. The 37-inch all-terrain tyres offer real-time pressure adjustability, the suspension is bespoke, there are custom springs and the shock absorbers are driver-adjustable. Oh and did we mention there’s a twin-turbocharged 544bhp 5.5-litre V8 under the bonnet? Or that there’s 760Nm of neck-breaking torque? And of course you’ve got the advantage of six wheels, which means more traction, the ability to carry more weight and better stability.
Put all these formidable elements together and you have a car that can take towering sand dunes with unbounded enthusiasm, rock walk with utter contempt and amble through a metre of water like it was puddle jumping.
Naturally, there is a catch. With a price tag more than three times that of the regular 4x4 G63 AMG, this monster is hardly a realistic buy for most people. Consequently, it will be available on a made-to-order basis. That said, Mercedes is expecting an annual run of between 20 and 30 cars. Want to bet how many of those will end up making mince of Middle Eastern roads?
As to whether we’d recommend one, if the adage ‘Go Big or Go Home’ describes your approach to life, get your name down immediately. While you’re at it, for clearly money is no object, then why not ask AMG to squeeze in their 6.0-litre twin-turbo V12 and turn this bad boy into a G65 6x6 instead? Now we’re talking!
Model Mercedes G63 6x6 AMG
Engine 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission Seven-speed automatic, six-wheel drive
Power 536bhp
Torque 760Nm
Top speed 160 km/h
Price 525,000 USD
