The Mercedes-Benz G-Class or G-Wagen - short for Geländewagen or cross-country vehicle - was originally built for military use but has been available to simple civilians since 1979. Over the years, the car has hardly changed and though the marque has threatened it with discontinuation too many times to count, popular demand has kept the G-Class in production. Now, after 33-years of existence the perennially cool car has received a makeover as well as a mind-boggling V12 twin-turbo variant that makes the G65 the most powerful SUV in the world.
Two figures sum up the glorious absurdity of this proposition. The first is the V12’s 0-100 km/h time of just 5.3sec. To put that in perspective, this means you can drag race the likes of a Maserati GranTursimo coupé with confidence, should you be so inclined. The second key stat is its 1,000 Nm of torque. Basically, in layman’s terms the G65 is the bee’s knees.
Luckily, the G65 isn’t just about what’s under the bonnet as Mercedes has lavished attention on improving each and every aspect of the car. The interior has had a much-needed upgrade, there’s a new 7-speed transmission, the chassis and suspension have been tweaked to reduce bearing noise and vibration and there are a host of new aesthetic enhancements, including a two-bar radiator grill, extended lower air intakes, LED running lights and of course interesting new alloys.
Now for the drawback. The G65 AMG costs twice as much as the G63 AMG, which is already as good a car as you’ll ever need but according to AMG boss Ola Kallenius, that’s not a problem. “The price is one of the reasons people will buy it,” he said confidently at the car’s launch. “They just want the ultimate in every way.”
