Worry not, anyone who scanned through our report on the new, (slightly) slipperier Mercedes G-Class and found little mention of a stupid V8 thunderblast version. Here’s the tweaked, tittivated G63. Still replete with a 4.0-liter, 578hp twin-turbo heart. None of that four-cylinder hybrid nonesense here, danke shun.
Instead of focusing on upping the power, AMG has decided to leave that to the likes of Brabus, and instead attempt to make the G63 sportier to drive in the corners. Brave move.
OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:
MIAS 2024: The Foton Tunland V9 is a supersized pickup that starts at P1.788-M
MIAS 2024: MG finally has an MPV with the G50
Their technique involves repatriating the same sort of anti-roll suspension technology used by the AMG GT, SL, and the likes of McLaren and Porsche in cars which don’t look like a block of flats.
It’s called AMG Active Ride Control, which is a German way of saying the four dampers are all hydraulically interconnected, so the car can basically pump up its suspension into a stiffer setting side-to-side and front to back depending on what sort of physics the hapless driver is trying to bend. You get a supple ride when barrelling along in a straight line, but less of the ‘oh gawd it’s going to fall onto its roof’ lean when you heave into a corner.
Cheekily, it’s an optional extra, but you can select it as part of something called AMG Offroad Package Pro. This unlocks Rock and Sand driving modes, knobblier tyres, and an overland-tastic roof rack. If that’s all a bit too military chic for you, then you can instead garnish your G63 with a carbon fibre trim package that makes the G63 0.0000006 percent lighter and faster around the Nürburgring. Probably.
Still, with AMG claiming 0-100kph in 4.3 seconds and a top speed of 240kph, do you need something faster? Frankly, an A45 superhatch will be quicker, and seat just as many people with most of the same interior gadgets. But since when did logic play any part in the existence of the G63?
Note: This story first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
