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| Mercedes-Benz's new G63 AMG |
That's the message being sent out by Mercedes-Benz, whose increasingly active AMG performance car division has somehow managed to shoehorne the Maybach limousine's whopping great twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre V12 gasoline engine into the square shaped engine bay the 33 year old G-class to create
Subtle it ain't. But with 612bhp and an almost laughable 737lb ft of torque heading to all four wheels though a seven speed automati gearbox and three separate differentials that can be independently locked from the cabin, the G65 AMG should prove a capable desert stormer.
Mercedes-Benz claims its top-of-the-line G-class model will hit 62mph (100km/h) in 5.3sec and reach a top speed limited to 143mph (230km/h) top speed. Bring your fuel card, though. Combined average consumption on the European cycle is put at an old fashioned 13.8mpg (US), or 17.0L/100km in European currency.
For those on a lesser budget, Mercedes-Benz has also announced the G63 AMG. It runs AMG's latest twin-turbocharged 5.5-litre V8 gasoline engine hooked up with a seven-speed automatic 'box complete with automatic stop/start and brake energy recuperation functions not found on the G63 AMG. The lesser of AMG's two new G-class models replaces the long running G55 AMG, whose supercharged 5.4-litre V8 gasoline engine has now finally ceased production.The G63 AMG, which retains the G55 AMG's distinctive side mounted exhausts, packs 544bhp and 561lb ft - enough to get it to 62mph (100km/h) in 5.4sec and to a top speed limited to, one might say, a slightly disappointing 131mph (210km/h). Predicatably it's not as thirsty as the G65 AMG, though, returning 17.0mpg (US), or 13.8L/100km.
Footnote: The first Mercedes-Benz G-wagon model ran a 2.0-litre four-cylinder gasoline engine delivering just 89bhp. Talk about aging with grace . . .
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