What’s the Mercedes-AMG G63 like inside?
The interior of the new G-Class is, much like the car’s handling, a tremendous step-up from the version it replaces. The old G felt decidedly low-rent inside, and certainly not up to the standards of a car with a £100,000 price tag. This, however, isn’t the case anymore.
With the wide-screen infotainment setup lifted from the S- and E-Class models dominating the car’s cabin, everything feels far more in proportion to the car’s hefty cost.
There’s soft-touch leather juxtaposed by rugged feeling switches and, if you’re after gadgets, then you’re in the right place – you’ve got heated front seats which massage you, a heated steering wheel and even 64-colour ambient lighting.
What’s under the bonnet?
Here’s where things get very interesting. We’ve got Mercedes AMG’s tried-and-tested 4.0-litre biturbo V8 beating underneath the G-Class’ bonnet, and it’s the same unit as the one you’ll find in cars such as C63 and E63.
There’s torque in spades, with a colossal 850Nm of pushing power helping to get this heavyweight going. Power is driven to all four wheels via a nine-speed automatic gearbox, and you’ve got three separate locking differentials for when the terrain gets particularly rough.
Fuel economy? It’s probably best we don’t spend too long on that. On a good day Mercedes says the G63 will return 21.4mpg on the combined cycle, though on longer trips we saw around 19 – and around town it dropped considerably. This car’s thirst for fuel is almost as formidable as its performance – and brace yourself for fill-ups too, as the G is fitted with a 100-litre fuel tank.
What’s the Mercedes-AMG G63 like to drive?
With that impressive engine under the bonnet, how does the G feel out on the road? Brilliant, in fact.
The absurdity of the car’s power delivery – and the way 585 rampaging horses are transferred to the road – is one of the greatest triumphs of this car. Hitting 60mph takes just 4.3 seconds, and all the while you think to yourself ‘How on earth is something this massive going so quickly?’.
It’s addictive, to say the least; not least because of the thunderous bellow emitting from the side-exit exhausts with each and every prod of the throttle.
The steering is a monumental step-up over the old car in that now, the G-Class actually has some. Driving the old car took a fair amount of commitment – though others could call it bravery – whereas the new G-Class goes around corners in a reasonably dignified fashion. It’s vague, there’s no doubt about that, but it does the job of easily getting the Mercedes through a turn successfully.
Summary
There are a lot of reasons to dislike the G63. It’s thirsty, relatively agricultural to drive compared to conventional four-wheel-drives and eye-wateringly expensive to boot.
But there’s the way this car gets under your skin, from the sheer brutality of its acceleration to the amount of presence it has out on the road which is difficult to ignore.
In this day and age, with ever-constant pushes towards electrification and downsizing, a 2.5-tonne off-roader with a 585hp V8 under the bonnet could be classed as a bit of a dinosaur. However, we’re quite glad that cars such as the G63 haven’t become extinct quite yet.
Quick facts
Model as tested: Mercedes-AMG G63
Price: £153,905
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 585 hp (577 bhp, 430 kW)
Torque: 850 Nm
Max speed: 149 mph (with AMG Drivers pack)
0-60mph: 4.3 seconds
Fuel economy: 21.4 mpg
Emissions: 299 g/km
