most spectacular cross-country vehicle of all time.
Desert daredevil.
It is in its element off the beaten track. Its business is overcoming the challenges that the natural world and different weather conditions across the globe pose for its driver. The near-production-standard Mercedes-Benz G 63 AMG 6X6 show car is uncompromising. It is the most effortlessly superior and extravagant off-roader ever to be developed and built by engineers. Its performance and equipment are in a league of their own: with 400 kW of power, six driven wheels, off-road reduction gear in the transfer case, portal axles,
five differentials which can be locked while on the move and a tyre pressure control system that operates at world-record speed, the G 63 AMG 6X6 is made to meet all the topographic and meteorological challenges which have stopped other vehicles in their tracks to date. And the exclusively appointed interior guarantees the very best in high-class comfort for the driver and guests, whatever the rigours encountered in tough off-road terrain.
No compromises.
The G 63 AMG 6X6, a small series of which is expected to go into production at the end of the year, combines the best of three worlds: Mercedes-Benz's more than 30 years of off-road experience and the G-Class series production models ensure effortless poise and balance for this vehicle which is without parallel in the off-road scene. The vehicle's absolute robustness, functionality and outstanding off-road capabilities derive from the G-Class models. And the renowned luxury and high-performance division, Mercedes-AMG, is responsible for the engine technology and the luxurious and comfortable interior.
Assuredly on top of things.
The G 63 AMG 6X6 keeps a cool head in the desert and equally stays ship-shape when the floodgates open, making driving through such extreme terrain a sheer delight. However tough the going gets, it will always find a way through. The voluminous tyres on the three axles, the vast ground clearance, the overall height of almost 2.30 metres combined with a width of a good 2.10 metres and the clear, straight-lined design command respect. Despite its imposing appearance and its total weight of 3.85 tonnes, however, the pickup boasts awesome driving dynamics and almost catapult-like acceleration. It knows nature's challenges – and it knows how to see them off. The show car takes even the highest sand dunes in its stride. And its unerring directional stability sees it cope effortlessly with desert tracks, too. It clambers over rocky terrain with astounding agility, while an impressive fording depth of one metre ensures that it is anything but water-shy.
The essence of automotive power.
The vehicle's unique performance is attributable to numerous elements from the proven civilian modular system for the G-Class models from Mercedes-Benz and its AMG luxury and high-performance division in conjunction with a range of elements from the military modular system. Such elements include a newly developed portal axle drive, as a result of which the wheels are located substantially lower than their customary position in line with the centre of the axle. This increases the ground clearance by almost half a metre. As the G 63 AMG 6X6 features independent axle suspension rather than independent wheel suspension, all three rigid axles operate autonomously, ensuring the best possible adhesion to the surface underneath the vehicle. The two rear axles, positioned only 1100 millimetres apart within the overall wheelbase of
4220 millimetres, lend themselves particularly well to inter-articulation, exploiting the traction potential offered by even the most extremely contoured terrain to the full.
Brawn on six wheels.
The vehicle's powerful performance is attributable in large part to the AMG 5.5-litre V8 biturbo engine, which deploys numerous technological highlights to generate 760 newton metres of torque, and the AMG SPEEDSHIFT PLUS 7G-TRONIC automatic transmission. The automatic transmission features three modes and automatic double declutching during downshifting, supplying the power via a cardan shaft to the transfer case with reduction gear. In "Controlled Efficiency" mode (C), the most economical possible driving style is the central focus for the engine and drive control strategies. Sport (S) and Manual (M) modes see the engine-transmission set-up in markedly more agile form. A brief and exactly defined retardation of ignition and injection during upshifting at full load provides for shorter shift times here.
Customised air pressure.
The superiority of the G 63 AMG 6X6 is also demonstrated by an innovative tyre pressure control system which enables the driver to vary the tyre pressure for the front axle and the two rear axles separately. Thanks to a high-capacity compressor and four 20-litre pressure vessels installed on the sides in the rear wheel arches, tyre pressure adjustment takes place in world-record time: rather than the period of around 10 minutes which is usually required, the system takes less than
20 seconds to raise the tyre pressure from 0.5 bar for use on sand to the 1.8 bar which is appropriate for road use. Furthermore, the special beadlock wheels enable the tyre pressure to be reduced to such an extent that the pressure exerted on the ground by the G 63 AMG 6X6 is equivalent merely to the footprint of a person of normal weight. No other off-roader has ever come anywhere near such a minimal level.
