{"id":24168,"date":"2019-09-07T11:57:32","date_gmt":"2019-09-07T15:57:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=24168"},"modified":"2019-09-07T11:57:32","modified_gmt":"2019-09-07T15:57:32","slug":"payne-mercedes-amg-g63-is-like-a-wrangler-on-steroids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2019\/09\/payne-mercedes-amg-g63-is-like-a-wrangler-on-steroids","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Mercedes-AMG G63 is like a Wrangler on steroids"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/09\/03\/PDTN\/355dd2f0-6624-43b7-82e5-968c3a5322a2-merc_mounds-biker.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Vroom. With all-wheel-drive capability, locking differentials, and big departure and approach angles, the 2019 Mercedes-AMG G63 likes to hang out with ATVs.\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><p>Vroom. With all-wheel-drive capability, locking differentials, and big departure and approach angles, the 2019 Mercedes-AMG G63 likes to hang out with ATVs.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-1 p-text\">If I didn\u2019t know better, I\u2019d think\u00a0Mercedes was an aftermarket\u00a0performance-mod shop for Jeeps.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-2 p-text\">Consider the fire-breathing\u00a0all-road beast prowling my driveway, the 2019 Mercedes-AMG G63: Boxy shape like Jeep Wrangler. Ladder frame like a Wrangler. Round headlights. Square fenders. Locking differentials. Rear-door mounted spare. Dash-mounted grab handle. Even the door locks go\u00a0WHAP!\u00a0\u00a0when you shift into Drive.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">A Wrangler, yes?<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">If I didn\u2019t know better, I\u2019d think Mercedes shipped the Jeep off to Austria, gutted it, and then rebuilt it as a luxury hot rod. It has gorgeous twin digital screens, remote rotary controller and touchpad and\u00a0red leather and Nappa seats (oooohh!).\u00a0The engine compartment is stuffed with a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 that churns out 577 horsepower.\u00a0Quad exhaust pipes exit the side rocker panels like a Dodge Viper, and\u00a0let out a\u00a0VROOOOMMM!\u00a0when you press the start button.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">If I didn\u2019t know Mercedes-Benz was a Stuttgart-based\u00a0luxury automaker, I\u2019d think they were the Jeep equivalent to the Lingenfelter, Callaway\u00a0and Roush mod shops that inject steroids into Dream Cruisin\u2019 Chevy and Ford cars and trucks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">But the G63 is German from the ground up.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">It was just a year ago that Mercedes\u00a0stole the Detroit auto show with the all-new\u00a0G-Class truck on which the AMG G63 performance model is based.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The first remake of the iconic truck in three decades, the 2019 G-Class \u2014\u00a0popularly known\u00a0as the G-Wagen \u2014 was\u00a0thoroughly reworked from stem to stern with Mercedes&#8217; state-of-the-art drivetrain, interior\u00a0and electronics.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-SEm-ex74ZCE\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/09\/03\/PDTN\/9d89befa-c8ed-4818-a999-bd4912f01fb9-merc_int.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Rugged outside, a Merc inside. The 2019 Mercedes-AMG G63 sports the latest in interior German luxe.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/09\/03\/PDTN\/9d89befa-c8ed-4818-a999-bd4912f01fb9-merc_int.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/09\/03\/PDTN\/9d89befa-c8ed-4818-a999-bd4912f01fb9-merc_int.JPG?width=500&amp;height=281\" \/>Rugged outside, a Merc inside. The 2019 Mercedes-AMG G63 sports the latest in interior German luxe.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">If the Land Rover Sport is the $100,000 equivalent of the Jeep Grand Cherokee for well-heeled customers, then the G-Wagen is the six-figure Wrangler for the well-to-do. At a nose-bleed price of $125,000, the base G-Wagen is a Wrangler in a tuxedo with an interior so rich you want to lick it, and a 417-horse V-8\u00a0to hammer asphalt into submission.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">But, God bless them, Mercedes is not content with a base G-Class. Like the Challenger Hellcat, the BMW M\u00a0or the Audi RS, the German luxury-maker has gone off and made a fiendish AMG performance version of the G-Class called the G63.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">My $166,000\u00a0tester is the most bonkers\u00a0vehicle I have driven. Ever. It&#8217;s even more insane than the Hellcat-engine-infused, 707-horse Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk or GMC Hummer that migrated from Mideast battlefields to American roads.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Interestingly, the latter was popularized by Arnold Schwarzenegger, who also debuted the G-Wagen in Detroit in 2018. Seems they share an Austrian birthplace. Nothing says intimidating like the Terminator.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The G63 is no mere Jeep Trackhawk that wants only to terrorize race tracks. Not content to set asphalt on fire with 3.9-second zero-60 launches, G63 also wants to go off-road with three \u2014 count &#8217;em, three \u2014\u00a0locking differentials. It\u2019s the first vehicle that I\u2019ve taken to the Mounds Off-road Vehicle Park in Flint and drag racing on Woodward &#8230; in the same day.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The G63 is pure conspicuous consumption. (Maybe that\u2019s why Mercedes has debuted its Q-class EV: to atone for its sins). On my hour drive to the Mounds, I blew a Challenger off the road, idled loudly in a construction zone\u00a0and consumed about half of Saudi Arabia\u2019s oil reserves.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-SEm-ex7VSoQ\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/09\/03\/PDTN\/704489c0-2794-4d50-8ec2-36cbc82b29ec-merc_engine.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The meat in the sandwich. The stump-pulling, 4.0-liter, 577 horsepower biturbo V8 in the 2019 Mercedes-AMG G63.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/09\/03\/PDTN\/704489c0-2794-4d50-8ec2-36cbc82b29ec-merc_engine.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/09\/03\/PDTN\/704489c0-2794-4d50-8ec2-36cbc82b29ec-merc_engine.JPG?width=500&amp;height=281\" \/>The meat in the sandwich. The stump-pulling, 4.0-liter, 577 horsepower biturbo V8 in the 2019 Mercedes-AMG G63.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">But I didn\u2019t sweat the 12.7 mpg because I knew there would be gas stations just miles from the Mounds. When Rivian comes out with its $150,000 all-electric, all-terrain SUV next year, the G-wagen will be tough competition.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Entering the Mounds, I armed my off-road tank for battle. Toggle the low gear setting,\u00a0shift into neutral, then lock up all three differentials. I\u2019ll leave the why of three differentials to the engineers, but all I know is this thing will climb trees.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Even outfitted with low-profile, sporty Goodyear Eagle 22-inch tires (for\u00a0Woodward burnouts) rather than more appropriate off-road knobbies, the G63 grunted around the Mounds like it was its backyard sandbox. The Jeepish grab-handle is wrapped in leather (natch), so if Mrs. Payne were along for the ride, she\u2019d\u00a0have something to hold on to.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-SEm-ex73sZg\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/09\/03\/PDTN\/59bcb8c2-eedd-4a5a-afc5-8f50b242a076-merc_dirt-hill.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The 2019 Mercedes-AMG G63 might be a hot rod Jeep with its truck frame, boxy exterior, locking differentials and round headlights \u2014 just add 577-horse, twin-turbo V8 power.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/09\/03\/PDTN\/59bcb8c2-eedd-4a5a-afc5-8f50b242a076-merc_dirt-hill.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/09\/03\/PDTN\/59bcb8c2-eedd-4a5a-afc5-8f50b242a076-merc_dirt-hill.JPG?width=500&amp;height=281\" \/>The 2019 Mercedes-AMG G63 might be a hot rod Jeep with its truck frame, boxy exterior, locking differentials and round headlights \u2014 just add 577-horse, twin-turbo V8 power.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The Mounds is Wrangler, ATV\u00a0and dirt bike territory. Jaws dropped as I rumbled by, rear-end slewing sideways, quad side pipes snorting obnoxiously. I don\u2019t think anyone had ever seen a Mercedes there before.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">\u201cThat is a gorgeous vehicle,\u201d said one\u00a0mud-caked ATV rider, drinking in my equally mud-caked chariot.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Too bad more G-Wagen owners don\u2019t exercise their $100,000 animals up here. Maybe it\u2019s because they would get the red leather interior muddy. With a whopping 9.5 inches of body clearance between the axles and 38-degree departure angle up front, the AMG 63 bounced along the Mounds moguls like a big puppy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Its appetite for mud satisfied, G63 headed south for Woodward.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The G-Wagen is outfitted with Mercedes\u2019 latest interior \u2014 twin instrument and console screens under one horizontal plane of glass, silver steering-wheel spokes festooned with controls including mini-touchpads to scroll the instrument display, rotary air vents, rotary infotainment controller with a touchpad that can read your handwriting.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-SEm-ex7A4mo\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/09\/03\/PDTN\/30d612d2-c99b-4564-b933-87d3f757e76b-merc_3-diffs.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The 2019 Mercedes-AMG G63 features three locking differentials for ultimate off-road tree-climbing.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/09\/03\/PDTN\/30d612d2-c99b-4564-b933-87d3f757e76b-merc_3-diffs.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/09\/03\/PDTN\/30d612d2-c99b-4564-b933-87d3f757e76b-merc_3-diffs.JPG?width=500&amp;height=281\" \/>The 2019 Mercedes-AMG G63 features three locking differentials for ultimate off-road tree-climbing.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">But the\u00a0G-Class doesn\u2019t have the state-of-the-art infotainment system \u2014 triggered with a hearty \u201cHey, Mercedes!\u201d \u2014 that debuted on the A-class this year allowing for direct, phone-like navigation commands. I entered an address on Woodward, then settled back into rouge-seated luxury.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The G63\u2019s new electronic systems are oddly nervous for a car so indestructible. Proximity sensors went berserk at the sight of curbs, walls and\u00a0drive-thru\u00a0windows. I turned off the auto lane-keep system given its annoying habit of slamming the brakes whenever I diverged from a lane.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">I\u2019m particularly grateful for Merc\u2019s placement of the engine start-stop button right next to the ignition button \u2014 so I can immediately turn off the annoying stall feature when I get in.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The G63\u2019s handling is remarkably good for a rolling, solid-rear-axle shoebox, and I enjoyed some twisties on my way to Woodward Avenue.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-SEm-ex6GqDc\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/09\/03\/PDTN\/928840ba-e873-4834-9f47-448079c309db-merc_detail.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Details, details. The interior of the $166K 2019 Mercedes-AMG G63 is a fine dining room of beautiful silver.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/09\/03\/PDTN\/928840ba-e873-4834-9f47-448079c309db-merc_detail.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/09\/03\/PDTN\/928840ba-e873-4834-9f47-448079c309db-merc_detail.JPG?width=500&amp;height=281\" \/>Details, details. The interior of the $166K 2019 Mercedes-AMG G63 is a fine dining room of beautiful silver.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Woodward is all about stoplight hole-shots.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">A Mercedes-AMG CLA45 sedan, recognizing its big brother, shadowed me at a stoplight. On paper they do similar 0-60 times. But my V-8 monster got the jump\u00a0and that was that.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Other muscle cars were less suspecting of the might beneath the skin of the big toaster. I dragged a Camaro SS and Audi RS5 that disappeared in my mirrors before they knew what hit them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">With its boxy proportions, the cabin comfortably fits four. Who knows, maybe Mercedes will bring a G-Wagen pickup to the U.S. someday just like a Jeep Gladiator.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">With 577 horsepower.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>2019 Mercedes-AMG G63<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Vehicle type: Front-engine, all-wheel drive, luxury sport utility vehicle<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Price: G-Class\u00a0base price $125,495 including $995 destination charge ($166,095 AMG G63 as tested)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Powerplant: 4.0-liter, bi-turbo V-8<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Power: 577 horsepower, 627 pound-feet of torque<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Transmission: 9-speed automatic<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Performance: 0-60 mph, 3.9 sec. (Car and Driver); top speed, 137\u00a0mph<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Weight: 5,842 pounds base<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Fuel economy: EPA: 13 city\/15 highway\/14 combined (12.7 mpg observed)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Report card<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Highs: On- and off-road power, state-of-the-art interior<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Lows: What, no Wrangler-like swaybar disconnect? Needs its own\u00a0fuel tanker<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Overall: 4\u00a0stars<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Vroom. With all-wheel-drive capability, locking differentials, and big departure and approach angles, the 2019 Mercedes-AMG G63 likes to hang out with ATVs.\u00a0(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News) If I didn\u2019t know better, I\u2019d think\u00a0Mercedes was an aftermarket\u00a0performance-mod shop for Jeeps. Consider the fire-breathing\u00a0all-road beast prowling my driveway, the 2019 Mercedes-AMG G63: Boxy shape like Jeep [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24168"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24168"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24168\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}