Mercedes’ G500 4×4² is one of the zaniest vehicles on display at the Geneva Motor Show this year. This near-production study blends the body and platform of the 36-year old G-Class with a cutting edge 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 sourced from AMG’s C63 and GT sports cars, and industrial off-road hardware.
It’s a follow up to the even madder G63 AMG 6×6 without the extra rear set of wheels and elongated truck bed. What it did keep from the 6×6 are the special portal axles that allow for a 450mm (17.7 inch) ground clearance and some super-impressive approach and departure angles at 52 degrees and 54 degrees respectively.
It also gets much wider front and rear tracks over the regular G-Class, while power comes from Mercedes-AMG’s new 4.0-liter bi-turbo V8, re-tuned to deliver 422PS (416hp) and paired up to a seven-speed 7G-tronic automatic gearbox with a separate transfer case and high / low ratio gearing.
The Germans haven’t decided yet if they’re going to put into production, but if they do, it will be built in limited numbers and cost accordingly – likely well over the combined cost of an AMG GT and a regular G500…
Photo Gallery
