Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6×6 is as awesome as it is ridiculous

By Stephen Edelstein March 1, 2013

The Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6×6 is utterly ridiculous. Stuffing a 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V8 into a former military vehicle turned luxury status symbol is nonsensical enough, but then Mercedes added another axle. There is no need for a car like this, but we still want one.

Like the regular Gelandewagen (or G-Class, to the uninitiated), the G63 AMG 6×6 is based on a military vehicle. Mercedes built a batch of six-wheeled trucks for the Australian army and they’ve been in service since 2011. It’s not surprising that something this post-apocalyptic hails from the land of Mad Max and the V8 Interceptor.

The civilian version of the 6×6 gets all of the luxury amenities of the regular G-Class. The leather-lined cabin seats four, and pickup bed is even lined in bamboo.

The Australian army has to make do with a 3.0-liter diesel V6 and five-speed automatic transmission, but Mercedes’ affluent civilian customers (presumably radioactive mutant warlords and doomsday preppers with trust funds) are used to something more refined and powerful.

Under the hood is the same 5.5-liter V8 as the stock G63 AMG, with 536 horsepower and 560 pound-feet of torque. It’s hooked up to Mercedes’ 7G-tronic seven-speed automatic transmission.

The G63 AMG 6×6 also has plenty of off-road hardware, including low-range gearing and five differential locks that can keep all six wheels turning at the same speed with the push of a button. There’s also a tire pressure control system for the huge 37-inch wheels.

The most insane aspect of this behemoth, though, is the fact that it’s not a custom one-off. Mercedes really does plan to put the G63 AMG 6×6 into production alongside four-wheeled G-Classes at the Magna Steyr plant in Graz Austria.

Only 20 to 30 of these extreme trucks will be built each year, and they won’t be cheap. Axel Harries, head of G-Class development, told Autoweek that it will probably be Mercedes second most expensive model. It will be topped only by the SLS AMG Electric Drive, which has a new official price of $457,000.

Editors' Recommendations

Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

Cars

Mercedes-Benz’s brawny G-Wagen will get an electric makeover

2019 mercedes benz g550 review fullwide

The boxy, heavy Mercedes-Benz G-Class is a throwback to a bygone era, when off-road capability was more important in an SUV than connectivity or gas mileage. Yet this backward-looking Benz, known to fans as the G-Wagen, will soon get an electric powertrain.

Ola Källenius, CEO of Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler, confirmed the electric G-Wagen in a speech at the Automobilwoche Kongress in Berlin, Mercedes spokesperson Sascha Pallenberg said in a tweet. However, no other details have been given. Mercedes plan to launch 10 electric cars by the end of 2022, but it's unclear if the electric G-Class will be among them.

Cars

Next Mercedes-AMG C63 could ditch the V8 for four-cylinder hybrid power

next mercedes amg c63 could ditch v8 for four cylinder hybrid power report says 2020 s coupe

The Mercedes-AMG C63 is defined by its V8 engine. That 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged motor sets this Merc apart from other fast German luxury cars. But Mercedes' AMG performance division could replace the sonorous, tire-smoking V8 with a four-cylinder hybrid powertrain, reports Autocar. Despite decreasing the cylinder count by half, Autocar claims performance won't suffer.

The next-generation C63 will go on sale in early 2022 with a version of Mercedes-AMG's M139 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine under its hood, according to Autocar. This is the same engine used in the Mercedes-AMG A45 hatchback, and it makes 416 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque in that car. The A45 isn't sold in the United States, but we will get the same engine in the AMG CLA45 "four-door coupe," albeit tuned to 382 hp and 354 lb.-ft.

Cars

Mercedes-Benz G580 first drive: old-school off-roader goes electric

2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 from three quarter view.

American car buyers mostly know Mercedes-Benz as a luxury brand. But for decades, the automaker has also produced the tough, rugged G-Class (also known as the Geländewagen or G-Wagen), an SUV not afraid to get its leather upholstery muddy. And now, this iconic Mercedes is going electric.

The 2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology — the final name of the SUV previously known as the EQG — isn’t the first electric off-roader. The Rivian R1S and R1T and GMC Hummer EV have proven that electric powertrains and off-roading are a great combination. But the electric G-Wagen is different because it’s based on an internal-combustion model — and a very traditional one at that.