PEAKLIFE

The 6×6 AMG that was revealed in 2011 has recently inspired a Chinese automobile company to present their own version of a 6×6. But PEAKLIFE gives you the real deal… here’s everything you would want to know about the Mercedes-Benz G 63 AMG 6X6

Imitation may be the best form of flattery, but the real deal is the real deal. The news of Chinese automobile company BAIC presenting the BJ80 6×6 at the Beijing Auto Show has inspired us to revisit the real off-roading beast, that has been called the “most spectacular cross-country vehicle of all time” – the Mercedes-Benz G 63 AMG 6X6.

In the year 2011, Mercedes-Benz presented the most spectacular cross-country vehicle of all time; and after all these years, the statement still stands true! 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: Fuel consumption combined: 19.6–11.2 l/100 km; combined CO₂ emissions: 459–295 g/km.

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.

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.