Has the chunky new Mercedes-AMG G-Wagen sacrificed function for form? We tackled the winter wonderland of Cardrona in New Zealand to find out
- Celebrity status
- Not just an Insta success
- Proving the wilds of Cardrona
- G-Class hits the spot
- Million-dollar views
- Bargain, right?
Celebrity status
The Mercedes-AMG G 63 is a vehicle for the elite. The kind of car you buy just to prove you’ve made it in life. Made it where? Wherever you want, really.
It’s big, flashy and bad-ass, and even though some like to describe the G-Wagon’s boxy proportions as whitegoods on wheels, think of it more like a testament to its military heritage – tough, no-frills, rugged and ready to go anywhere.
A squared-off exterior with powerful curves in all the right places.
At first glance, it does appear to favour style over substance. But underneath its glorious surface, there’s much more to the Mercedes-AMG G 63 to drool over.
And, you’d be sorely mistaken if you thought this mini-truck didn’t have the versatility of Hugh Jackman, the brute force of Mike Tyson or the off-road capability of approximately 300 mountain goats.
Not just an Insta success
The Mercedes-AMG G 63 wasn’t just built to conquer Instagram. No siree, it was built for war. After all, the G-banger started life more than 40 years ago scouring deserts and bushland in the form of military ambulances, security and reconnaissance vehicles.
But the new G-Class has headed decidedly upmarket, and is so far available only in V8-powered AMG G 63 form, priced at almost $250,000.
So when you do see a relatively rare G 63 on the road Down Under, it’s likely gliding down the smooth tarmac of Sydney’s affluent Northern Beaches or other Aussie cities’ equivalents… Basically, anywhere well away from dirt.
That may be because most owners either don’t care for the off-road life or aren’t brave (or silly?) enough to take theirs bush-bashing. And they’re probably even less likely to admit it if they had.
But what good is it having something so capable and not using it for what it was designed for?
Mercedes-Benz is so confident in the new G 63’s off-road capability that it sent a bunch of Aussie motoring journos to the South Island of New Zealand to see just how far we could take it.
Proving the wilds of Cardrona
The snow fields of Cardrona near Queenstown (NZ) offer the kind of spectacular scenery usually reserved for travel magazines and postcards, with layers upon layers of snow-covered mountain tops spanning the horizon.
The icy playground we’re going to subject the Mercedes-AMG G 63 is called the Snow Farm — a private testing area which forms part of the Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds.
It’s where, as the northern hemisphere summer hits, many car manufacturers flock during the June-September snow season to put new models through a gruelling winter test regime.
It’s bitterly cold, with temperatures ranging from -5 and -15 degrees C, and snow is falling like rain drops in a monsoon season, causing complete whiteouts every so often.
Although temperatures are well below zero and it seems far from the kind of place you should be driving a car, that’s exactly what the Snow Farm was designed for.
Packed with ice rinks, hill-climb tracks and open snowfields that will help you “fulfil all of your childhood fantasies” – or so says Peter Hackett, the Chief Driving Instructor at the AMG Driving Academy.
G-Class hits the spot
It’s soon clear the Mercedes-AMG G 63 not only survives in the icy undulating mountains of New Zealand, it thrives.
Fitted with snow tyres as the only non-standard option, we took to the slippery surfaces in our quarter-of-a-million-dollar chariots. And they revelled…
Dividing 430kW of power between all four corners, the G 63’s snow tyres take time to gain traction and but soon begin heaving through the thick snow.
Specially designed snow tyres are made to gather chunks of ice and snow between the wide treads and because snow sticks to snow, grip increases the more you drive. While a little counter-intuitive, it works a charm.
Driving in this sort of environment makes it difficult to appreciate just how much power this thing really has. The stonking 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 under the bonnet begs you to stretch its legs, but there’s a time and a place. Unfortunately, that time isn’t now and that place isn’t here.
Still, the chubby G-Class glides over the snowy mountain ranges even when you’re asking very little of it. The fact this big German truck weighs more than 2500kg is forgotten as it dances around bends and over more crests.
The AMG-fettled G-Wagon’s twin side exhaust pipes spit out spectacular warbling tones as we press on to the top of a ledge. Once at the peak, the horizon appears in the form of snow-covered mountains kilometres away.
Million-dollar views
It’s a sight for sore eyes and one that makes for the one of the most gorgeous natural landscapes you’ll ever see.
Travelling back down, we engage one of the G-Wagon’s three locking differentials to creep it up and out the other side of an impossible-looking ditch. Piece of pie.
To my surprise, our test car even offered a firm hug when on the move, with the dynamic seating doing a great job of keeping you in place around corners.
That function, however, is only available for those that tick the ‘Exclusive Interior Plus’ box, which adds a massage function, red and black Nappa leather seats with diamond stitching and a bunch of other extras, all for just under $20K.
Bargain, right?
Not exactly… The price of the Mercedes-AMG is as steep as some of the mountains in the this part of the world, but that’s apparently no issue for the hundreds of civilians with their name (and deposit) already against one.
At the time of writing, the Mercedes-AMG G 63 is one of the most in-demand vehicles in Australia and is sold out until 2022.
Hopefully some of them will subject it to the terrain it’s capable of conquering, and at least that gives commoners like us a chance to save up, right?
Keyword: Mercedes-AMG G 63: Style over substance?