Does this mean the G63 is dead, too?
Mercedes-Benz has introduced a limited-production version of the G500 called the “Final Edition.” As you can probably guess, it's not good news. This final batch, limited to 1,500 units, will be the last G500s equipped with a V8 engine. Mercedes pulled a similar trick on a bunch of models earlier this year.
But this particular G-Class is not just about saying goodbye. It's also a celebration of the V8-powered G-Class, as Mercedes first combined its iconic off-roader with an eight-cylinder engine 30 years ago. The 500 GE debuted in 1993, ensuring the boxy 4×4 would forever be associated with the soundtrack of a howling V8. Only 446 were built between 1993 and 1994, making the older car even more exclusive.
“The Final Edition is our 30th birthday gift for the G500, which in 1993 was considered the trendsetter and harbinger of the high-end off-roader in the luxury class,” says Dr. Emmerich Schiller, head of the Off-Road Vehicle Division at Mercedes-Benz.
“With its exclusive equipment details, the limited special model is also a fitting parting gift from the V8 biturbo engine in the G500.”
To set the Final Edition apart from the regular model, it's only available in three colors, and 500 of each will be made. The options are Obsidian Black, Manufaktur Opalith White Magno, and Manufaktur Olive Magno. A set of 20-inch AMG five-spokes are standard and finished in body color if you opt for an Olive Magno exterior; the wheels are painted black if you go for the other two options.
Other exterior enhancements include “Stronger Than Time” and “Final Edition” badges, doorknobs with an embossed logo, and puddle lamps that project the famous “G” logo on the ground. The G is accompanied by the “Stronger Than Time” lettering. The key also gets a silver coin insert, so you can show off even when the car isn't nearby.
The ring around the spare wheel is finished in high-gloss chrome, as are other add-on body parts. Finally, you get a “Stronger Than Time” indoor car cover.
Climb aboard, and you'll note the “Final Edition” lettering on the illuminated door sills and grab the handle. Standard niceties include the nicest optional luxuries available for a normal G. These include the upmarket Burmester surround sound system and the Active Multicontour Seat Package Plus.
The Final Edition gets the full Manufaktur leather package, including leather cladding in the luggage compartment, the headliner, and the panels for the seat adjustment switches. The center section of the roof liner and diamond-design seat centers are also color coded. The two-tone finish in the Opalith White Magno model is platinum white/black, while the Obsidian Black gets titanium grey pearl and black. The Olive Magno car pictured here gets an espresso brown/black finish.
Looking back at its history, the 500 GE was powered by a 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 that only produced 237 horsepower and 377 lb-ft of torque. The 2023 G500, or G550 as it's known in the States, is powered by the same 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 as the glorious Mercedes-AMG G63, detuned slightly to 416 hp and 450 lb-ft.
The 500 GE took a leisurely 11.4 seconds to reach 62 mph, but the modern equivalent can do it in just under six seconds. Still, it is worth celebrating because, without the 500 GE, we wouldn't have the G-Class as we know it today. The upcoming EQG sounds all wrong because it doesn't make a sound.
So does this mean the G63 is also dead? We don't think so. The press release is worded carefully, meaning this news is limited to the standard G and not the AMG model.
The Final Edition sells for 196,350 euros in Europe, which is $215,015. Shockingly, the Final Edition costs more than a full-fat Mercedes-AMG G63 costs in America.
Keyword: Mercedes-Benz G500 Final Edition Says Goodbye To The V8-Powered Off-Roader