SUV Review: 2020 Mercedes-AMG G63

December 11, 2020

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SUV Review: 2020 Mercedes-AMG G63

Can an SUV that costs $200,000 possibly be worth it?

OVERVIEW

A boxy SUV with a stereo to die for. And 577-HP, too

PROS Movie star looks, best stereo in the business, tons of power, world-class interior
CONS Costs quite a bit of money and handles like a Reliant Robin
VALUE FOR MONEY Fair
WHAT TO CHANGE? The name on the ownership
HOW TO SPEC IT? Go for the G550; it lacks the AMG horsepower but gives you a softer ride with the same posh interior

What’s your guilty pleasure? Mine is the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, popularly known as the G-Wagen for Geländewagen, and in this case the AMG G63 variant. Typically, go-fast versions of true off-road SUVs seem outwardly pointless to me. Their huge 20-inch wheels and Pirelli tires remove any of the off-road prowess designed into the very machine.

Not that anyone was going to actually off-road a Mercedes-Benz G Class in the first place, but it’s nice to feel like you could if you wanted to. But this is the car that makes me break all my rules. I like it.

First, I like how it looks. The G-Class is large, blocky, and vaguely militaristic in its appearance. It looks like the car a movie star would drive, and in many cases, it is. As you look closer at the design, it’s not as planar as it looks from a distance. The Mercedes engineers have clearly worked very hard to make minute but important tweaks to the classic silhouette of the G-Class, in order to make it as aerodynamic as a brick can be.

The symphony of opulence begins when you simply open and close the doors to let yourself inside. Intriguingly, the very door latches themselves seem to be from the 1970s, and surely this plays a key role in the G’s signature “click” as the doors latch shut. The air vents also make a satisfying click as you twist them open or closed, and the door lock actuators sound loud and metallic, like the cocking of a shotgun. Once nestled inside, occupants are treated to a view few other SUVs can match. The dashboard is a short perch that sits below a nearly vertical and completely flat windshield. Unlike in most SUVs, the upper door sills are low to the driver and an elbow can be easily rested there. The side windows are tall and unrelentingly flat, and the result of all this is exceptionally good outward visibility for a vehicle of this size.

The interior itself is simply one of the very best in the industry at any price. The acoustic glass feels like it’s three inches thick and once the windows are closed, only a dull murmur of the outside world is allowed to invade the leather cocoon. The seats are wonderfully comfortable but only marginally supportive for high-G maneuvers. Anywhere your privileged self is inclined to bump into, you’ll find fine leather, beautiful stitching, and smart brushed-aluminum details. And it gets better.

Twist the volume knob on the Burmester stereo and you’ll be treated to the best stereo in the business. The sound fills the cabin like water, flowing into every crevice and delighting the listener in a flood of music. In lesser sound systems, one is always aware of where the sound is coming from.

And we haven’t even heard the engine yet! A press of the starter button brings a twin-turbo 4.0L V8 to life. Mercedes V8s sound like no other European V8s around. This one idles like an old-school Chrysler big-block, and at full bore it sounds more raw and natural than the video-game-like BMW V8s. A badge on the engine tells me this one was hand built by one Siegfried Seifert, and his work yields 577 horsepower and a mind blowing 627 lb.-ft. of torque! That’s a lot of power, but that engine is also tasked with pulling around a lot of weight — an incredible 2,650 kg. So when all that unstoppable force tries to accelerate an immovable object, you arrive at 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds. That’s fast, but not even close to the pace of some truly quick SUVs, like the BMW X5 M and Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, which manage the same feat in 3.8 seconds and 3.7 seconds respectively.

But accelerating is about the only thing the G63 can do athletically. It may wear an AMG badge, but try to hustle it into a corner like any other AMG product and you will be sorely disappointed. Even in its most aggressive Sport+ setting, the G63 leans hard in turns and the tires protest your actions almost immediately. It’s the opposite of graceful. Some SUVs like the BMW X5 M make you feel like you could enter them in a track day and get away with it. The G63 is best left for straight roads.

But now we have to talk about cost, and I hope you are sitting down. The G-Class is Mercedes’ most expensive SUV, and the G63 is the most expensive version of that SUV. The base model, the G550, will run you a full $147,000. The Mercedes-AMG G63 starts at an eye-watering $195,900 and as you see it here, my tester runs to $218,050. When evaluating if a super expensive car is “worth it,” I like to ask if I could buy a similar experience for less money.

The only other boxy off-roader you can buy is the Jeep Wrangler, and that doesn’t come anywhere near the refinement and luxury offered by the G63. There are faster SUVs like the X5 M, but those don’t have the G’s unique style or sense of occasion. You’re buying a $200,000 SUV with your heart and not your brain anyways. The G63 is very expensive, but if that’s what you’re looking for, there is no affordably-priced alternative.

So in the end, the G63 is an incredibly expensive, high-performance SUV that can’t handle a corner, has 42-year-old styling, drinks gas like a monster truck, and can’t go off road. And I love it. I want one.