Automotive

Mercedes Will Sell The G500 4×4 In America After All; Everything Is Going To Be Okay; A New Age Of Prosperity Is About To Begin


The 4×4² made a downright decent desert-race chaser at the 2016 Mint 400 (Image: Mark Victor Arnold)

The Mercedes G500 4×4², a rolling caricature of a car built as a monument to what’s possible when engineers develop a sense of humor, will soon be for sale in the United States. Finally, a few wealthy Americans will able to express their extroversion more acutely than they ever thought possible.

http://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/driving-a-240-…

The G500 4×4² will be known as the G550 4×4² stateside, because reasons. Otherwise we’re getting the same ladder-frame truck nestling a 4.0 biturbo gasoline V8 that dumps 416 horsepower through Merc’s 7G-TRONIC PLUS seven-speed automatic through three locking differentials and onto to all four wheels through portal axles as the rest of the world.

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Those axles are the G500/G550 4×4²’s primary differentiator. They allow the entire driveline to be lifted, thus increasing ground clearance more significantly than taller shocks would on their own.


(Image: Wikipedia Creative Commons)

They’re lifted straight off the AMG G63 6×6, which is not available in the United States but looks just like a regular G-Wagen with six wheels and a pickup truck bed. I’ve been told the truck was originally cooked up exclusively for military applications, and only offered up to the public after Mercedes realized they had more parts laying around than the warfighters needed. But that’s just what a German who claimed to be part of a G-Wagen fan magazine told me.

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(Image: Andrew P. Collins)

At any rate, we’re now hearing the 4×4² is U.S.-bound straight from Mercedes-Benz after its availability here was a “definitely maybe” when we drove the truck earlier this year.

Pricing and exact allocation numbers are being kept secret, but we are supposed to have the truck available through regular Mercedes dealers starting in early 2017.


(Image: Andrew Maness)

As it stands, the most money you can spend on a stock G-Wagen in America is $217,900, which gets you the 612 horsepower V12 AMG G65. The 4×4² actually only costs $219,000 in other markets it’s set to be available. Though don’t forget you’ll need another $20,000 for the “High-Gloss Electric Beam” (“Hochglanz-Elektrolichtstrahl”) highlighter yellow paint job.


(Image: Mark Victor Arnold)

As for how the 4×4² compares to the rest of the U.S. G-Wagen lineup, check out the convenient guide:

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G550 AMG G63 AMG G65 G550 4×4²
MSRP $119,900 (MY16) $139,900 (MY16) $217,900 (MY16) TBA
Length 187.56″ (plus brush guard) 187.56″ (plus brush guard) 187.56″ (plus brush guard) 187.56″ (plus brush guard)
Width 80.9″ 80.9″ 80.9″ TBA
Height 76.9″ 76.3″ 76.3″ 88.0″
Wheelbase 112.2″ 112.2″ 112.2″ 112.2″
Curb Weight (lbs) 5,724 TBA TBA TBA
Fuel Economy 13 / 14 / TBA (MY16) 12 / 13 / TBA (MY16) 11 / 13 / TBA (MY16) TBA (Bad)
Engine 4.0L V8 Biturbo 5.5L V8 Biturbo 6.0L V12 Biturbo 4.0L V8 Biturbo
Displacement 3,982 cc 5,461 cc 5,980 cc 3,982 cc
Drive Config. Permanent AWD (50:50) Permanent AWD (50:50) Permanent AWD (50:50) Permanent AWD (50:50)
Performance 416 hp @ 5,250 – 5,500

450 lb-ft @ 2,250 – 4,750
563 hp @ 5,500

561 lb-ft @ 1,720 – 5,250
621 hp @ 5,000 – 5,300

738 lb-ft @ 2,300 – 4,300
416 hp @ 5,250 – 5,500

450 lb-ft @ 2,250 – 4,750
Transmission 7G-TRONIC PLUS AMG SPEEDSHIFT PLUS 7G-TRONIC AMG SPEEDSHIFT PLUS 7G-TRONIC 7G-TRONIC PLUS
0-60 mph (sec) 5.8 5.3 5.2 TBA
Top speed (mph) 130 MPH 130 MPH 143 MPH TBA

Mercedes’ press release says they’ve sold more than 250,000 G-Wagens, all handmade in Graz, Austria, since they introduced the vehicle in 1979. That’s around how many Wranglers Jeep sells in a year. For reference, I’ve thrown some of the Jeep’s off-road specs in this comparison chart:

G550 G550 4×4² Jeep Wrangler JK
Max approach angle 30° 51.6° 42.2º
Max departure angle 30° 43.8° 32.3º
Breakover angle 24° 47.4° 25.8º
Maximum tilt angle 28.4° 28.4° N/A
Ground Clearance (max load) 9.3″ 17.2″ 10″
Fording depth 23.6″ 39.4″ 30″

If you’re planning on putting in an order, make sure you spec it with the real military-spec remotely-inflating wheels. You’re going to need more than all-season sport tires to get the most out of this monster drivetrain.

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