The Mercedes-Benz G-Class has always been about making a statement, and the new G550 4x42 makes a big one with its price tag. 925 destination. Obviously, the big story with the 4x42 is the addition of portal axles inspired by the Unimog off-road utility truck. The portal axles imbue the 4x42 with significantly improved off-road capabilities through improved approach and departure angles, nearly doubling the breakover angle from 24 to 47.4 degrees and increasing the ground clearance from 9.3 to 17.2 inches. Like all G-Wagens, the 4x42 comes with front, rear, and center locking differentials and low-range four-wheel drive. While not the most expensive SUV sold in the U.S., the G550 4x42 is in some pretty rarified company. 995 destination. Is the high-riding G-Wagen worth as much as a house in most parts of the country? Maybe not, but if someone were to give us one with no strings attached, we wouldn鈥檛 turn it down.

The Mercedes-Benz G-Class has always been about making a statement, and the new G550 4x42 makes a big one with its price tag. 925 destination. Obviously, the big story with the 4x42 is the addition of portal axles inspired by the Unimog off-road utility truck. The portal axles imbue the 4x42 with significantly improved off-road capabilities through improved approach and departure angles, nearly doubling the breakover angle from 24 to 47.4 degrees and increasing the ground clearance from 9.3 to 17.2 inches. Like all G-Wagens, the 4x42 comes with front, rear, and center locking differentials and low-range four-wheel drive. While not the most expensive SUV sold in the U.S., the G550 4x42 is in some pretty rarified company. 995 destination. Is the high-riding G-Wagen worth as much as a house in most parts of the country? Maybe not, but if someone were to give us one with no strings attached, we wouldn鈥檛 turn it down.

Blasting its 627 pound-feet of torque through a slick-shifting 9-speed automatic and permanent all-wheel drive, the G63鈥擨鈥檓 quite certain鈥攊s capable of scorching to 60 mph in under four seconds flat. The sound it makes while doing so鈥攁 fantastic crescendo of exquisitely interweaved parts screaming in heroic harmony鈥攕eems like it was stolen right off the Mulsanne Straight. 850 option), gorgeous 鈥渄esigno鈥?black Nappa leather, three-zone climate control, a beauteous Burmester surround-sound audio system, and on and on. 1,800), which blackens the exterior trim. The naysayers are laughing. 鈥淩idiculously expensive. Performance overkill. Way too luxe to get its tires muddy.鈥?But they are entirely missing the point. Quite simply, Mercedes has delivered exactly what the market wants. Despite its clunky character and narrow proportions, the previous G was a blockbuster hit among the hipsters. In L.A., black G-wagens are as common as 鈥淎rmed Response鈥?lawn signs. But the new vehicle is better in every measurable and subjective way鈥攔oomier (especially the improved shoulder width), faster, more refined, better-riding, far more advanced in convenience and safety tech.

Yet the 鈥渓ook鈥?is essentially the same (the old-style pushbutton door handles carry over so you still get that famous 鈥淕 feel鈥?the moment you enter the vehicle). I suspect Mercedes won鈥檛 be able to build them fast enough. Indeed, a car dealer friend of mine in Los Angeles reports that 2019 G-wagens are so in demand, they鈥檙e currently selling for tens of thousands over sticker. During its week in my hands, I spent an unusually large amount of time behind the G63鈥檚 wheel. A track test at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca took me from L.A. Monterey and back over a three-day span鈥攁bout 700 miles in total. The G63 proved itself a brilliant mount for the trip. First, it鈥檚 supremely comfortable, with heated/ventilated/massaging seats, a plush ride (especially with the adaptive suspension set to Comfort mode), and an engine that鈥檚 utterly relaxed, purring along the Interstate at a mere 1,600 rpm or so.

The view is excellent (you鈥檙e sitting quite tall in the saddle), and the new controls and displays are as easy to use as they are gorgeous to look at. Need to pass a slow-moving 18-wheeler? Just give that right pedal a good squeeze and鈥攂oom! 鈥攜ou鈥檙e past and rocketing into the distance. The effortless speed is intoxicating. G63鈥檚 Marvel superhero persona. The G63 carried me through this evocative stretch鈥攁nd through a series of heavy rainstorms鈥攚ith unwavering security and ease. Do not for a moment think this is a poseur鈥檚 plush-mobile. There鈥檚 9.5 inches of ground clearance on tap and, as before, three electronically locking differentials to meet almost any off-road condition. You want to go somewhere, the G63 will get you there. And it is literally built like a tank (nothing short of a good slam will close the doors fully). The G63 isn鈥檛 for everyone. 90). But for those who want and can afford something truly special, the G63 delivers like few other machines on the road. Yes, the rich are different from you and me. They have more money. And some of them get to own G63s.

If things get really slippery, you can also lock the front differential, which means that all of the V8鈥檚 power is sent evenly to each wheel. When combined with low range, the G550 is putting an incredible amount of torque to its wheels, helping it crawl over whatever it wants. 200,000 on the British luxury off-roader. Capability doesn鈥檛 come cheap, sure, but the price tag of the G-Class has more to do with who will buy it than what it is. It has become a status symbol among the well-heeled. Celebrities have flocked to the G-Class for years now, not for the capability or the history, but simply for the image. It鈥檚 these customers who are snapping up the G-Class and they are willing to pay for that image. Hopefully, they don鈥檛 forget to lock the differentials on the drive out to the Hamptons, because we all know those gravel roads can be tricky. Every G-Class is ready to take on the extremes of the Earth and each one has been designed to so, although many of them will live in hills of Malibu and never see anything other than pavement. But thankfully, the G550 isn鈥檛 going soft just to serve its soft clients. And for those few customers who will actually tackle the desert, forest or jungle with a Mercedes G-Class, it will deliver time and time again.