We took a road trip in the 2019 Audi Q8; we put the 2019 Mercedes-Benz G550 and AMG G63 to the test; and the 2019 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE got an automatic. It's the Week in Reverse, right here on Motor Authority. We drove the 2019 Audi Q8 from Park City, Utah to Telluride, Colorado. After our time in the luxury crossover, there's no question the Q8 is a crossover flagship that should have the competition worried. Volkswagen teased the beach buggy is returning in the form an an electric dune-buggy concept. Set to makes its formal debut next month at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, the concept will feature cheeky 1960s-inspired styling with oversized fender flares, off-road tires, and big wheels. Doors and a roof? Those are nowhere to be seen. We put both the 2019 Mercedes-Benz G550 and AMG G63 to the test on- and off-road to confirm the boxy legend is as capable as ever. The latest G-Class does have usable cupholders now, but it retains the vault-like door locks, an upright windshield, and the classic brick-like design. Most importantly, it can handle any terrain. It's still a G-Class. The 2020 Genesis GV80 production interior was spied, though it was covered in tarps to obscure it from view. A new electronics and control interface seem to be in the cards, and expect lots of leather-covered surfaces. Chevy announced the 2019 Camaro ZL1 1LE and there's one big change to the model for this year: it's available with an automatic transmission.
The last time we checked, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and the BMW X7 were not direct rivals. The former is a capable body-on-frame off-roader while the latter is a comfortable and roomy unibody SUV that can accommodate up to seven passengers. However, how many G-Class buyers will take their vehicles off the beaten track during ownership? Very few, as most of these boxy luxury SUVs will spend their entire lifetime on city streets. Mercedes-Benz is clearly aware of that and has made the second-generation G-Class more comfortable and refined, as well as more luxurious. In theory, a customer could consider both of these SUVs for a purchase, even though the pricing is very different. So why does Throttle House compare these two vehicles then? Well, until the all-new GLS comes out (it won鈥檛 be long, as it鈥檚 scheduled to debut at the New York Auto Show tomorrow), the G550 is the closest flashy luxury SUV Mercedes can put up against the X7. In the detailed video review, the hosts analyze the two massive SUVs鈥?exterior and interior styling, as well as how they are like to drive on the road. There鈥檚 no off-road comparison because that鈥檚 not the point of this review 鈥?and everyone knows the G-Class would demolish the X7. Instead, the review tries to find how similar these two luxury SUVs are to live with and how they fare on the road. After all, 99 percent of owners will probably never drive them on anything else than paved roads.
As an auto journalist, I drive more than 70 cars a year. But there are few vehicles I've been more excited to experience than the Mercedes-Benz Gelandewagen 鈥?or as it's more commonly known, the G-Wagon. Technically, Mercedes-Benz retired the G-Wagon moniker in favor of the G-Class designation in 1998, but to its fans, it's still the G-Wagon. That's why we simply couldn't say no when Mercedes-Benz dropped off a 2017 G550 clad in an eye-catching paprika metallic paint job. For the past four decades, the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon has been one of the standard bearers for what an SUV should strive to be. However, the high-price luxury SUV we know today had decidedly humble beginnings, on the battlefields of Europe and the Middle East. In many ways, the G-Wagon is a rolling contradiction. It's a vehicle made famous for its ability to survive and thrive in some of the world's most inhospitable conditions. But these days, it's likely to be found driving around the palm-tree-lined boulevards of Southern California, decked out in fancy wheels and a custom paint job.
One of the biggest, baddest SUVs in production, Mercedes-Benz鈥檚 stoic G-Class, is about to get a whole lot tougher with the arrival of the new G550 4x4虏 variant. The G550 4x4虏, first previewed as a thinly-veiled concept at the 2015 Geneva auto show, takes the hardware of the insane G63 6x6 and shoehorns it into the regular G-Class body. The result is a G-Class with a much taller ride height (now over 17 inches), permanent all-wheel drive, reduction transfer case, three differential locks, and of course the portal axles. The latter is what contributes to the raised height: unlike conventional axles, the wheels, in this case a massive 22-in set, are not at the height of the axle but situated lower thanks to their individual portal transmissions. In addition to making the vehicle higher, portal axles also increase the width. The width of the G550 4x4虏 is up more than 9.0 in at the front and 10 at the rear. The suspension includes damper struts and dual springs that have a high rate of travel to maximize surface contact even on the toughest terrain.
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