Mercedes G63 Convertible

By Edward A. Sanchez
The Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen is one of those rare vehicles that have legit credibility with both rich snobs and hard-core off-roaders. Its styling is defiantly retro, barely changed in the more than 35 years of its existence, and it remains a status symbol from the Hamptons to Holmby Hills. Recently, Mercedes has let its engineers come up with some pretty wild variations, the most recent and memorable being the 6×6 model sold in some markets that was reportedly especially popular in the insanely wealthy United Arab Emirates. These spy shots show a G-Wagen with a higher-than-normal ride height, as well as the conspicuous absence of the proverbial transaxle “pumpkin.”
This is a clear indication to us that this prototype is utilizing the portal axle design used on the 6×6 G-Wagen and also made famous by Mercedes’ other off-road icon, the Unimog. We know that the G-Wagen is poised for a redesign that will make it incrementally wider to increase passenger comfort and allow the fitment of standardized seats interchangeable with the rest of the Mercedes-Benz lineup. However, Mercedes is aware of the appeal of the G-Wagen’s block, square-jawed styling, and the exterior is expected to be just a mild evolutionary change from the original.

“Gunter glieben glauchen globen.”We can’t so much as look at the Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG without the phrase running through our minds. Coined by poodle-haired ’80s Brit rockers Def Leppard, the ostensibly German words have essentially no meaning yet, like the G63 AMG, carry plenty of Teutonic gravitas. Precisely why this pop-rock chestnut imbeds itself into our subconscious whenever a slab-sided G-wagen rolls into view is a question best left to Freud. Wouldn’t an equally dramatic tune from tanzmetal kings Rammstein or, say, David Hasselhoff make far more sense? Whatever the reason, there’s no denying the G63 exudes more single-minded purpose than anything this side of a Panzer tank. (Freud, of course, was from Austria, and so is the G63. It is assembled in Graz by Magna-Steyr under contract with Mercedes.)