AUTOCAR REGENERATION: off-road

Overview

The Mercedes G-Class (G-Wagon) is a mid-size luxury SUV built by Magna Steyr in Austria and marketed by Mercedes-Benz. This luxury SUV is one of the longest produced Mercedes with a span of 35 years. The first production was back in 1979 and it was used as a military vehicle. Later the same year, a civilian version was also made available to the general public. The manufacturer wanted to stop production of the G-Class several times but the market really loves it and as each year passed, sales increased. Mercedes-Benz brought various updates to the G-Wagon over the years while still keeping the original boxy style. Among the many versions of the Mercedes G-Wagon are the G63 4x4 squared, G63 6x6, G500 AMG, G800 AMG.

This year, the second generation of Mercedes G-Class was launched at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on January 14, 2018. This new generation has the G63 AMG and the G500 AMG. The new SUV features a lot of improvement from its predecessor. The designs, however is mostly the same boxy style but the lines are smoother now and the front of the car has changed. A major improvement has happened under the hood and according to Mercedes-Benz, the new G63 will handle much better on road while still being the king of off-roading.

Specifications

Designs

Exterior

The designs of the Mercedes G63 AMG has been kept the same but there are some slight changes. The headlights are new and they are LED, which means that visibility at night will be improved. The front bumper has completely changed also, making the car looks a bit more stylish. The new AMG-specific Panamericana grille design definitely separates the new G63 from the older ones. The lines on the side of the G63 AMG are smoother now compared to its predecessor but you have to take a good look to be able to notice it. The wheels are wider now and up to 22-inch wheels can be fitted on the G63 AMG. The ground clearance has also improved to 9.5 inches.

An optional AMG Night Package is also available for the Mercedes G63 AMG. The package includes darker headlamp, tail-light and indicator lenses. Black-painted side mirrors, parts of the spare-tire cover, the trim from the front to the rear bumper and the wheels are also in the package.

Interior

The interior of the Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG has completely changed. The dashboard has been fitted with one large panel of glass split into two, replacing the traditional instrument cluster and the navigation and infotainment. The multi-functional steering wheel with touch-sensitive controls for the infotainment system is also new in the G63 AMG. The old handbrake has now been replaced with an electric one and a gear selector stalk is also added.

Another major improvement in the new Mercedes G63 AMG is that it is lighter by 170 kg compared to the older version. Good news for those who complain about the space inside the cabin. This new G63 AMG is 53 millimetres longer and 121 millimetres wider, which means that there are more legroom and shoulder room for both front and rear passengers than the older G-Class.

Engine

Under the hood lies a 4.0L Twin-Turbo (BiTurbo) V8. The all-wheel-drive G63 AMG makes 585 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque to the wheels. The car uses a new AMG SPEEDSHIFT TCT 9G transmission. The G63 AMG will accelerate to 60 mph in 4.4s, nearly a full second faster than its high-performance predecessor. Quarter mile figure not available as the car has not yet been driven by anyone. The Mercedes G63 AMG can achieve a top speed of 137 mph (220 km/h) while with the AMG Driver's Package, it will reach up to 149 mph (240 km/h).

The Mercedes G63 AMG, for the first time ever, comes equipped with five driving modes: Comfort, Sport, Eco, Individual and G-Mode. These modes not only adjust the damping, steering and throttle response but G-Mode also activates the car's low-speed transfer box. A new improved suspension, chassis, engine, gearbox and driver assistance package have been fitted in the new G63 AMG. This car does not use the old rack-and-pinion steering from the traditional recirculation ball set-up that the older version was using. The new steering system will improve the on-road precision.

Good news for all those who complain about the bad fuel economy. Mercedes-Benz has promised better fuel efficiency with the new G63 AMG. It will now do 13.1L per 100 km, which is not that much of an improvement from the older version but still, it is a bit better.

Price

The new Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG has an entry price of at least $125,000. The price is still in the range of its predecessor but now with all improvements, this car is worth every penny according to me. The G-Wagon has always been loved by everyone and this love is not going to decrease anytime soon.

Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz, has said during the launch of the new Mercedes G63 AMG that an electric version of the SUV might be available soon on the market. That will be interesting to see and definitely, Tesla will get another direct competitor.

We reinvent it all the time while keeping the character and remaining true to ourselves. Our indestructible classic is now ready for more adventure, in more comfort for driver and passengers - Mercedes-Benz

What in tarnations does "Lamley-inspired" mean?

Did a Matchbox designer have a moment of clarity after reading yet another amazing post from Lamley? No.

Is there a shrine to Lamley in the Mattel Design Center, where designers go to be inspired? We hope not.

Do Matchbox designers call us saying "We got nuthin. Please inspire us Lamley Group!"? As far as we know, no.

Instead, "Lamley-inspired" is the best way for us to describe our involvement in the tampo design of the latest release of the Matchbox Toyota Land Cruiser. The one you can find online

and in Target right now.

It starts with this Toyota Tacoma

This is the Matchbox Gathering Dinner Model, given to attendees at the event last July. If you remember, we at Lamley were lucky enough to be involved in the design. Event organizer Jim Gallegos had told us that a blue Tacoma would be the Dinner Model, but was looking for a way to make the 1-of-75 Early Registrant variation a little different from the standard Dinner Model.

Being the classic Japanese car nuts we are, we asked Jim to give us a couple of days to try and give the Tacoma some sort of nostalgic design, and he obliged. Of course the first thing I did was contact our friends over at Japanese Nostalgic Car, and we took a deep dive into all things Toyota Truck together.

One design stuck out. The 1981 Toyota SR5 Pickup had the special "Toyota Racing" yellow/orange stripe on the side, which encased a white hood and roof.

The design seemed to be a perfect homage not only to Toyota's strong pickup legacy, but as an homage to Toyota itself. We submitted the idea to Jim, he liked it and presented it to Mattel, and they ran with it.

As you can imagine, we were pretty proud to see our idea come to fruition on a very beautiful Matchbox model.

As cool as that was, it became even better when we saw the sneak peek photos of the upcoming Matchbox mainline Land Cruiser. The stripes on the side looked awfully familiar:

Yep, those are the Toyota Racing stripes, with the same color combo, with the same design. We could not help but wonder if our idea for the Tacoma spread to the mainline Land Cruiser design.

We had our chance to ask when we were at the Gathering last July, and sure enough, Matchbox Designer Dave Weiss confirmed that the Tacoma design inspired the design for the Land Cruiser.

Alas, a Lamley-inspired design! Seems logical, right?

So maybe our logo isn't on an actual Mattel model, but we are pretty proud to see our idea on the store pegs all over the world. It's okay to take a little credit on that, right?

And even if we had nothing to do with it, we love the design, and we especially love it over the bronze color. Sure, we would have liked to see at least some front grill detail, but we can live without it, especially with the standard white roof included.

The Matchbox Land Cruiser collection is one of their best

. There are some weaker links, but for the most part the Land Cruiser as been the cream of the Matchbox line since its debut in 2008. It is surely one of the complete Matchbox collections we are most proud to have.

So the next time you see the bronze Land Cruiser with the Toyota Racing stripe on the pegs, give us a little smile...

Matchbox '68 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 (2014 Mainline):