By Dave Abrahams
Stuttgart, Germany - So positive was the response to the Mercedes Extreme-G show car at the Geneva motor show in March that it has gone into production as the G500 4x4².
Permanent all-wheel drive is standard, as are a high/low range transfer case and three differentials, each lockable 'on the fly'.
And yes, the production version will retain the Unimog-style portal axles (borrowed from the gonzo AMG G63 6x6) and 22-inch rims that gave the show car its imposing ride height and 450mm ground clearance - as well the ability to wade through water as deep as a metre.
Usually that would be a recipe for excessive body roll and even seasickness at highway speeds (ask anybody who's owned a Series 1 Land Rover Discovery) but Mercedes-Benz has blessed its new beetle-crusher with 325/55 rubber and a whopping 229mm wider track than its smaller G-Class siblings, as well as dual spring struts with adjustable damping.
In 'Sport' mode, says the maker, you can throw this off-roader around like a sports car on the tar, while on dirt roads it handles like a rally car.
GOT THE POWER
It certainly has the credentials; under the bonnet is a development of the new AMG four-litre direct-injection biturbo V8 that drives the AMG GT sports-car and the C63 AMG sledgehammer.
In this application Stuttgart quotes 310kW and 610Nm, with a 0-100 sprint time of 7.4 seconds. The same engine is used in the more conventional new G500, albeit without the high-rise axles and trick suspension, making it even quicker off the mark (5.9 seconds to 100km/h).
The whole G-Class range, from the G300d three-litre V6 turbodiesel to the insane six-litre V12 G65 AMG, has been upgraded inside and out for 2016, including Euro 6 emissions compliance across the range, new suspension with a more sensitive electronic stability programme, and a number of trim refinements in th3e cabin.
Despite its off-road credentials, the interior of the G500 4x4² is fully leather-trimmed to the same standard as the Mercedes' E and S-Class luxury sedans - as well it should be, at a base price of €226 100 (R3.1 million) in Europe, with first deliveries due in December 2015.
Sadly, the G500 4x4² will only be made in left-hand drive, so will not be released in South Africa.