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Two 2019 Mercedes-AMG G63s Play With a Third G-Class in the Arctic Snow

This is not the first time we get to have a look at a 2019 Mercedes-AMG G63 prototype, but it's probably the first time that parts of its suspension is clearly visible.
2019 Mercedes-AMG G63 prototypes 12 photos
Photo: S.Baldauf/SB-Medien
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We would like to say that the rumors about the next G-Class getting some bits and bobs from the future MHA platform that Mercedes-Benz is developing for its SUV line still persist at this point.

We tried to check out the adjacent spyshots from every angle, and we're still not sure if that is an independent front and rear suspension or if the rigid axles are simply hidden from view. The only thing we're certain of is that there won't be any leaf springs on the rear axle anymore, not even on the non-AMG versions.

Spied by our hard-working photographers in a brutal arctic weather, somewhere in Northern Sweden, the three G-Class pre-production prototypes in the photo gallery aren't identical, no matter what your eyes might tell you.

Two of them are G63s, while the third one is likely a G500 (G550 in the U.S.), fitted with a detuned version of the same twin-turbocharged, 4.0-liter V8.

Just like in the current model, the G500 should deliver around 422 hp and 610 Nm (450 lb-ft) of torque. In full Mercedes-AMG G63 flavor, the V8 should provide a similar amount of power as the recently unveiled E63 and E63S. That said, the G63 should output between 571 hp and 612 hp, since it's hard to believe that there will also be a G63 S version, like on the E-Class.

Another difference compared to the AMG E-Class might be the transmission, since it's highly unlikely that the G-Wagen could get a “drift mode” from its 4Matic all-wheel-drive system.

Even so, you should expect the new G63 to be much faster than the current version, not only thanks to the increased output but mainly thanks to the severe weight reduction, which could be as high as 3-400 kg (662-882 pounds).

Other than a redesigned body, which is wider and slightly lower but also with a lot more aluminum parts, the all-new G-Class seems to follow the same recipe of its predecessor, though, which is why it also looks more like a facelift than a new generation.

Expect the non-AMG version to be unveiled closer to the 2017 Paris Motor Show, while the torquey G63 should premiere a few months later, as a 2018 model in Europe and MY 2019 in the United States.
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About the author: Alex Oagana
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Alex handled his first real steering wheel at the age of five (on a field) and started practicing "Scandinavian Flicks" at 14 (on non-public gravel roads). Following his time at the University of Journalism, he landed his first real job at the local franchise of Top Gear magazine a few years before Mircea (Panait). Not long after, Alex entered the New Media realm with the autoevolution.com project.
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