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Defender vs. Mercedes-AMG G63 Forward Control: Van-Like Off-Roaders Rendered

When you say "Forward Control," most people will either think of a Jeep or nothing at all. However, the American brand is not the only one to adopt this kind of layout, which we're hoping can make a comeback with overlanders and adventure vehicles.
Land Rover Defender vs. Mercedes-AMG G63 Forward Control: Which Would Look Better? 3 photos
Photo: superrenderscars/Instagram
Land Rover Defender vs. Mercedes-AMG G63 Forward Control: Which Would Look Better?Land Rover Defender vs. Mercedes-AMG G63 Forward Control: Which Would Look Better?
The Mercedes Unimog is the kind of vehicle that scares even the AMG G63. It's got about 75 years of history behind it, starting right after WW2. A German engineer wanted to make an amazing tractor with all-wheel drive, portal axles, and four equally-sized tires so it could drive on the road.

The Unimog was supposed to be a practical agricultural aid, but it was good at everything, which is why it's around to this day. The workhorse is used all over Europe to plow snow or trim the grass on the side of roads. It's more versatile than a Swiss army knife. However, there are also ultra-expensive models, like the ones that go off-road racing or the overlanders.

Of course, the thing we see in this photo is not a Unimog. It's a G63 turned by Israeli artist Superrenderscars into a Forward Control SUV, not a pickup. This makes us remember how everybody copied Jeep. Ford, Chevy, and Dodge - they all adopted this form that changed the American light commercial vehicle segment. Besides trucks, they also had vans for both deliveries or passenger transport.

Land Rover
, on the other hand, made the 101. This was strictly for the British Army, but became available to the public as military surplus and is also a popular overlander conversion today. Its job was to pull artillery guns while being transportable by aircraft. Putting the Rover 3.5-liter V8 under and just behind the cab meant the vehicle could be more compact.

The name is derived from the vehicle's wheelbase, which is 101 inches (2,565 mm) long. Perhaps not surprisingly, the two versions of the new Land Rover Defender are also named based on their wheelbases (the 90 and the 110).



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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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