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G65 AMG vs Icon FJ44 Comparison Features Jokes, Crashes, Dyno and Beverly Hills

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Amazon can keep its new Top Gear show and do whatever the hell it wants with stars in reasonably priced cars. Motor Trend has got funnier, more entertaining stuff for people who don't treat cars superficially.
G65 AMG vs Icon FJ44 Comparison Features Jokes, Crashes, Dyno and Beverly Hills 1 photo
Photo: Screenshot from YouTube
This week, MT released a 23-minute clip that was only available to On Demand paying viewers. It's a Head 2 Head episode featuring the mighty Mercedes-AMG G65 and the 1973 Icon FJ44, which by the way is brand new and not built in 1973.

Yet again Jonny Lieberman and Jason Cammisa join forces to make fun of each other and the cars at the same time. Mind you, these aren't your usual vehicles either, as we are dealing with the G65 AMG, the rarest of the brick 4x4s, and the custom-built Icon FJ44 that Toyota never got around to building.

Ironically, both cost exactly $222,000, which is an obscene price to pay for any vehicle that was designed several decades ago. The review starts off with the natural stomping ground of expensive SUVs, Beverly Hills, where there are hundreds of Range Rovers for every Corolla. Why are they wearing hats and gloves? Because it's the one day when it's cold in California and the Icon doesn't have a roof.

Even though it's the winner of this Head 2 Head, the G65 AMG is criticized a lot, mainly due to its engine. Mercedes asks $90,000 more than the G63 and gives you a car that's much heavier and slower. The V12 used here is very old and needs two spark plugs per cylinder, 24 in all, just to pass emission tests. The twin-turbo system also gives it lag and there are none of the high-tech features we expect from a modern AMG motor. As these guys put it, the only thing it does better than the G63 is drink more fuel.

The Icon, meanwhile, is a great off-roader. But because Jonny forgets to lock the diff, it gets stuck in the mud. This eventually leads to the G65 crashing its front bumper into a rock while they try to loosen the FJ. Between the comic skid pad handing and the dyno test, we'd say that this is a video worth watching.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

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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