Redesigned into the W463 in 1990, the G-Class as we know it is about to go through its biggest change in January 2018 as the all-new model prepares to make its world debut. Until then, however, the three-pointed star decided to remind us that the W463 is one hell of an off-road vehicle.
On the YouTube account of Mercedes-Benz Deutschland, the automaker uploaded a clip of the G650 Landaulet doing its best impersonation of Santa’s sleigh. No reindeers are featured, only a 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12 engine with 630 horsepower and earth-shattering torque.
Obscene amounts of power combined with the off-road capability of the most luxurious G-Class of them all makes the G650 Landaulet an interesting proposition to trash in a winder wonderland. And if you’re brave enough, you can drift the G650 in the sort of snow that’s impossible to conquer with any run-of-the-mill car you could think of, including some serious SUVs.
The third Mercedes-Maybach after the S-Class and S650 Convertible, the G650 Landaulet is an evolution of the G500 4x4², portal axles, locking differentials, and all. Production is strictly limited to 99 examples of the breed, and for what that matter, Mercedes-Maybach auctioned one of those 99 models for the mind-boggling sum of €1.2 million ($1.4 million).
With the Stuttgart-based automaker now focused on rolling out the W464 as a replacement for the long-lived W463, the big question is if we’ll going to get unusual derivates such as the G650 Landaulet ever again. Or like the G63 6x6. Or G500 4x4². Considering that Mercedes never had a problem selling the G-Klasse at hefty prices, chances are the bean counters will allow both the designers and engineers to go wild from time to time.
Scheduled to go official at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show, the W464 G-Class will be offered with a choice of 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, 3.0-liter M256 inline-6, and 2.9-liter OM656 inline-6. In the S400d, the OM656 develops 340 horsepower and 700 Nm of torque, making it the most powerful series production diesel engine offered by Mercedes-Benz in a production car.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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