When it comes to extreme expedition off-roaders, few rides can hold a candle to the Mercedes G63 AM6 6×6. And you love that beast. But you’re a superstitious man and six has always been your unlucky number, so you’ve held yourself back from splurging on the six-wheeled SUV. Fortunately, the company has seen fit to serve your needs with the 2016 Mercedes G 500 4×4 Squared, a more standard four-wheeled version with an even nastier set of features.
Described as “a new highlight in the history of the G-Class,” the vehicle takes the standard G-Wagen body and puts it atop an even more powerful truck that’s ready to serve all your rock-climbing, hill-jumping, and destroying-everything-in-your-path needs. Sure, it’s not six wheels crazy, but it’s mad and crazy in a whole lot of other ways.
The 2016 Mercedes G 500 4×4 Square borrows the portal axles and superior all-wheel-drive from the 6×6, then combines it with a newly-developed variable chassis and a new 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8. Putting out 422 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque, the engine pairs with a 17.7-inch ground clearance (double that of the standard G500) to let the truck approach inclines of up to 54 degrees and run over boulders at unprecedented speeds.
It comes with two-piece wheels designed to clamp down hard on the tires, ensuring it never comes off no matter the scrape you get into, with twin spring-and-damper setups on each wheel, one of which can be electronically adjusted, so it drives just as well in the city as it does over mountainous terrain. Inside, of course, you get reminded that you’re driving a Mercedes, as its decked in Designo leather trim and diamond-quilted microfiber.
You can catch the 2016 Mercedes G 500 4×4 Squared when it debuts at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show.
