Originally engineered for military use, we’ve always found the upscale Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV to be something of an acquired taste. Somehow being belligerently bold and sublimely sedate at the same time, the powerful and eminently off-road capable SUV has always struck us as looking like the postal delivery vehicle for some exclusive gated community.
Though U.S. sales were not initially in the company’s plans, Mercedes has decided to enliven the G-Class line for…we’re not sure who, exactly…with the outrageous G550 4x4² beginning this fall. The “squared” part of the name doesn’t refer to its shape, which remains entirely angular, but to its innovative drivetrain that’s designed to afford uncanny off-road abilities. That is, for adventurous owners who choose to subject a vehicle that will likely be priced around or in excess of $200,000 to the rigors of the least hospitable terrain imaginable.
Sadly, this is not the beyond-reason AMG G63 6x6 we first reported on back in 2013 that rides on three axles and sports a small pickup bed behind the passenger compartment – sort of like the illicit six-wheeled love child of an old Hummer H1 and a Chevrolet Avalanche. (That version was originally developed for the Australian army, but eventually found its way into M-B showrooms abroad, and into the fleets of the fabulously wealthy, with some probably used in the protection of said owners against kidnappers, assassins and outright insurrection.)
We suspect few owners will actually hightail the hot new Gelaendewagen, as it’s known in Germany, deep into the wilderness, but its exclusivity among a sea of Teslas and S-Classes in a crowded country club parking lot is all but assured. Especially if it’s specified in the eccentric electric yellow exterior treatment Mercedes is showing it in press photos. Most G-Wagons we’ve ever seen were cast in assorted hues of gray or black.
Beneath its brawny bodywork, the G550 4x4² is built on a robust ladder frame and packs the same 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged gasoline-fueled V8 and seven-speed automatic transmission that otherwise resides in the standard G550. It generates a sufficiently stirring 416 horsepower with 450 pound feet of torque, though it's out-slugged in that regard by the line’s AMG versions, with 563 horses in the G63 and 621 in the top G65 version.
But it’s the G550 4x4²s unrelenting off-road abilities – with hardware borrowed from the aforementioned 6x6 (good for bragging rights in certain circles, if nothing else) – that sets it apart from its boxy bread wagon-shaped brethren.
Here, a pair of so-called portal axles that can raise the truck’s driveline up and off center of the wheels. It utilizes a series of gears to channel the engine’s power from the vehicle’s rigid axles downward to the wheel hubs. This enables a maximum 17-inch ground clearance, making it nearly eight inches taller than a standard G550 (shorter riders may want to being a step stool when the G is high on its haunches). In addition to enhancing the G’s off-road prowess, the added height and a wider track (over 9" in the front and 10" in the rear) gives the Teutonic truck a more aggressive on-road appearance.
The G550 4x4² also rides on assertive off-road tires and an adaptive suspension with dual springs, damper struts, adjustable shocks, and dual stabilizer bars to help maintain what Mercedes’ press information graciously calls “sporty performance” on paved roads, while keeping the ride as smooth as could be expected while crawling over rocks and ruts.
For the benefit of stat-happy off-roaders, the G550 4x4² has a maximum approach angle of 51.6 degrees and a maximum departure angle of 43.8 degrees, compared to 30 degrees for either in the standard version, with a breakover angle at 47.4 degrees (versus 24 degrees) and a fording depth of 39.4 inches (it’s 23.6 inches in the base model). Torque split is fixed at a 50:50 torque distribution between the front and rear axles. No less than three differentials (front, rear, and center) can be locked in low-range mode, which enables the vehicle to keep moving relentlessly forward even if only one wheel gains traction.
The 4x4² is otherwise equipped and appointed like a standard G-Class, which means passengers are treated to a full range of amenities in a roomy and comfortable cabin that’s an odd combination of the posh and purposeful.
No word yet on exactly how many G550 4x4² units Mercedes expects to sell to NBA stars and other expressively affluent aficionados, or how much they will cost, but in Europe it sells for the equivalent of $219,000, with that “High-Gloss Electric Beam” yellow paint treatment adding another 20 grand to the sticker price.
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