Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG : Road Test

The G-Wagen, or Gelandewagen as it is officially named, started out as a complete off roading machine. Mercedes-Benz built it for the German armed forces and as with any military vehicle, it was designed to take on the harshest of terrain and remain rather trouble free. A civilian version was introduced a couple years after the G-Class first made its debut, and it too displayed the same level of ruggedness and ‘go anywhere’ ability. The G Wagen has been around since the 70s and though it has received upgrades over the years, it still remains the ultimate off roading machine that is sought after by anyone and everyone who wishes to tour the world, go lion spotting in the Savannah or drive up Mount Everest! The G-Wagen’s reliability has grown to legendary heights and it commands an imposing presence as it drives by.

There is no doubting the fan following garnered by the G Wagen over the years and in order to cater to the growing demand, Mercedes-Benz has toyed with the vehicle to make it more exciting and usher in a level of performance and sheer ludicrousness through their AMG subsidiary. The latest incarnation of the G Wagen is the G55 AMG. Considered to be the most powerful G Class vehicle yet, it boasts of having performance figures that one would normally find associated with sportscars and it can still handle the rough.

In terms of design, the G55 AMG is not set to win any beauty contests. It’s a boxy design that hasn’t really changed over the last 30 odd years and here in India people associate its design with the Mahindra Bolero or the Tempo Trax Judo. Incidentally, the Tempo Trax is inspired by the G Wagen, but that is a different story. The G55 AMG however does get heads to turn, for those in the know, definitely value its ability and performance over its design and that is what makes it rather appealing. It is a point of contention and there are enthusiasts who argue about the fact that the G Wagen should have evolved in design like the Range Rover did, however Mercedes-Benz obviously had different plans and continued to develop the vehicle in terms of performance and ability and less on aesthetics. Possibly the only aesthetic touch to the exterior comes from the AMG package which are the neat 19 inch alloys which do make the heart skip a beat.

The interiors on the G55 AMG speak the same language as the exterior with the ‘in-your-face’ boxy dashboard. No doubt, being a Mercedes-Benz, it comes with a class fit and finish and enough leather to keep the loyalists happy, however there are elements that also lend to being an ergonomical disaster. Firstly, the vehicle is a little cramped from the inside. After all it was designed to be a fast action military vehicle, and not a tuxedo wearing dude’s slick mobile. If that wasn’t enough, there are more than enough buttons to confuse the hell out of the driver before he gets going. I strongly recommend reading the complete manual before driving off in a G55 AMG for you just might initiate some process while fiddling with the sheer amount of electronics on board. Going back to the space crunch, the G55 AMG doesn’t have much on offer and you are better off being in the front seats. The rear bench is a squeeze for a tall person and best avoided if you can.

Despite its boxy utilitarian looks, the G55 AMG does possess a trump card and that lies under the hood. Powering this beast is a 5439cc V8 supercharged petrol engine that churns out 507 horse power at 6100 rpm and a gut wrenching torque of 700Nm between 2750-4000 rpm. Mated to a five speed automatic gearbox, this SUV can catapult itself from 0-100km/h in just 5.5 seconds and reach a governed top speed of 210km/h, which, if you were to ask me, is rather impressive for something that has the coefficient of drag comparable to a large concrete block. 

Fire up the engine and you are greeted with an amazing roar. Suddenly the boxy looks and the slightly cramped interiors are forgotten. It’s a sweet roar of a V8 that has the ability to immediately plaster a smirk across your face, for not only are you inside a vehicle that is built like a battle tank; you also have a superpowered engine to smoke the competition with. Yes, the G 55 AMG makes you feel rather possessed and all it took was the engine. Those AMG guys really know their business! Slot the gear lever into drive and as you step on the accelerator to unleash all hell, you will definitely feel blessed being behind the wheel. The linear rush is something that no other SUV can offer. All of them boast of too much technology, yet here is a hybrid in terms of old school design meeting new high powered engine. This unique marriage does toss in a few issues which is exactly why the G55 AMG is so hard to understand as a vehicle.

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To start with, the steering wheel is slightly overservo-ed, so the result is a feather light steering wheel which can be unnerving on fast corners. The suspension set up has been retuned, but it still is essentially designed to be suited to an off-roader rather than a performance machine. The rigid suspension allows for decent handling, however ride quality isn’t a forte on the G55 AMG. The age old set up of body on chassis design also hampers cornering ability. All these aspects make you wonder as to why would you try and make one of the world’s best off-roaders in to a performance street machine?

On the other hand, the G55 AMG also loses out on its off roading capabilities. Though it still comes packed to the hilt with gizmos and gadgetry to allow it to traverse over some rather tough terrain, which includes the three differential locks, the G55 AMG does however ride on rather large alloys and therefore rather thin rubber. Of course this is necessary to cater to the handling, especially with all that power at your disposal. Next, the aesthetic touch of having the exhaust pipes come out on the side, right before the rear tyres is neat, very street drag  inspired, however they would most probably be crushed in any major off roading exercise. One might argue that the wheels can be changed, but the fact remains that this vehicle was conceived to be something else.

The final nail in the head is the fact that the G55 AMG is priced above 1.1 Crore Rupees in India. At that price, I highly doubt anyone would take this vehicle off the tarmac, and on the other hand, I also highly doubt anyone would drive this around on Indian streets at speeds in excess of 150km/h. It is in this statement however that the code to decoding the G55 AMG exists. With the rich getting richer in India and the need for new toys being on constant demand, the G55 AMG lives up to being the ultimate rich man’s toy. It’s got a macho stance, a military heritage, its powerful, its menacing and it’s fast. Thanks to its design, people will definitely jump out of its way and as long as you are in the driver’s seat this vehicle promises to be a blast. It will never go off-roading, so the exhaust pipes and low profile tyres don’t matter.

The G55 AMG is a statement in pedigree and it just so happens to be built for those who wish to tell their friends what this machine is capable of doing, yet never really give them a live demo. Moreover it has a bad boy image associated with it. It possesses you and makes you feel almost invincible. It is a vehicle that is individual. It can’t be associated with people movers, and neither can it be struck off as an old 4x4 machine. The G55 AMG has its appeal written in its DNA as the G Wagen, however in its AMG avatar, it is not set to fight battles but is destined to be the ultimate club hopper that shall always be polished, kept clean and those neat 19 inch AMG alloys should just shine bright in the street light as this pristine performance SUV rolls by in the dark of the night.