Driving a Mercedes G-Class is always a memorable experience, but commandeering a tuned G6x6 is something altogether different! We headed to the Franschhoek valley to drive one of the most exciting "cars" to have ever worn the three-pointed star.
Words: Wilhelm Lutjeharms
Images: Ian McLaren
It’s huge… From the moment you lay eyes on the G6x6, it intimidates you. If a pick-up could get miffed and morph into the Hulk, it’d look like this six-wheeler. In fact, it’s such a flabbergasting experience that you cannot help but laugh the first time you walk up it… The Benz’s imposing size and quasi-military stance is unlike that of any other vehicle produced by a mainstream manufacturer.
The story behind the South African G6x6s
Before we set off in the G6x6, its owner quickly fits four Jerry cans to his rare vehicle’s roof rack. When viewed from the front, this G-Class has an almost animalistic appearance – it’s as if the protruding cans resemble a set of horns.
There have been countless rumours regarding the ten G6x6s that came to South Africa, but the owner of this example swiftly clears things up for me. One of the original owners wanted an example, but as G6x6s weren’t available in right-hand drive guise, it was impossible to import one. In the end, Mercedes-Benz South Africa offered its assistance, but there had to be an order for at least 10 units.
Once that requirement had been satisfied, specialist tuner Brabus converted 10 units from left- to right-hand drive and the deliveries were made to South Africa. The existence of these vehicles were kept under wraps initially, but today RHD G6x6es pop up in various places, be it close to a coffee shop… or on farms. In the past, a number of owners have had their 6-wheelers transported to farms where the machines could be enjoyed in manners befitting their design and build.
This specific example is equipped with a number of accessories from the Cape Town-based brand Just Like Papa. The company focuses on outdoor and adventure gear and has developed specific accessories for the G6x6. The main one is the triangular-shaped storage compartment that fits perfectly between the loading bay and the roll-over bars. In the one side compartment, a bottle of whisky and a drinking glass with an ice bucket have been safely mounted, while the other side houses a spade, knife and other outdoor gear. A large axe is mounted atop the roof rack. The accessories can, of course, be customised to an owner’s hearts content.
This G6x6 has also received quite a significant performance upgrade from Wulfchiptegnik in Cape Town. Having acquired a standard G63 AMG’s aftermarket Akrapovič exhaust system, the company designed additional pipes and brackets to make the installation fit on the longer G6x6, a world first at the time.
Secondly, a Stage-2 software update was installed, which resulted in uprated engine outputs of around 500 kW and 1 100 N.m. Of course, it is difficult to determine the exact wheel-horsepower of this Benz… because there is no local dynamometer on which the G6x6 could fit! But, it’s time to put this beast to the test!
Behind the wheel
As we drive up the Franschhoek Pass I’m still in the passenger seat, the G’s size dwarfs everything else on the road, save for commercial multi-axle trucks. On the other side of the pass I climb up to the driver’s seat and position myself behind the wheel. I immediately feel slightly more commanding and powerful than I did just 30 seconds before that – is this how a national leader would feel when he stands upright in an open-top limo to wave to the masses?
In the G6x6 you obviously sit higher than in a standard G63, while your side mirrors are filled with those significant double 37-inch tyres on either side. Located on the roof are an array of switches, among which are those that can initiate the inflation and deflation of the tyres… on the fly! Below the carbon-fibre rear wheel arches, the 20-litre gas-pressured canisters and piping that facilitate this trick are clearly visible.
The pressure in the tyres can be raised from 0.5 bar (for sand driving) to 1.8 bar (for road use) in less than 20 seconds. Otherwise, the interior has the same lofty level of fit and finish and feeling of solidity we’ve experienced in the previous-generation G-Class. There is also no trace whatsoever that this was originally a LHD car was converted to RHD.
I take a quick look at the trip computer, the current average fuel consumption for this tank of fuel is sitting at 22 litres per 100 km, which the owner admits is only achieved if you drive the car in a very civilised manner. This is partly the reason why there is an extra 63-litre fuel tank, which hikes the overall capacity to 159 litres.
This owner has not used his G6x6 too sparingly: the odometer indicated 8 000 km at the time of the drive. It has sailed over sand dunes, been taken on farm excursions and just the next day another magazine writer would get the chance to play with it.
I put the starter key in the ignition, turn it and the moment the engine bursts to life, a pure, now near-legendary, AMG exhaust soundtrack rumbles from those ostentatious exhaust tips located on either side of the Benz.
As I pull into the road I can’t help but grin at the melange of a typical V8 AMG burble and the high-pitched whistles emitted by the motor’s turbochargers. In this configuration, the forced-induction 5.5-litre V8 sounds much more intense than other 63-series cars (powered by the same engine) I have driven before.
Even when pottering around in top gear and with the rev needle indicating only 1 500 rpm, the urgent sounds permeate the cabin and constantly remind you about the power, torque – and footprint of the car you are driving. I can’t help but feel like a movie star while ensconced behind the wheel, but at the same time, I want to tackle the nearest gravel road for an off-road jaunt like no other.
I gently increase the throttle pressure and the Graz-built behemoth quickly builds speed. Plant your right foot and it powers down the road like no 4-tonne machine ought to. Of course, it is not as nimble (if you can ever call a G-Wagen that) nor responsive as a standard G63, but it is still mightily impressive; the manner in which the engine revs and behaves is nearly identical to the standard G63 model with the same engine, which is undoubtedly helped by the fact that it produces higher outputs.
As we make our way back to the Huguenot town of Franschhoek, it is hard not to notice how the general public reacts to this truck. People stop and stare and cars scurry out of your way as soon as their drivers see the G6x6 bear down on them.
As it is still early in the morning, there is fortunately ample parking space in front of our favourite breakfast restaurant. I ask the owner if I could try and parallel park it – which is surely on the must-do list when you drive a G6x6!
Although it’s longer than a standard G (5.87 metres in all), it is only marginally more difficult to park. The high perch and the vehicle’s boxy shape certainly help.
With enough space between the rubber and the kerb, the G easily fills a pair of parallel parking bays and nearly blocks the sun for most of the outside tables on the pavement – after all, it is nearly 2.3 metres tall and 2.1 metres wide.
Over the next half hour, throngs of townsfolk – young and old, male and female – whip out their ‘phones to photograph the outlandish G6x6. People stop and ask questions about the burly Benz and what it is like to drive… Had we arrived in any sportscar, irrespective of age or brand, this would not have been the case.
The end to an unforgettable day
It has been a special few hours in the presence of a rare beast – a marvelous oddity, if you will. By and large, the sheer joy the G6x6 evokes when you’re twirling its tiller can be ascribed to the way it looks and those double rear axles.
The modern-day success of the Geländewagen can be attributed to several social and market-related factors – the V12-engined G65 existed because Gulf-based enthusiasts asked for it and Mercedes-Benz was initially persuaded to build the range in RHD guise to fulfil an order from the Australian Defence Force.
Something similar happened in the case of the G6x6: enthusiasts wanted to drive and experience a car unlike anything else, and that’s precisely what they got.
When we were children, we played with toys that had ridiculously large wheels. Think about scale-model Monster Trucks, which we imagined could jump over or crash into anything in their sight: the G6x6 is the realisation of our boyhood dreams.
Hopefully when the board members of Mercedes-Benz decide on the future of the company’s products, such as the G-Class, they will never lose their sense of humour when it comes to green-lighting these otherworldly, imaginative cars.
Specifications: *
Model: Mercedes-AMG G63 6x6
Engine: 5.5-litre, V8, turbopetrol
Power: 400 kW at 5 500 rpm
Torque: 760 N.m at 2 000 rpm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic
Weight: 3 850 kg
0-100 km/h: 8.1 seconds
Top Speed: 161 km/h
Produced: 2013 – 2015
* Standard vehicle