The facelifted Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG has been revealed at the Beijing motor show in China, with company bosses predicting a surge in sales for the the iconic car, which is expected to now cost around £110,000 in the UK.
"At present 40-50% of G-class sales are AMG models, and we expect that figure to grow with the arrival of the new-look model," said AMG boss Ola Kaellenius in Beijing. "The first reaction from customers has already been quite overwhelming." Typically 100 to 200 G-class's are sold in the UK each year, with 6600 sold globally in 2011.
Flaunting a deep new front bumper with large cooling ducts, a double slat grille, side mounted exhaust pipes exiting ahead of the rear wheels and characteristic five spoke AMG alloy wheels, the G63 AMG enters the Mercedes-Benz line-up as a replacement for the long running G55 AMG.
Power hails from the German car maker’s twin-turbocharged 5.5-litre V8 direct injection petrol engine. It develops 536bhp and a heady 560lb ft of torque – some 43bhp and 44lb ft more than the G55’s old supercharged 5.4-litre V8 powerplant.
The new engine is mated to a contemporary seven speed automatic gearbox, with drive channeled permanently to all four wheels through three separate differentials that can be manually locked from the cabin for added ability in off-road conditions. Unlike other facelifted G-class models, it also receives an automatic stop/start function and brake energy recuperation for added fuel savings.
Mercedes-Benz says the 2500kg-plus G63 AMG will do 0-62mph in 5.4sec, and has confirmed combined average fuel consumption of 20.5mpg and CO2 emissions of 322g/km, which is an improvement on the G55 AMG’s 17.9mpg and 378g/km.
Thanks to: Autocar
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