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by J A M E S G E N T

P H O T O G R A P H Y b y A RU N . M . N A I R

Not since the lunatic three-axle G 63 6x6 has Mercedes offered its customers such a mental off-road weapon. But can

it live up to the hype? We put the G500 4x42 to the test on a ‘nil by road’ thrash at Fossil Rock

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SQUAREDOFF

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Above: Honestly, who even needs two axles.... Right: Though the Designo leather package impresses, our man is still not convinced by the tight G-Wagen cabin design

T’S AS I MAKE THE CREST THAT THE whole world seems to disappear from under me.

You join evo at Fossil Rock, a stone’s throw from both the Hatta mountains and the Sharjah border.

A hub for off-road fanatics across the region, Fossil Rock and the neighbouring Jebel Maleihah stretch

from the main highway at its northern most point to Mount Alvaah at the south, a mix of rocky outcrop

and undulating desert sand untainted by track or road. It’s ideal 4x4 terrain, offering both stunning landscape and dicey, technical climbs where a deflated tyre out of place can lead to a barrel roll with terrifying ease. Top to bottom off-piste, it’s the perfect test of any off-road machine, including the Mercedes-Benz G500 4x42 here today.

And so far, our ‘nil by road’ adventure has been going well. We’re several kilometres in, and as the sun begins to

dip in the sky, the desert sands – now tinged a gentle shade of orange – are starting to stretch ever more beautifully out in front of us. Even the Mercedes 4x42 is getting into the spirit, bouncing effortlessly from one dune to the next without need of towrope, support car intervention, or casual swearing from yours truly.

But one particular summit about 8km in has a surprise for me. It’s taller and considerably steeper than those we’ve traversed so far, requiring a longer run up and far more ‘grunt’ on the climb. And while the run itself is a one-shotter, as the three-pointed nose peaks its way over the crest, I’m met not with a gentle decline into the valley below, but a windscreen of blue sky and, from my perspective at least, a vertical drop straight into the centre of the earth. This is it. I’m going to roll…

Strange how the mind works in such scenarios. My

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thoughts turn not to the loved ones, precious items or magazine subscriptions I’ll leave behind, but to the ambition of today’s shoot. Why not a quick blast on the off(ish)-road scrubland by evo GHQ, where both the horizon and police rescue are within easy reach? Why the more ambitious journey into the ominously titled Fossil Rock where the sweeping sands and only occasional landmarks can leave one quickly disorientated (especially considering our SatNav is still in German)? It seemed a solid plan at the time: here is a production ready version of Mercedes’ most ambitious off-road weapon since the mental, three-axled AMG G63 6x6, and the latest evolution of the company’s wildly popular G-Class SUV. Why wouldn’t we put Mercedes’ anointed ‘overcomer of everything’ to a real test?

Fortunately disaster is averted less by the slightly-panicked idiot at the controls, and more by the 4x42’s enormous approach and descent angles, half a metre of ground clearance, and some truly massive R22 tyres that – mercifully – decide against digging into the soft sand. The crawl down is torturously long, but successful: the Mercedes has barely broken sweat, but it’s a few moments before my heart – and various other body parts – stop quivering. Photographer Arun and evo colleague Tony Sidgwick, having watched the action from our Jeep Wrangler support vehicle, comment on the colour I’ve turned…

Truth be told, my faith in the G500 4x42 should have been more absolute. This is not the first time I’ve put this behemoth to the test, having sampled the ‘near-series show car’ shortly before its conceptual debut in Geneva two years ago. On the road it was a Mercedes, but on the rough stuff, it was an unstoppable force of nature, and while the company was reticent about plans for the 4x42, it was no surprise that, following positive feedback, a limited production run was green lit just six months later.

Simply standing next to this goliath makes you realise how monumental a build the 4x42 truly is. At the heart lies a 2850mm wheelbase from the series-production G-Class, although donations from its 1979 forebear end with the ladder-type frame, familiar boxy styling and ‘G500’ badge. The port axles have been ripped straight from the

‘I’M MET NOT WITH A VERTICAL DROP STRAIGHT INTO THE CENTRE

OF THE EARTH. THIS IS IT. I’M GOING TO ROLL…’

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G63 6x6, as has the all-wheel drive configuration, three differential locks, and the powertrain. More on that later, since the axle geometry deserves closer inspection.

Unlike conventional off-roaders, the wheels are mounted not at the height of the axle centre, but much lower, near the axle heads. Consequently, on wheels 4in larger than a series-production G-Class, the ground clearance is more than double (450mm versus 210mm) as are approach and descent angles (52 and 54-degrees versus 36 and 27), and the 4x42 will comfortably ford in up to a metre of water. It’s an off-road prowess hitherto unseen from Mercedes, and the largest production premium SUV you can buy today: it dwarves Tony’s Wrangler, and at 2.25m tall, the 4x42 towers over a 1.8m Range Rover. There’s even an option of off-road specific 37 x 12.5 x 18 MT tyres should you really wish to make the great outdoors your biatch.

Mercedes is adamant though that the jacked-up beast should not be considered just an off-road weapon. Two-way damping offers both ‘Comfort’ and ‘Sport’ modes, the latter for added road holding, while the wider track – 299mm over the standard G-Class – has been incorporated for improved cornering stability. With an almost sarcastic pinch of salt on-hand, Mercedes suggests occupants ‘feel as though they are in a sports car rather than a cross-country vehicle’ when the 4x42 hits the asphalt.

Bollocks? Yeah, pretty much. Admittedly the 4-litre biturbo V8, lifted from the AMG GT S, can shift impressively. Featuring the same ‘hot inside V’ build for optimum engine response, said V8 punches out 416bhp and a mighty 450lb ft of torque to get the near-3000kg beast hauling. There’s a sprightliness rather than outright aggressive sprint off the line accompanied by a deep, resonating yowl from the side-mounted exhaust pipes, which is undercut by the slightest higher-pitched turbocharged wail the further into the high rpms you creep. Acceleration thereafter is progressive rather than brutal, but remains mightily impressive nonetheless.

But through the corners? Sure, the sport-styled suspension offers considerably more body control than one might expect from a 7.5ft tall 4x4. Yes, the widened track does compensate well for the high gait, and there’s an engaging progressiveness to the handling that allows one to tackle corners with more authority than expected: even the nose will tuck in if properly motivated. But performance will always be limited by the 4x42’s scale and weight, plus that lofty centre of gravity. Impressive manoeuvrability, certainly, but a sports car the G500 really ain’t. Back to Fossil Rock.

Breathing reasonably back to normal, we mount up again for the yet-further hazardous stretch towards Mount Alvaah, where the height and difficulty of the dunes increases. As the more experienced 4x4-smith of our group, Tony volunteers to take the lead in the Wrangler, and I graciously accept. I’m not overly keen to repeat my cliff-dive – the gentlemen at the nearby Al Batayeh military camp may have a few things to say should my attempts go awry – and while I’ve little reason to doubt the Wrangler’s fortitude on the rough stuff, I doubt even it could tow the near-three ton 4x42 out of the sand, should its axles somehow get beached.

My mind now slightly further at ease gives me the

Above: Three separate differential locks, none of which are required during our run. Right: Little sister to the three-axle 6x6, the 2.25m-tall 4x42 is no less mental Below: These massive R22s are not even the MT off-road options

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‘THE 4X42 WILL COMFORTABLY FORD IN UP TO A METRE OF WATER,

OFF-ROAD PROWESS HITHERTO UNSEEN FROM MERCEDES’

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opportunity to soak in the cabin’s surroundings. And quite honestly, I’m not that impressed. Compared with the beefy, carbon fibre detailed exterior, the interior is almost comically tight, and distinctly old-world in its design. The G500 base offers plenty of headroom, certainly, but little leeway for either shoulders or legs. With the admittedly supportive seat as far back on its runners as it will go, I still feel uncomfortably close to the steering wheel (I should be grateful the elegantly slim dashboard isn’t any larger, or I’d be in real trouble). A mesh net between the rear seats and cavernous boot space makes rear visibility difficult, as does the limited rear three-quarter view over both shoulders. There’s one foldaway cup holder in the passenger footwell, so dispose of coffee mugs before you embark. Even the button-heavy centre console makes its return.

There is a degree of added refinement courtesy of the Designo leather trim, cut to tailored perfection around the dashboard and diamond-edged seating. There’s just – JUST – enough carbon fibre detailing around the transmission tunnel to add a dash of sportiness without going over the top. But overall comfort is compromised: excessive wind noise and a too-jostling ride through those knobbly tyres dent the on-road comfort too. Granted there’s only so much polish the cumbersome G-Wagen cabin can take, but considering that the $236,500 4x42 costs $126K more than a standard G500, it’s a big sticking point.

My Designo musings take a backseat when, up front, the Wrangler digs in on a hefty incline, and rather than turn Tony’s chest hair white by barrelling in after him, I

take a detour over a crest. And immediately encounter another sharp decline.

The affect it has on me this time is very different. Once again I’m met with that stunningly luminous surface rising up towards the windscreen, and once again, the 4x42 barely bats a restyled eyelid. The tyre grip makes me wonder why the off-road equivalents are required at all, the wheels pulling with almost nonchalant disinterest across the softest surfaces and steepest of inclinations. And the confidence they imbue is beyond astonishing. Once or twice, Tony gets his approach angle askew, the wheels spinning before he can adjust accordingly. In the Merc, those voluminous tyres continue to dig almost impatiently, the all-wheel drive feeding power and traction like an intravenous drip. At no point do the axles come anywhere close to scrubbing the surface, nor do I have to lock the diffs. It’s sensational, the sense of unstoppable momentum that comes with every climb, and the comparative ease with which each can be accomplished. This 'overcomer of everything' really is beginning to feel unstoppable.

It’s a confidence encouraged by the steering feel. Bizarrely, alongside anchorage ports for the axles and gear ratios, the steering connection has not been modified over the existing G500, meaning there’s plenty of (hydraulically operated) weight at the helm and more than enough poise to place the front end easily and without trepidation, even on the loose stuff. Admittedly on the road the feel is slightly less confidence-inspiring, the

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Mercedes-Benz G500 4x42

Engine V8, twin turbo, 3982cc Power 416bhp @ 5,250-5,500rpm Torque 450lb ft @ 2,250-4,700rpm Transmission Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, four-wheel drive Wheels 9.5 J x 22 (front and rear) Tyres 325/55 R 22 (front and rear)

Weight 2996kg Power-to-weight 139bhp/ton 0-100kph 7.4secs Top speed N/A Basic price $236,500

evo rating:;;;;4

‘IT’S SENSATIONAL, THE SENSE OF UNSTOPPABLE MOMENTUM THAT

COMES WITH EVERY CLIMB’

response somewhat lacking, and feel through the column pretty much dead at the centre. It’s a rate of response though that allows you to tuck the nose in with relative ease, even if some anticipatory driving is also needed: hit a tree and, yes, Mother Nature will come off worse, but that's some expensive paint you'll scratch.

There are though a few instances where my confidence starts to sink. The seven-speed automatic shifts smoothly, but with less vigour than expected when connected to a biturbo V8. Its lethargic nature means you’ll need to wait a beat between a pull of the surprisingly heavy paddle shifter and the gear being selected. Mistime it, and there’s a graunch that rocks the cabin as the system attempts to prevent the revs from red-lining, which in turn switches the traction control back on, rather annoyingly. Keep the revs around their 5000rpm bubble though and the V8 will not disappoint. Even despite the near-three ton kerb weight, the 4x42 feels muscular from the off. There’s plenty left in reserve, but such is the strength of that power and solid spread of low-end torque, it really won’t be required. Once again, it all feels so easy.

The sun has dipped further as the highway hoves into view (just as well, since we can’t find the switch for the roof-mounted high beams). There’s only a couple of dunes to cross before we’re back on the road, but since they offer no challenge – my confidence knocking hubris squarely in the jaw – we take a quick five while Arun sets up his final money shot. Behind us stretches swathes of open desert, the last dying shades of sunlight casting a dramatic pall

over the landscape. Were mechanical sentience possible, I swear the Mercedes would be shrugging sarcastically at it.

Part of the reasoning behind today’s route was the drama that would unfold, throwing a $237K premium 4x4 into some of the most technical off-road terrain our region has to offer. Terrain that the Mercedes has blitzed. There’s been no buried axles, no dug in wheels, no real occasion where the 4x42 has been anything other than flawless on the sand, despite several heart-palpitating moments. Everything, from the deep reservoir of torque and power, nimble manoeuvrability, lunatic levels of ground clearance, and wrecking ball-like momentum, has built my confidence so high that I genuinely wonder what terrain could blight the 4x42, nannying traction control or otherwise.

Such are the compromises when it comes to performance SUVs of course that, regardless of terrain, civility can often suffer. The 4x42 is no exception, since the cabin is too tight, too cluttered, too out-dated, and inundated with excessive wind noise and choppy ride comfort. Elements that would normally scupper a top drawer evo review, but not in this instance. Off-road, there truly is nothing that can stand in its way, and while the aptly sized price tag means hardcore off-roaders may yet remain loyal to Jeep, Toyota and/or Nissan, the versatility of Mercedes’ 4x42 is impossible not to admire. It truly has proven itself to be absolutely, totally and truly astonishing.

Admittedly we still have half a click to complete before we’re back on the road. But in possibly the greatest Mercedes 4x4 ever created, I doubt we’ll have much trouble. L

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