Hey guys, I’m Jessi Combs.
Not only am I a custom automotive metal fabricator, I am the fastest woman on four wheels,
I’ve won numerous extreme offroad races, and a whole bunch more adventures.
But there’s one thing that I don't normally do
and that’s take fancy legendary offroad vehicles in the dirt,
especially the brand-new Mercedes-Benz G-Class.
Now, this just happens to be one of the very few cars in the world
that has looked practically the same for the last 40 years.
But now, it’s been totally reinvented from the inside out.
So today, I am going to take it for a drive.
I’m gonna go down the design checklist, I’m gonna test its onroad driving skills,
and do some offroad driving challenges –
and I’m really excited about it.
But now, I gotta get off this rock first.
Let's go four-wheeling!
But first, let’s take a look at the classic distinctive characteristics that are still in place,
starting with the true, rugged off-road character and its signature boxy silhouette,
the iconic indicator lights,
the exposed rear wheel,
and, of course, the sound of the slamming door,
and... the locking locks.
But the new generation also features great innovative elements,
such as new LED headlamp technology,
optionally multibeam LED headlamps.
Mercedes-Benz is also offering a new variety of rims.
And now the AMG, where the German engineers have created a hardcore version of the G-Class:
bigger, stronger, and even cooler.
Of course, it features the AMG specific grille, the AMG bumper
with large air inlets, dual sidepipe exhaust,
and as a result, the G-Class has combined
iconic and innovative features to make its outstanding character even bolder.
This unique flair carries on to the inside.
While many design details have been here for decades,
new interior elements are inspired by features from the exterior design.
But the real revolution is the widescreen cockpit.
Two displays blending into one is the most prominent thing.
You have the ability to change your displays
and you can even change your lighting.
In the new AMG steering wheel, you have touch control buttons.
And because the car got longer and wider, you have more room in the cabin –
in all of the seats.
This new AMG G 63, which is perfect for all who like it sportier and shinier,
also comes with outstanding improvements for engine power and much, much more.
You wanna go for a ride?
I love coming to the South of France, especially in this Perpignan area, it’s so pretty.
It happens to be a very historic location for the G-Class as well:
Back in 1990, the first model row 463 was presented to the press here.
And now, 28 years later, the biggest difference
in this generation is enormously improved ride comfort and road handling.
Mercedes-AMG has a motto: one man, one engine.
Which means, there's one engineer per engine.
They even autograph it, giving it a much more personal touch.
This one offers a 4.0-litre V8-biturbo engine,
offering 585 PS, which sounds great,
even from inside the car.
The G 63 is rear-biased all-wheel-drive, like the G 500.
You can accelerate aggressively, even from a standstill,
putting more traction to the ground, using all of that massive torque.
And the nine-speed automatic AMG Speedshift transmission shifts very quickly,
getting you up to speed very smoothly.
There are different driving options. My favourite is Sport+,
where it instantly kicks in stability control, making the car more agile
and way more fun to drive.
Plus, there’s three different off-road driving options as well.
All of this makes the G 63 unsurpassed in direct ground connection
to the pavement as well as to off-road terrain.
Now, one would think that driving a car this big on narrow streets in France would be complicated
but thanks to the 360° camera and all of the sensors everywhere, it’s no problem.
I'm determined to show you what the G-Class is capable of,
so I'm back in the G 500 for some off-road challenges.
Now, this is some pretty rough terrain but it’s actually a comfortable ride
because of the new independent front suspension.
While we still have the solid rear axle,
the front now works independently from each other, making it very smooth.
We now have a ground clearance of 27 cm and an approach angle of 31 degrees,
meaning that mastering an incline of 45 degrees: no problem.
Alright, I’m shifting into neutral, so I can actually activate the low range.
That’ll give us a gear ratio reduction of 1:3,
meaning that we have one third the speed, yet three times the torque.
So our wheels are gonna be turning much, much slower.
We have a shorter transmission ratio,
which means that we’re just gonna have much more control at slower speeds.
Alright, we’re reaching an area where we’re gonna need to lock in our diffs
and we wanna do this before we actually reach the obstacle
because you don’t wanna do it when the wheels are spinning.
And if we do, it’s a maximum of walking speed, and that’s it.
Now, we have three differentials to choose from.
First: We gotta lock the center diff.
That’s gonna send the power to both the front and the rear axles.
And then, we have the rear differential lock.
That’s gonna send the power to the left and to the right at the same time.
Same thing with the front axle,
which we’re gonna need for this particular obstacle.
Alright, now, we wanna approach very slowly and very steadily.
You don’t wanna have too much momentum
or you’re gonna lose traction and stability.
And if you don’t have enough speed,
you’re not gonna make it over the obstacle.
So momentum is definitely key here.
You don’t wanna steer too much, or you’re gonna get yourself in a position that’s very uncomfortable.
So, minimal steering input.
Okay, now, before approaching the top,
what’s cool about this car is you can use the camera surround
so you can actually see what’s up there instead of just looking at the sky.
Alright, now we’ve made it over the obstacle.
Everything is good and I like to unlock my front diffs,
because what’s happening is that when you make a turn, normally,
you have a tighter turn on the inside and a longer turn on the outside.
So when you lock the diffs, they’re turning at the same time, so it makes it a little bit complicated,
so I just like to disengage them.
Are you ready for the descend? Because this is pretty cool.
The G-Class can drive down unwalkable hills nice and smooth.
All you gotta do is put it into manual first gear
and the car will do engine braking for you. So my feet are not on the pedals,
I don’t have to control it, it just senses when it needs to stop.
If you feel a little uncomfortable and need to slow down more,
you can always put your foot on the brake pedal and create a nice braking wedge
and work on your own speed. Just like so.
Look at that: I can trust the car... look, my feet.
I’m not even touching the pedals, it’s just doing it for me, this is crazy.
A typical situation when off-roading is driving through mud.
Now, we have standard all-terrain tyres on this car
which is all you really need.
Now, before getting in the mud, you wanna make sure that you activate your low range,
your centre diff and your rear diff.
Now, if you think that you’re gonna need your front differential as well, that’s totally OK.
The main thing is that we wanna distribute all of the power to the wheels
as evenly as possible so we can get maximum torque.
Now, when approaching the mud puddle, you wanna go nice and steady.
Don’t go too fast, don’t go too slow.
If the car starts slowing down in the middle of the mud puddle,
gently accelerate. If you try to slam on the throttle,
you’re gonna be spinning mud all over the place and not going anywhere.
So just take it nice and easy, momentum is also key here.
Now, you can find the ruts and you can actually drive up alongside the ruts to try and gain traction.
We’re almost through the mud puddle here and...
and we’re through.
After the mud puddle, you wanna make sure you dry your wet brakes
by tapping gently on the brake pedal.
Mercedes-Benz suggests that you clean your car, you know, get all those mud chunks off.
It’s totally up to your discretion... but I have a different way of doing things.
The funnest way to get the mud off the car is to drive through deep water.
And Mercedes-Benz has increased the water depth to 70 cm in the G-Class.
Now, before you take the plunge, I highly suggest to test the depth of the water with a stick.
Move cautiously. There might be crocodiles in here!
Holy moly, this is squishy.
So far, so good. I think we’ll be alright.
Let’s go for it.
Now, when driving through deep water,
it is very important to go slow and steady.
No more than 10 km/h.
But make sure you don’t come to a standstill
or that wave is gonna come up behind you.
This is so crazy... no snorkles or nothing.
Alright, and remember: When you exit the water, your brakes are gonna be wet,
so they’re not gonna function like normal.
So tap your brakes to dry them off...
a few times...
and it’s as easy as that.
I knew these little legends had off-road capabilities.
But I had no idea of the level of the power and the possibilities,
especially with this new modern technology.
I mean, you can do so much crazy stuff with these.
And they perform so well.
I mean, if I had to choose between one or the other, I don’t think I could pick.
But I do know that I would always be riding in style.
Because, as we all know, the G-Class is stronger than time.
Thanks for coming along for the ride!
So, I’m probably gonna need something to sit on,
because I can’t take my pants off right now.