SLIDESHOW
The wildest SUVs ever made by mainstream manufacturers
We recently spied a heavily modified Land Rover Defender testing at the Nürburgring, and we reckon it will go on sale as a hardcore variant with flared arches, raised suspension and all-terrain tyres. We believe it will herald a new SVX subbrand, with the likes of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class clearly in its sights. It will join a surprisingly long list of far-out SUVs, including this lot…
DAVID FINLAY
Mercedes-AMG G63 6x6
Despite all the changes made to it, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class is still recognisably derived from the G-Wagen (short for Geländewagen, meaning ‘off-road vehicle’) that was launched way back in 1979. But there have been many interesting developments along the way. The wildest of all was the AMG G63 6x6, which had six driven wheels. With a 5.5-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, it could accelerate from 0-62mph in 6.0sec on the road and presumably not much longer than that on a loose surface. Contrary to Mercedes’ expectations, it found more than 100 customers from 2013 to 2015, each of whom paid nearly £400,000 for the privilege – mostly, we suspect, meaning use in the Middle East.