Mercedes-AMG G 63 first drive review: Active suspension transforms the full-send experience

The all-new Mercedes-AMG G 63 now gets a touch screen! Crazy thing to think that up until now the most iconic, the most expensive, the most desirable SUV in the Mercedes-Benz line-up didn’t have a touch screen! You twirled, fiddled and raged against the decade-old COMAND dial to cycle between maps and music on CarPlay – and that’s provided you first plugged in the cable. 

No longer.

The new G 63 AMG barks and shouts and hurls itself into the touchscreen era. And this really is new. Unlike the trend of today where slapping on a ghastly rear spoiler gives the marketing folk license to murder the very definition of ‘new’, in the case of the ‘new’ G 63 the styling has been left well and truly alone, while the updates are focussed under the skin. Because, frankly, why fix it if it ain’t broke? The entire appeal of the G-Wagen lies in the timeless, boxy, drawn-with-a-ruler hulk of metal and that continues with the new W465-generation. It even retains the exposed door hinges for historical authenticity. Whip out the magnifying glass and you will see larger nostrils at the bottom extremities of the front bumper and, umm, nothing else. The bug-eye indicators, exposed spare wheel, oversized door handles, everything is left unchanged including the bank-vault-like khatank when you shut the door and the locks slam into place. But here’s where the attention to detail comes into play. The door handles might look the same, but they are now in metal, unlike plastic in the past, done to integrate the antennas for keyless entry which finally debuts on the G-Wagen. The panel gaps are also tighter, the gaps between then bumpers, body and wheelarch are filled in and both the visible and perceived build quality goes up several notches.

So how will the world know you’ve bought a “new” G 63 AMG? Mercedes will happily relieve you of wads of the extra cash lining your pocket by offering 39 optional Manufaktur colours (ranging from `5.5 to `10.5 lakh) over the standard eight. On the inside, over the standard nine leather trims you can select from 31 Manufaktur packages ranging from `1.5 to `25 lakh on over test car. 22-inch wheels are standard while (a surprisingly affordable) `1.5 lakh gets you forged wheels. The12.3-inch touchscreen is standard while rear seat entertainment is `4.75 lakh. Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto are finally standard as are a raft of ADAS features with the Technology Package, 18-speaker 760-watt Burmester sound system, and Mercedes’ NGT-7 operating system, the latter also affording the opportunity to integrate the AMG Track Pace app that gives you live telemetry on a bunch of racetracks. More usefully there’s a drag race mode that even has a Christmas Tree countdown timer on the 12.3-inch digital cluster. Paired with Race Start and the G 63 needs no excuse to light its afterburners and take off. Except, it doesn’t take off. 

I don’t mean it doesn’t not go. Of show and go there’s an overabundance. The M177 4-litre V8 is kitted out with twin-scroll turbos, sodium-filled exhaust valves to keep it cool, cylinder heads alloyed with zirconium to dissipate heat, forged aluminium pistons and now, for the first time, mild-hybrid tech that adds a further 20bhp and 250Nm to the already barking mad 577bhp and 850Nm. Deploy the whole shebang in Race Start and the G 63 thunders off to a 0-100kmph time of 4.3 seconds, charging on to a top speed of 220kmph – which can be ramped up to 240kmph if you splash out on the Drivers Pack. 

One disappointment is the chug-chug-explosion-of-thunder-and-brimstone of cranking the engine is gone, in place comes the instant catch courtesy the ISG (integrated starter generator). But once fired up the volcano of noise and fury is ever present; ever so violent.

But it doesn’t take off – in the relative sense – and therein lies the magic of the Active Ride Control suspension, the headline update of this new G 63 and what AMG describes as a significant leap forward in suspension development. This semi-active suspension replaces regular anti-roll bars with an interconnected system of electrohydraulic flow valves. The compression units of the dampers on one side are linked to the rebound units of the dampers on the other side so that when the wheel on one side compresses, the piston within the damper extends upwards and forces hydraulic fluid to the opposite damper to support the rebound. That ensures there is no extreme squat at the rear when accelerating or dive on the nose when braking. 

With 2.6 tonnes squat and dive will of course be there, but what you see on the first page of this story is not even half of what the earlier W463 generation exhibited. Using inputs from the road speed sensors, steering wheel angle, body movement and even driving modes, the system alters the damping force from side to side and front to rear resulting in a dramatic improvement in body control and ride quality.

It’s wild how the suspension defies physics by curbing body roll. Play with the throttle – and you can always play with the throttle because you always have sacks of reserve power – and the nose pushes wide into understeer, immediately pulling back into line when you lift off. Making it squirm on the power while already on the limit of its grip is as hilarious for the driver as it is nerve-jangling for the passenger, but through it all there’s very little actual roll. It no longer wants to tumble down the mountain at the mere suggestion of hotfooting it round the bends. You must recalibrate your brain to the abilities of the suspension, to how much speed you can carry in this gigantic truck, and no longer do you turn half a mile before you get to the corner. There’s now an immediacy and – dare I say it – enthusiasm for corners that was unimaginable in all previous iterations of the G. It’s no Cayenne, but it is no truck either. This is the sweetest handling G I’ve ever driven. Heck, this is even a G that you can take to the racetrack. 

And on the way back, it will cosset your backside because the ride comfort has taken a generational leap forward. With compression and rebound now independently controlled there’s a wider spread of tuning between minimum and maximum damping – which not only means better compliance in comfort but it no longer rattles your dentures loose in Sport +. Replacing the anti-roll bars also delivers a weight saving along with improved wheel articulation and while we didn’t do any off-roading, the off-road potential is also claimed to be dramatically improved with the AMG Active Balance Control, a subset of Active Ride Control, which allows for three different levels of roll. The three big switches for the three locking differentials are retained but are now smaller in size and is integrated into what Mercedes calls the Off Road Cockpit that is mated to a plethora of off-road specific displays that includes geocoordinates and the number of satellites tracking your position. 

Sticking to tarmac the improvements in body control are staggering. I’ve always maintained the G400d to be a better machine than the G 63 – the former didn’t tie itself into knots when you floored it and had far superior ride compliance. But with the active suspension the G 63, on 22s, rides brilliantly. It’s only when you aggressively poke the bear that you feel its ladder-frame underpinnings, but the overall ride comfort is truly remarkable, a new high watermark for body-on-frame engineering. Money being no consideration, you no longer will find me recommending the G 63 over the G400d. Not that I could either because there is no diesel as of now on this new G. And money will really have to be no consideration because this new G 63 costs Rs 3.6 crore, and that’s the base ex-showroom price. Over and above that Mercedes’ dealers will actively encourage you to throw options at it because the G 63 – like a 911 GT3 RS – is a by-invitation automobile. Even before the official launch the first batch of 120 G’s were sold out, and Mercedes are now taking orders for the third quarter of 2025 for a machine that, I must remind you, even tall people will have to climb into, even short people will comment is not very spacious, and which everybody will slam as being way too ostentatious. But hey, you finally get a touch screen.