2025 Mercedes-Benz G550 and G63 First Look: The Boxy Brutes Go Hybrid
The luxurious off-roaders might look the same, but there are some significant changes under the skin.
You’ll need sharp eyes to spot the differences between the 2025 Mercedes-Benz G-Class and its still-newish predecessor, which launched in 2018. There is some detail aerodynamic work here, some slightly different trim there, redesigned alloy wheels, and a new exterior color or two. But under the G-wagen's skin, the differences are electrifying. Literally. That’s because both the stealth-wealth Mercedes-Benz G550 and the swaggering Mercedes-AMG G63 now have mild-hybrid powertrains under their angular hoods.
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In the case of the G63, it’s the 577-hp, 627-lb-ft version of AMG’s versatile M177 twin-turbo V-8 used in the current model, now with a 48-volt integrated starter-generator that adds an extra 20 hp and as much as 148 lb-ft on demand. Mercedes claims that with the optional AMG Performance Package fitted, the 5,820-pound mild-hybrid G63 will stampede to 60 mph in about 4.1 seconds, four-tenths of second quicker than the previous, non-hybrid model and hit a top speed of 149 mph.
The G550’s mild-hybrid powertrain represents a complete break with the past. Gone from under the hood is the M176 4.0-liter turbocharged V-8, an engine Mercedes-Benz has long wanted to ditch but stubbornly kept alive by demand from American dealers. In its place is the smooth mild-hybrid electrically supercharged and turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six, versions of which are already used in a wide range of Mercedes models sold in the U.S., including the GLE450 4Matic, the E450 sedan, the E450 Coupe and Cabriolet, and the E450 4Matic All-Terrain wagon.
It might have fewer cylinders under the hood, but the 2025 G550 boasts eight percent more power, 442 hp versus 416 hp, to be precise. The straight-six’s 413 lb-ft of torque is six percent weaker than the outgoing V-8’s 450 lb-ft, but remember the 48-volt integrated starter-generator is able to put its 148 lb-ft shoulder to the wheel when pressed. What’s more, the MHEV powertrain’s peak torque is available across a wider rev range—1,950 rpm to 5,500 rpm versus 2,000 rpm to 4,750 rpm in the V-8.
Mercedes hasn’t yet released any performance data for the G550, but given the increased power and instant on-demand torque delivery from the integrated starter-generator, it’s reasonable to assume the 5,478-pound off-roader should get to 60 mph a touch more rapidly than the 5.6 seconds Benz claims its V-8-powered predecessor takes to reach the same speed.
Active Suspension Trickery
In addition to its MHEV powertrain, the new G63 debuts an off-road optimized version of the high-tech Mercedes-AMG Active Ride Control system first seen on the recently launched Mercedes-AMG GT coupé.
Now, even the hardcore enthusiasts who engineer, test, and build the G-Class in Graz, Austria, admit that despite its triple differential locks and its ability to climb 45-degree inclines, traverse 35-degree slopes, and wade through 28 inches of water, more than 99 percent of owners never venture off road. But those engineers have jumped at the opportunity to use Active Ride Control to enhance the already impressive off-road capabilities of the go-anywhere Mercedes that might never go, well, anywhere.
Available as an option, Active Ride Control uses hydraulically interconnected two-valve shocks to precisely control wheel and body motions. As it can change the effective compression and rebound damping rates of each shock, it eliminates the need for mechanical roll bars. In the G63, the system can vary the roll stiffness from a maximum of 6000 newtons per degree in Sport+ mode to as little as 1500 newtons per degree in Off-Road mode. In the default Comfort mode, the roll rate is set an 3000 newtons per degree.
Order a G63 with the AMG Offroad Package Pro, and you get an enhanced version of Active Ride Control suspension that allows drivers to manually adjust the roll-stiffness of the suspension, switching from medium to high, for example, if driving at speed along a gravel road, or to low if negotiating a rocky section.
The AMG Offroad Package Pro also includes three off-road driving modes that can be fine-tuned by the driver. In Trail mode, drivers can switch between seven different levels of traction control, just like they can in track-focused AMG cars. In Sand mode, the level of torque vectoring can be adjusted to help improve agility. And in Rock mode, as the drive system can exactly sense the torque load on each wheel, an Off-Road short cut button can be used to activate electronic diff locks with variable locking rates.
The AMG Traction Pro feature, available in Sand and Rock modes when Low Range is selected, will spin the front and rear wheels at different speeds to help extricate the G 63 if it’s bogged in sand or mud or deep snow. In simple terms, the system works by varying the speed of the spinning wheels at either the front or rear axle—depending on whether you’re trying to go forward or reverse out of trouble—to allow sand or mud or snow to build and pack under the tires closest to your escape route.
Despite being shown a video of a G63 bogged to its belly in deep sand extricate itself using the system, we’re not entirely convinced. But if it works, it sure beats manually jacking and digging and packing stuff under the wheels if you get your G63 seriously stuck. Mercedes engineers sure seem anxious about getting stuck; this isn't the first crack at an anti-stuck system of late—remember the bouncy mode in the GLE- and GLS-Class variants, which was billed as a way of hopping out of sand or muck?
A Smoother Box
Both the G550 and the G63 have benefitted from wind tunnel work aimed at improving the range of the forthcoming all-electric G580 with EQ Technology. Revisions to the A-pillar, and a small trim insert between the top of the windshield and the roof have reduced the drag coefficient from a brick-like 0.53 to a brick-with-rounded-edges 0.48. Other visual changes include new bumpers and rear, the rear bumper now offering a location for the rear-facing camera that is not obstructed by the external spare wheel.
The G550 gets a new four-bar grille; the G63 retains the iconic vertical-bar AMG grille, but now has three vertical louvers in each of the front bumper vents. In line with the new AMG branding strategy, there’s an AMG crest on the hood of the G63 rather than the three-pointed star, and an AMG gas cap behind the fuel filler flap.
New alloy wheels are also part of the refresh. The G550 will come standard with 19-inch wheels, with 20s available as an option, while the G63 has 20-inch wheels as standard with 21s and 22s available as options. The G63 also debuts a new exclusive exterior color, the vivid Hyper Blue Magno. A new gloss metallic blue, a sophisticated shade dubbed Sodalite, is available on both models.
Technology upgrades include the adoption of the latest generation of MBUX, which means the G-Class finally has a touchscreen, and has enabled a new "off-road cockpit" function that includes a 360-degree camera system enabling a virtual transparent hood that shows you on the screen what’s under the front wheels. And for the first time, the G-Class also has 21st-century driver aids such as lane keep assist, active steering assist, and emergency stop assist.
Convenience upgrades on both models include Keyless Go—though the trademark "thunk" of the G-Class' door locks make remains—along with temperature controlled cupholders, wireless smartphone charging, and the availability of the latest Burmester 3D premium sound system with Dolby Atmos.
The 2025 G550 will go on sale in the U.S. mid-year, with the G63 due to arrive at the end of the year. Pricing has yet to be confirmed, but like today's Gs, it'll be rich.
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t fascinated by cars. My father was a mechanic, and some of my earliest memories are of handing him wrenches as he worked to turn a succession of down-at-heel secondhand cars into reliable family transportation. Later, when I was about 12, I’d be allowed to back the Valiant station wagon out onto the street and drive it around to the front of the house to wash it. We had the cleanest Valiant in the world.
I got my driver’s license exactly three months after my 16th birthday in a Series II Land Rover, ex-Australian Army with no synchro on first or second and about a million miles on the clock. “Pass your test in that,” said Dad, “and you’ll be able to drive anything.” He was right. Nearly four decades later I’ve driven everything from a Bugatti Veyron to a Volvo 18-wheeler, on roads and tracks all over the world. Very few people get the opportunity to parlay their passion into a career. I’m one of those fortunate few.
I started editing my local car club magazine, partly because no-one else would do it, and partly because I’d sold my rally car to get the deposit for my first house, and wanted to stay involved in the sport. Then one day someone handed me a free local sports paper and said they might want car stuff in it. I rang the editor and to my surprise she said yes. There was no pay, but I did get press passes, which meant I got into the races for free. And meet real automotive journalists in the pressroom. And watch and learn.
It’s been a helluva ride ever since. I’ve written about everything from Formula 1 to Sprint Car racing; from new cars and trucks to wild street machines and multi-million dollar classics; from global industry trends to secondhand car dealers. I’ve done automotive TV shows and radio shows, and helped create automotive websites, iMags and mobile apps. I’ve been the editor-in-chief of leading automotive media brands in Australia, Great Britain, and the United States. And I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. The longer I’m in this business the more astonished I am these fiendishly complicated devices we call automobiles get made at all, and how accomplished they have become at doing what they’re designed to do. I believe all new cars should be great, and I’m disappointed when they’re not. Over the years I’ve come to realize cars are the result of a complex interaction of people, politics and process, which is why they’re all different. And why they continue to fascinate me.Read More
