In Mercedes-Benz’s extreme
G-Class model family, the G 63 AMG 6x6 has an addition in the
form of the G 500 4x4².
But the company will not put the vehicle into production until it has judged evidence of significant public interest.
According to the company, the engine compartment of the new vehicle houses a “completely new” 4-litre V8 engine with direct injection and bi-turbocharging.
The “newly developed” eight-cylinder features twin turbochargers not mounted on the outside of the cylinder banks but rather inside the V configuration – in what it calls the 'hot inside V'.
The advantages of this according to Mercedes-Benz engineers can be found in the compact engine design, the "optimum response" and the low exhaust gas emissions. The piezo direct gasoline injection used exclusively at Mercedes-Benz is responsible for the mixture formation, according to the company.
The spray-guided combustion process has been “enhanced” in the third generation engine to meet “all future statutory requirements”.
In series production, the 4-litre V8 bi-turbo engine would meet the Euro 6 emission standard, including the “maximum particulate emissions level” that will not take effect until 2016.
The V8 crankcase consists of an aluminium alloy and “ensures maximum strength with the lowest possible weight”.
The cylinder walls in Nanoslide technology are “twice as hard” as conventional cast-iron cylinder liners, “minimise the inner friction and thus the fuel required and facilitate maximum mileages”.
Nanoslide was developed by Daimler in 2000 and has so far been used “successfully and reliably” in over 200,000 engines since 2006.
The enhanced G-Class with its wider track of the portal axles compared with the series-production car (+299 mm), the large 22-inch 325/55 R 22-sized wheels and adjustable damping with its Sport mode, offers “sports car dynamics” rather than those of a cross-country vehicle.
The company claims that the combination of permanent all-wheel drive, off-road reduction in the transfer case, portal axles and three differentials lockable whilst on the move are not to be found on conventional cross-country vehicles.
However, it should ne noted that the amended version of the permanent all-wheel-drive powertrain with portal axles are taken from the G 63 AMG 6x6.
The portal axles developed for versatile applications supplement Mercedes-Benz’s off-road portfolio and are seen by the company as the technical highlight of the G 500 4x4² show car.
Compared with conventional rigid axles, the wheels are not at the height of the centre of the axle; instead they are much further below on the axle heads due to the portal transmission. Therefore, on the G 500 4x4² the ground clearance rises to 450mm and the fording depth to 1000mm.
The portal axle design offers other advantages which render complex adjustments superfluous: through the unchanged position of the rigid axles in relation to the chassis, the anchorage points of the suspension, the steering connection and the position of the cardan shafts all remain identical.
In addition, the reduction in the portal transmissions balances the rolling circumferences of both the off-road and the on-road tyres. The gear ratios, speedometer drive and ABS sensor system also remain unchanged. This reduction in the hub drives also has the effect that the drive torque is first set at the wheel and thus the mechanical loads in the entire powertrain, in particular for the drive shafts, are reduced.
The chassis is based on the series-production G model but the body carries removable carbon fibre panels.
Mercedes-Benz’s G-Class development department is located in Graz, Austria which has been the production location for all civilian and commercial G-Class vehicles since 1979.
Whether and when the decision on series production of the Mercedes-Benz G 500 4x4² will be made depends on the reaction which the near-series show car receives.
1 comment:
These two latest G-wagen iterations cannot be taken seriously. The 6x6 especially looks like the product of a crazy inventor. The 'AMG' in its model designation suggests it is intended to appeal to cross-country boy-racers. The wide-track axles necessitating those bizarre protruding mudwing valances point to a severe design compromise. Mercedes customers wanting a high-mobility vehicle of that carrying capacity would be better off with the lightest of the Unimog range, the U200, though obviously at significantly higher cost. The ground clearance enhancing portal axles on the G63 AMG 6x6 and G500 4x4-2 could well be 'borrowed' from Unimog.
If either or both vehicles go into series production, diesel as well as petrol variants would surely have to be offered.
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