One of the only ways to describe the Mercedes-AMG GLS63 4MATIC+ – Outrageous. From its optional 23-inch wheels to its sheer size, the biggest passenger Merc you can buy has a Jackal and Hyde personality. One of the most comfortable cars you’ll drive on a daily to a menacing angry 2.6-tonne beast at a turn of a dial. Powering it is a 4.0-litre biturbo that produces 450kW and earth turning 850Nm of torque.
The way this thing gains speed will make you question the laws of physics. Mercedes-AMG claims a 0 – 100 km/h sprint time of 4.2 seconds and we believe them. All that brute force is accompanied by an angry growl coming out6 of the optional AMG performance exhaust. It’s frugal for its size returning a healthy 10.0 l/100km on a 600 km to Durban. It looks so gangster yet has a classy appeal to it, Merc really has the recipe to the T with this one.
Hop inside and you’re cocooned by some of the finest materials. You sit perched up in the driver’s seat with good all-round visibility and in front of you lie two massive screens for the customizable instrument cluster and infotainment system that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (which are unfortunately not wireless compatible). When it comes to practicality, it seats 7 with ease with the second and third-row being electronically operated.
With such big wheels and so much power coming from a full-size SUV, we were kind of sceptical of how we were going to manoeuvre it on a daily, but it turned out to be one of the easiest and most fun cars we’ve ever driven. Whatever you do, protect those wheels at all costs, they come in at R82 100 a set. Pricing for the Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 4MATIC+ starts from R 3,100,132(time of testing).
