Montebello, Quebec—
You may know the G500 as the military vehicle gone Hollywood. It's tough and square and bristling with capability, but the G500's most important piece of equipment is the three-pointed star on its grille. Now Mercedes turns up the silliness with the G55 AMG, from the marque's in-house speed shop.
In place of the G500's 292-horsepower, 5.0-liter V-8, the G55 AMG gets to the MTV Video Music Awards that much quicker by virtue of its additional 57 horsepower and 51 pound-feet of torque from its stroked, 5.5-liter engine. The powermeisters at AMG also fit their own pistons, con rods, intake manifold, and valvetrain. The AMG engine lops a full three seconds off the G500's 0-to-60-mph time (7.2 seconds, says Mercedes) and rumbles like a Winston Cup car, thanks to its side-exit exhaust pipes.
Of course, those side exhausts and the G55's high-performance tires (on 9.5-inch wheels) go a long way toward obviating the G-wagen's cache of ultra-hardcore off-road gear. Nonetheless, owners probably should remember the following, if only for cocktail-party boasting: The G55 has three locking differentials on top of the always-engaged, traction-control-based four-wheel-drive system; it has solid axles front and rear, for the most punishing off-road conditions; and it can climb a 36-degree incline and traverse a 24-degree slope.
That the G55 suffers from a stiff, bouncy ride is something owners may want to keep to themselves, along with the car's ungainly climb-in height, narrow cabin, and ponderous handling. But it's all a small price to pay for style, although the AMG's extra flash is surprisingly (disappointingly?) minimal. Besides the special wheels and the side-exhaust tips, there are little chrome cages over the headlights, front turn indicators, and taillights.... Read full article