What's the news?
Having completed work on the G 63 the engineers at AMG turned their attention to the GL line to give Mercedes-Benz another utterly preposterous, 500+hp super SUV. Ladies and gentlemen say hello to the GL 63 AMG.
Exterior
AMG specific upgrades include a beefy body kit with oversized intakes in the front bumper to feed air to the engine, a gloss black radiator grille and widened arches to accommodate the 21-inch alloy wheels and their 295-section tyres. The whole thing is topped off with dual chrome plated twin exhausts and a smattering of AMG and V8 Biturbo badges.
Interior
The interior of the seven-seat SUV is covered in leather with cows donating their hides for the seats while man-made Artico leather covers the dashboard, armrests and door panels. Standard equipment on the GL 63 AMG includes three-zone climate control, electrically adjustable 'Multicontour' front seats with memory and massage function, Bluetooth and USB connectivity and an electric tilt and slide sunroof.
Mechanicals
The GL 63 AMG uses the same 5.5-litre biturbo V8 as its more utilitarian brother but in a different state of tune. Whereas the G 63 has to make do with 'only' 544hp the GL version gets 557hp and 760Nm of torque. Power is fed to the tarmac (or pretty much any surface for that matter) via AMG's Speedshift Plus 7G-Tronic transmission and 4Matic permanent four-wheel drive.
AMG Ride Control - comprised of air suspension, special damper struts, automatic level control and Adaptive Damping System - should ensure a comfortable ride while the AMG high-performance braking system should pull things up quickly when needs be.
Anything else?
Prices and final specification are still to be confirmed but being a Mercedes-Benz there will be a substantial options list to choose from. Would Sir like his brake calipers painted red, or like the audio system upgraded to a Bang and Olufsen unit? Maybe Sir would like the Design Exclusive package that swathes the interior in even higher quality leather than usual.
The new Mercedes-Benz GL 63 AMG will launch in 2013.