The Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG is the kind of car that simply shouldn't exist, but fortunately does. The extreme melange between the military roots of the Gelandewagen and the twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 from Affalterbach has such an effect we're amazed its legal. Nonetheless, when it comes to driving like a hooligan, the G63 has its limits.
Most mortals never get to find out what those limits feel like exactly, since the ESP acts as firm as a prison guard. With the latest refresh, the entire G-Class line-up has received a smarter ESP and while it's all good when the electronics stabilize your trailer, this also means... you can't drift.
We tried to get the G63 AMG sideways during our review, where we drove the car out in the open desert of Dubai, but once the slip angle started reaching serious values, the electronic nannies brought the car back in line - without turning to fuse- or OBD-related tricks you can't fully disengage the ESP.
In fact, we only know a single Youtube video that shows the machine drifting and that actually sees a G55 AMG going sideways in a bone dry roundabout - you have the clip at the bottom of the page.
Well, it looks like Santa Claus is here early this year, as the German carmaker itself is offering us a drifting G63 AMG. This is precisely what we see in the footage below, which has been captured at the Mercedes-Benz World facility in the UK.
The facility is located at the Brooklands motor racing circuit, but the Gelandewagen wasn't manhandled sideways on the track. Instead, the thing was drifted in a wide "roundabout" that usually gets flooded with water and used for such practices.
Somebody obviously put the ESP to sleep and then the sideways stuff was initiated.
Drifting a G63 AMG is hard work though. First of all, the recirculating ball steering will resist you and then there's the sheer mass of the thing.
The three manually locking diffs just want to grip, not let go. This shows as the G63 spins once some of its wheels enter a less wet side of the course, having better grip.
We're not quire sure which differentials were locked and which were not, but the G63 AMG definitely spends enough time sideways to make this a memorable video. Affalterbach's aural treatment is on the house.
In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist. Full profile
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