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Mercedes-Benz preparing next generation G-Class for 2024 debut
Along with the combustion engine model, the highly awaited EQG will finally become reality after debuting as a concept in 2021.
Current W463 G-Class, like the depicted G500 Final Edition, will exit production in the middle of next year after six years, the shortest production run of any G-Class since the original debuted in 1979. Image: Mercedes-Benz
Despite the reveal of the all-electric EQG next year, Mercedes-Benz will continue to offer combustion motivation underneath the bonnet of the next generation G-Class, albeit with hybrid assistance.
New suspension
Set to be revealed in mid-2024, the new internally named W464 will receive a series of changes underneath its skin in addition to the electrified powertrain, plus a reworked interior with features and tech currently not available on the outgoing W463.
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Set to be one of the biggest changes is a new kinetic suspension that uses electrohydraulic flow valves as opposed to the conventional anti-roll bars to adjust the ride, steering and dampers.
Based on the claims by Britain’s Autocar after a first-time sampling of the prototype new G-Class in AMG-tuned G63 guises, the kinetic setup further translates to improved body control off-road, as well as wheel articulation and rebound both off and on-road.
“We saw the advantages it brought to our sports cars and immediately began thinking of what it could do for our offroad models,” Mercedes-AMG’s Head of Suspension Development, Ralf Haug, told the publication after the preview drive.
No end to the V8
Along with the suspension, the shake-up in the G-Class, and therefore the G63’s chassis design, will also stretch to the choice of the engine, which, aside from the EQG, will again consist of both petrol and diesel options, but as mentioned, with 48-volt assistance currently not available in the W463.
Speculatively though, the switch in the C63 and GLC 63 from the 4.0-litre bi-turbo V8 to the plug-in hybrid 2.0-litre four-cylinder is not expected to filter through to the G63, most likely as a result of its mass despite the 500kW/1 020Nm output figures.
However, this remains to be confirmed outright and could well prove otherwise if deemed so by Mercedes-Benz executives.
More details to follow
Set to spawn a smaller all-electric variant by 2026, the G-Class, which ranked as Europe’s best-selling AMG model of 2023 according to motor1.com, remains under wraps for now, with more details expected towards the end of the year and in the form of teaser images ahead of the reveal of both the combustion model and the EQG in 2024.
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