Mercedes-Benz India has launched its most powerful road-going SUV, the GL63 AMG, today at a function in Mumbai, for Rs 1.66 crore (Ex-showroom Mumbai). The GL63 is the fifth vehicle to join the AMG bandwagon here and also the biggest and most extreme of the lot.
In the AMG guise the GL-Class gets a twin-turbocharged 5.5-litre V8 petrol engine churning out 557 horses and 760Nm of twisting force mated to a 7G-tronic gearbox sending power to all four wheels. The transfer case for the 4Matic all-wheel drive system distributes power in 40:60 ratio to the front and rear axles respectively. This 2.5 tonne behemoth has its top speed restricted to 250kmph but will do the sprint to 100kmph from standstill in just 4.9 seconds.
There are three driving modes on offer – comfort, manual and sport. In comfort mode, the vehicle’s start-stop system stays active, the gear changes happen early on and starts take place in second gear. In manual and sports mode, the start-stop system is deactivated and shifts get quicker.
The humongous GL gets Merc’s airmatic suspension with adaptive damping system with active roll stabilization and AMG special Active Curve System. The electronics employ the front and rear anti-roll bars to minimise body roll while cornering and also lowers the height of the vehicle at high speeds automatically. There are three modes for the suspension too – comfort, sport and sport plus.
The GL63 AMG is being brought to the Indian market via the CBU route and competes in the performance luxury SUV segment with Porsche Cayenne Turbo and the top of the line Land Rover Range Rover Sport.
