Even the Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6×6 Can Be Defeated By Snow
Six-wheel-drive, portal axles, and a 544-horsepower AMG V8 can only get you so far.
If you're reading this from anywhere in the northeastern U.S. on Friday, chances are there's a fair amount of snow on the ground right now. Maybe you've had to pry your car out of a snowy tomb at some point, rocking it back and forth and hoping you won't have to get out again to dig some more. Miserable, right? Well, warm up to the knowledge that even a six-wheel-drive, off-road monster like the G-Wagen 6x6 can be defeated by enough of the white stuff.
The G63 AMG 6x6 is by far the most ridiculous vehicle Mercedes-Benz has ever built. The concept of a six-wheel-drive G-Wagen was developed for military use, but beginning in 2013 Daimler decided to manufacture a civilian version under the AMG division. Starting with a G63 AMG, the company added a third driven axle, a pickup bed, portal axles, five locking differentials, massive tires, and an onboard air compressor.
You won't find any 6x6 worth its salt on silly low-profile summer tires, but an Instagram video from European collector Greg B. shows that burying it in snow up to the undercarriage is more than enough to get it stuck. He took his truck to a mountain in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy after a recent snowfall for some winter fun, and while several clips show it plowing through the drifts with aplomb, things eventually get too deep for the might off-road brute.
The 8,300-pound G63 6x6 is so stuck that even a tracked Sno-Cat can't get enough grip to pull it out of Jack Frost's icy grip. Frankly, it's hard to imagine what would be enough to get it out of there short of a helicopter, a tunneling crew, or a good thaw.
