Mercedes-AMG G63 difference in car models explained by CarWow
Mercedes has been hard at work developing new ways to bring performance and speed to their iconic G63 SUV series, and YouTube gearhead Mat ‘CarWow’ Watson revealed just how much the upgrades have helped the model in a high-speed drag race between the 2013 and 2018 cars.
The luxury G63 SUV has a long lineage, with Mercedes taking key elements from their 1979 design all the way to today. Now, for the first time in nearly four decades, the SUV formerly known as the G-Wagen has a new lease on life.
The high-end London car hasn’t actually had too many upgrades in regards to its exterior, with most tweaks under the hood. So, of course, Watson just had to pit the “old school” version against the 2018 G63 in a high-speed drag race.
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Watson faced off against his bright red G63 behind the wheel of the “archaic” 2013 update, and the differences between the “more powerful” new model revealed themselves as soon as they put the pedal down in the race.
Out on a landing strip, the 2018 release clocked up a pacey 12.4 seconds, smoking Watson and his seven-year-old car by 1.1 seconds. While the newer vehicle winning was no surprise, the YouTuber was left stunned by the difference.
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“Blooming heck!” he said, as the red G63 zoomed off in front of him. “That one has just lifted its nose and buggered the f**k off! That’s interesting, I’ve done quite a lot of drag races in my MG63… this was a bit sketchy, bouncing over the tarmac.”
“They’re quite similar off the line, but that one [the new model] just smashed this one off the line. That is progress for you,” he added, and admitted he was impressed with how well the newer model’s smaller engine—4L vs 5.5L—held up in the race.
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That wasn’t the only thing Watson tested during the matchup either, and while the 2018 release did shine in most speed and starting categories, the legacy 2013 series did closely matchup in a few of the tests, including breaking.
Both cars skidded to a halt in the test, and while the 2018 series did come to a full stop moments before the black older model, it was close. Carwow’s host admitted he was impressed, especially considering the year difference.
“That was the most surprising result yet… I didn’t win, but I wasn’t hammered,” he said after slamming on the breaks. “This old girl actually breaks really well. I thought it would be way worse, though that new car does break really well too.”
For mobile readers, the related segment begins at 3:01 in the video below.
In all other head-to-head features, except the sound of the 2013 version, the newer model did win out. Steering controls, comfort inside the car, and suspension all shone in the 2018 G63, and Watson declared he was “amazed by the overall difference” Mercedes had managed in the five-year gap.
While Carwow’s host may not have been entirely sold by how the older model has held up, there’s no reason 2013’s release shouldn’t go well for city-dwellers either — the newer model may have beaten the old, but both are still great cars.
