2025 Chevrolet Suburban Review: Excellence in Excess
What’s New With the 2025 Chevrolet Suburban?
- The Suburban enters the 2025 model year with slightly revised styling, a reworked front cabin, a newly standard 17.7-inch infotainment screen, an updated optional Duramax diesel engine, and revised suspension and steering tuning.
How Does the 2025 Chevrolet Suburban Compare With Other Full-Size SUVs?
- For the most part, the Suburban is one of the best full-size SUVs in the segment. From a feature and capability perspective, there’s not much the Ford Expedition or Jeep Wagoneer can do significantly better, but thanks to GM’s stratified GMC and Cadillac hierarchy, top-level Suburbans aren’t quite as kitted out as a Jeep Grand Wagoneer or Ford Expedition Platinum.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Few motoring experiences are more satisfying than loading up a full-size SUV with friends and family and hittin’ the road. In 2024, I declared the Chevrolet Suburban High Country was “better than some luxury SUVs” — and that model was on the precipice of a refresh. Just over a year later, a week in the updated 2025 Suburban had my whole family smitten.
2025 Chevrolet Suburban High Country, front | Cars.com photo by Conner Golden
Related: Face-Lifted 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe Priced From $60,495, Suburban Starts at $63,495
Machinery is at its best when you engage its raison d’etre: An empty race circuit and a Porsche 911 GT3 RS; a dually pickup and a full horse trailer; Moab and a Jeep Wrangler; a family outing and a Chevy Suburban — and you best believe I made every excuse to drag my fam around Dallas in this sprawling, leather-lined continental cruiser. In the refreshed Chevy, the same principles apply as before: Space is more luxurious than materials, and the vehicle’s bones lend solidity and capability. There’s perhaps no better long-distance road tripper than a GM full sizer.
2025 Chevrolet Suburban High Country, rear angle | Cars.com photo by Conner Golden
What’s Refreshed on the 2025 Chevrolet Suburban?
The 2025 Suburban is refreshed, but not much has changed about the driving experience. It’s big — big big — and it drives like it, but an available air suspension, magnetic ride control shocks, updated multilink rear suspension and purposeful chassis engineering wick away nearly every ounce of “truck.” It delivers a driving experience that’s closer to a very large, very heavy crossover than it is to a Silverado pickup — except, of course, when it comes to the drivetrain. Along with the standard 5.3-liter and available 6.2-liter V-8 engines, Chevy’s updated Duramax turbo-diesel 3.0-liter inline-six-cylinder engine is also available.
With no yachts to haul or folks to shuttle beyond my mom, dad and grandmother, the diesel’s roughly 4-ton towing capacity was as unused as the third row, but that didn’t stop me from greatly enjoying the engine’s tenacious torque, particularly when facing down an on-ramp.
It’s far from quick, but the balance of power and torque is wide enough to hustle this roughly 3-ton behemoth from stoplight to highway speeds before you even get a chance to merge. The turbo-diesel’s 305 horsepower and 495 pounds-feet of torque are up 28 hp and 35 pounds-feet versus the last Duramax six-cylinder. The updated engine works with a 10-speed automatic transmission backed by available four-wheel drive.
As was the case in the 2025 Chevrolet Silverado I tested, this updated Duramax is one of the smoothest operators available in any SUV. It’s also one of the most efficient in terms of output and capability: My lead foot averaged a computer-indicated 16.7 mpg over 314 miles. That’s decent when you consider the Suburban’s size and weight, but nonmaniacs can expect to see figures closer to the EPA’s 22 mpg combined rating with the diesel engine.
2025 Chevrolet Suburban High Country, front row | Cars.com photo by Conner Golden
How Big Is the Display in the 2025 Chevrolet Suburban?
While the driving experience is all mostly carried over from the last model, the biggest changes for 2025 have been levied onto the interior. Specifically, the new, massive 17.7-inch infotainment touchscreen is a jumbotron compared with the prior 8- or 10.2-inch screen. Its operation is as high-fidelity and reactive as the massive screens in other recent Chevys, including the Blazer EV and Traverse, and it incorporates Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity as part of its Google Built-In-based interface. The only downside I could find was the relatively long reach for some features — but that’s a happy trade-off for prime digital real estate.
This new screen necessitated a redesigned dashboard layout, leading to new positions for the climate vents and wireless charging pad. There’s a new steering wheel, too, but the overwhelming majority of physical controls remain immediately familiar for those who have operated a full-size Chevrolet in the past decade.
A few things to note: Though my High Country test vehicle rode beautifully, your comfort will vary depending on how you equip your Suburban. Lower trims arrive with a traditional “fixed” suspension setup, with both an air suspension and magnetic ride control optional. There’s also a 6-inch delta between the Suburban’s available wheel sizes, with the smallest being 18-inch wheels and top-end models getting big, blingy 24-inch rims.
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About the make
Chevrolet
Chevrolet is GM’s mainstream brand. Its lineup ranges from subcompact to full-size SUVs, and the Corvette sports car is its halo vehicle.
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1 / 192025 Chevrolet Suburban High Country, front-row seat | Cars.com photo by Conner Golden
How Does the 2025 Chevrolet Suburban Compare With the GMC Yukon?
The brakes are strong, but they also channel some of the final vestiges of this vehicle’s truck genes. It takes a comparatively strong push of the brake pedal to slow the Suburban and keep it stationary at stoplights; even the mighty High Country trim doesn’t come with auto hold, which isn’t even available on the modestly bougier GMC Yukon Denali. Materials are also slightly underwhelming; the Suburban’s trim and tinsel feel somewhat intentionally held back to leave space for its higher-end GMC and Cadillac siblings.
That said, the High Country’s materials are nice enough for your passengers to never, ever complain. Ditto for its expansive list of creature features, which lacks only massaging seats and auto-up windows for rear passengers. For maximum surprise and delight, make sure you nab the Technology and Entertainment Package, which fits a pair of 12.6-inch seatback screens with corresponding headsets to keep your kiddos (or fidgety adults) distracted long enough for you to get some peace and quiet.
Really, there ain’t much more to say. Unless you lease ‘n’ release your full-size SUV, these updates won’t be quite substantial enough to justify ditching a 2023 or 2024 model, but the 2025 Chevrolet Suburban High Country remains one of the best ways to move a whole lotta anything and anybody with ease — and in leather-lined comfort.
Big ‘Burbs for life.
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Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.
2025 Audi A6, S6 Sportback e-Tron Review: Electric Maturity
By Conner Golden
July 23, 2025
2026 Audi A6 e-Tron, front | Cars.com photo by Conner Golden
Is the New Audi A6 Sportback e-Tron a Good Electric Vehicle?
- For the most part, yes. Built on the same platform as the Audi Q6 e-Tron and Porsche Macan EV, this is one of the better electric luxury sedans you can buy, especially if you spec yours with dual motors.
How Does the Audi A6 Sportback e-Tron Compare With Other Electric Cars?
- Primary competitors include the BMW i5, Lucid Air, Mercedes-EQ EQE and Tesla Model S, with the Audi beating some and losing out to others on the range, performance, charging and pricing fronts. It all depends on the trim you choose.
In the market for an electric sedan? It ain’t 2018 anymore — you’ve got options, and not all of ‘em start with “T” and end with “esla.” Beyond the surprising breadth of not-so-sedanlike electric SUVs starting under the $40,000 mark, all four of Germany’s premier luxury brands have at least one fully electric sedan in their lineups. The newest are the 2026 Audi A6 and S6 Sportback e-Trons, two tasty flavors of the same sedan that together might offer one of the most compelling ways to plug in.
Related: Aerodynamic 2025 Audi A6, S6 e-Trons Are Here to Slip Into Your Garage
Understanding where these fit in both Audi’s lineup and the greater automotive sphere is a cinch provided you’ve not ignored the past 30 years of Audi product positioning. Just as the gas-powered A6 and S6 serve as the Ingolstadt automaker’s mid-size executive sedan against the similar salvos from the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class, the A6 and S6 e-Trons are the all-electric mid-size counterparts to the BMW i5 and Mercedes-EQ EQE.
2026 Audi S6 e-Tron, profile | Cars.com photo by Conner Golden
Easy, and it just gets easier. Underneath the slightly swollen fastback bodywork beats the bones and brain of the Volkswagen Group’s Premium Platform Electric architecture, the same as you’ll find in the Audi Q6 e-Tron and Porsche Macan Electric. Some parts and configuration are shared, but the A6’s 116.1-inch wheelbase is a 2.4-inch stretch over the electrified Q6, putting the kibosh on the notion of copy and paste.
How Much Power and Range Does the 2025 Audi A6 e-Tron Have?
As is usually the case for both luxury mid-size sedans and primo electric vehicles, you have a choice of powertrain output. The A6 e-Tron is available with a single rear-mounted motor with up to 375 horsepower — I say “up to” because the standard launch control can temporarily boost the baseline 362-hp output to that 375-hp mark. Of course, the A6 e-Tron’s available dual-motor setup also adds the iconic Quattro all-wheel-drive badge along with a peak of 456 hp.
The medium-spicy S6 e-Tron is for my fellow power nutsos — but make sure you’d not be better off with the (far) more expensive and far more capable E-Tron GT or RS E-Tron GT, which offer up to a mega 912 hp. Like all “S” models, the S6 e-Tron cuts the difference between the “A” and the “RS,” offering enough heat (performance) to enhance the dish, but not so much that it kills the flavor (usability).
As such, the dual-motor-only S6 e-Tron zaps around with a peak of 543 hp, good for a 0-60 mph time of 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 149 mph; compare this to the single-motor A6 e-Tron’s 5.2-second 0-60 sprint and the dual-motor’s 4.3-second scramble. Top speed for both versions of the A6 e-Tron is 130 mph.
No matter which one you pick, all pull power from the same 94.4-kilowatt-hour battery pack, offering a set of EPA-rated driving ranges that run thusly: up to 392 miles for the single-motor A6 e-Tron, 377 miles for the dual-motor model and 324 miles for the S6 e-Tron. Charging peaks at 9.6 kilowatts on Level 2 service, swelling to up to 270 kW when connected to a DC fast charger capable of providing that much power. When DC fast-charging at that rate, Audi claims the cars can go from a 10% to 80% charge in 21 minutes.
2026 Audi S6 e-Tron, dashboard | Cars.com photo by Conner Golden
What Interior Tech Does the 2025 Audi A6 e-Tron Have?
Whew — well, that’s all you need to know from a “what” perspective, so here’s the “how (does it drive).” I nabbed some seat time in both a dual-motor A6 e-Tron and S6 e-Tron, using these new e-sleds to e-cruise around the mean e-streets of Newport e-Beach, Calif. As far as the interior goes, it appears quite similar to the related Q6 e-Tron, with a front cockpit that’s as close to identical as you can get when going from an SUV to a sedan.
This means that Audi’s impressive and dramatically named Digital Stage is on full, ah, display here just as it is in the crossover. The 11.9-inch driver display and 14.5-inch center infotainment touchscreen become a throuple if you opt for the 10.9-inch passenger display, which lets the front passenger enjoy full infotainment functions that include but are not limited to YouTube and other streaming services. Are you an easily distracted driver? No worries — this third screen deploys an active “shutter” when the car is in motion that makes it impossible to see the on-screen action.
Other techy Audi stuff is here, too, including wireless charging, a panoramic roof, an augmented reality head-up display, a configurable taillight motif and an optional Bang & Olufsen sound system with a cluster of speakers embedded in the head restraints. Even if the typical luxe finery is here — leather, microsuede accents (for the S6), heated and ventilated seats — these modern, software-defined vehicles can be such clinical places to wick the miles away, and this is the case with all electrified Audi As and Qs.
Does the 2025 Audi A6 e-Tron Have Physical Controls?
With no real physical controls outside of a volume knob, start button and short rocking shifter, this interior is as digitized and anodyne as the competition. Just because this is no more or less characterful to operate than the rest of the competitive field doesn’t give it a free pass, but it also doesn’t mean my subjective groaning and moaning is correct. I don’t like how we interface with these software-defined vehicles, but that doesn’t make them bad or poorly executed.
1 / 192026 Audi A6 e-Tron, wheel | Cars.com photo by Conner Golden
Quite the contrary, actually. If a brand is going to embed all controls in the screen, the interface should be clear, intuitive and reactive — and the A6 e-Tron’s is. Audi blew our minds with its O.G. configurable MMI Virtual Cockpit back in the mid-teens — Lord have mercy, a decade ago — so it’s no surprise I consider the current iteration of MMI generally one of the nicer and easier systems to operate.
How Does the 2025 Audi A6 e-Tron Drive?
Easy operation applies to the driving experience, too. The dual-motor A6 e-Tron is one of the better-driving EVs on the market, full stop — or, with 456 hp under your right foot, maybe full go. It’s predictably back-thumpin’ quick from a dead stop, with all that electro-torque only tapering well above speeds that would get you a ticket on Texas’ fastest interstate. Zero muss, zilch fuss, just an unbroken wave of impressive acceleration that feels spot on with Audi’s official 4.3-second 0-60 estimate.
This speed is available clearly as a side effect, not necessarily by design. The internal-combustion-engine A6 line has always ceded the overwhelming majority of its performance aspirations to its S6 counterpart, leaving the larger, more powerful engine option for the A6 carefully metered away from the S6’s powerplant. But the A6 e-Tron’s 456 hp is actually greater than the still-in-production gas-powered 2025 S6, which makes 444 hp.
Like I said, side effect. Once you have an electric motor platform dialed in, it’s easy to eke out serious power and artificially segment the trim levels by output, and don’t let the engineers tell you otherwise. As Audi was not about to make a sloppy muscle car, it elevated all other dynamic parameters so the A6 e-Tron is nearly as sweet to hustle around a corner as the gas-powered S6, only let down by less aggressive rubber and purposefully damped inputs.
“Let down” is a bit cruel, as it simply was designed to be a quick, smooth, motoring analgesic. Braking performance is one of the more impressive bits of the experience, and not just from the strength of the stop. I enjoyed the four-level regenerative brake system, adjusted via paddles on the steering wheel, and I oscillated between the most aggressive (near one-pedal driving) and one up from “none.”
About the make
Audi
Audi is Volkswagen’s luxury brand, offering a lineup that ranges from subcompact sedans to seven-seat SUVs and includes a growing roster of EVs.
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1 / 122026 Audi S6 e-Tron, steering wheel | Cars.com photo by Conner Golden
Everything is well balanced and excellently metered in the A6 e-Tron, especially the ride. My test car had the available adaptive air suspension, and cruising down Newport Beach’s near-faultless stretches of Pacific Coast Highway tarmac was more akin to a low flight than road drive. Steering is light and obviously digital, but this car isn’t meant to excite.
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How Quick Is the 2025 Audi S6 e-Tron?
It’s a sweet car — but I’m (shockingly) not sure I’d even seek the S6 e-Tron if I were in the market. As far as I could tell on my drive, the differences in handling, body control, braking and steering were nominal from a day-to-day perspective, where I wasn’t any more thrilled in the hotter S6 than the dual-motor A6. That’s not to say the S6 e-Tron isn’t thrilling — I reckon Audi’s estimated 3.7-second 0-60 dash is a bit conservative — but with the capability of the dual-motor A6 e-Tron sitting so high, it doesn’t feel significantly stepped up.
Presentation is as subtle as comparing the gas-powered A6 and S6, with the S6 e-Tron simply incorporating a bit more aggressive wheels, slightly more aggressive seats, a flat-bottom steering wheel and plenty of the signature red-slash “S” accent badge peppered about the cabin. The route we had access to with the S6 e-Tron was more surface street than back-road blast, and more seat time on some good, squiggly tarmac is needed to determine the spice level. I like it, and I’d probably end up getting it over the standard A6 e-Tron, but I’d like to think my pragmatism would win in the end and I’d whoosh home in the dual-motor A6 e-Tron.2026 Audi S6 e-Tron | Cars.com photo by Conner Golden
How Much Does the 2025 Audi A6 e-Tron Cost?
And if I did, I’d enjoy a fat savings of close to $11,000 for my self-control — more than enough for a spate of skydiving sessions, off-shore surfing, downhill mountain biking or any other adrenaline-juicing activity to offset the lack of an “S” badge in my life. The 2025 S6 Sportback e-Tron will cost no less than $79,995 (all prices include a $1,295 delivery fee), with the A6 Sportback e-Tron dual-motor clocking in at $69,195. The thriftiest among us in temperate climates should consider the single-motor A6 e-Tron, yours out the door for as low as $67,195.
All in, this is one of Audi’s more impressive electric efforts. An effective, fully-baked EV translation of the A6/S6 formula we’ve known and truly loved over the years, but let’s just keep our eyes peeled on the horizon for a million-horsepower, super-sonic RS 6 e-Tron, shall we?
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Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.
2025 Mercedes-AMG G63 Review: Maximalist Icon
By Conner Golden
July 18, 2025
2025 Mercedes-AMG G63, front | Cars.com photo by Conner Golden
Is the 2025 Mercedes-AMG G63 Still a Good SUV?
If what you want is a do-anything, go-anywhere, luxury performance SUV that’s just as at home at a film’s world premiere as it is in the Sahara, the Mercedes-AMG G63 is the best. Just make sure you can afford both its conspicuousness and its thirst for fuel.
How Does the 2025 Mercedes-AMG G63 Stack Up Against the Competition?
What competition? Seriously, very little could be considered direct competition for the G-Class. Off-road luxury and performance SUVs — like the Ineos Grenadier, Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 and Land Rover Defender — offer a somewhat similar experience but without nearly the same level of refinement, speed and interior comfort as the G-Class. They’re far less expensive than the Mercedes, too.
Generation after generation, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class remains a singular experience. It occupies a class of one: In a field of more capable off-roaders, faster performance SUVs and plusher luxury barges than the 2025 Mercedes-AMG G63, no SUV sits so comfortably at the center of this Venn diagram.
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Much like the Porsche 911, each major generational leap of the G-Class elevates it several steps above the prior one while perfectly preserving its core identity. More than any other car (including the Porsche), the G-Wagen has remained the most true to itself over the past 30 years. This character consistency, along with its unwavering position as one of Mercedes’ top status symbols, cements the G in all its forms as an automotive icon.
2025 Mercedes-AMG G63, rear angle | Cars.com photo by Conner Golden
Is the G63 the Top G-Wagen?
The G-Class’ AMG versions remain particularly aspirational. The cheapest and least powerful G costs $149,400 (prices include destination) and packs 443 horsepower, making the Gelandewagen an objet d’exces in any form, but the 577-hp, $187,250 top-dawg G63 is as excessive as it gets.
The overmoneyed crypto class loves the G63. Its considerable slab-sided acreage and comprehensive suite of available chrome accents allows for maximum attention garnered when burbling down Beverly Hills’ Rodeo Drive or through Miami’s Design District — especially when coated in retina-searing highlighter colors like Sun Yellow or Green Hell Magno. Other than a black, silver or white lease-‘n’-release special, a G63 that’s not garishly glitzed up is a rare sight.
So, you can imagine my surprise (and delight) when a 2025 Mercedes-AMG G63 showed up not only in the rather demure shade of Desert Silver Metallic — a primo $6,500 “Manufaktur” color I’d describe as light champagne — with blacked-out exterior accents and the optional $13,450 AMG Offroad Package Pro. My circle of G-loving friends and enthusiasts all agreed it was probably one of the least visually “AMG” G63s we’d seen thus far.
Among other things, that off-road package adds an extremely tacticool powder-coated roof rack with a corresponding mini ladder to the right of the real tailgate, all of which harmonized with the Night Package’s blacked-out bull bar and accompanying darkened badge kit. I love me a bright orange, chrome-dipped G, but this tastefully equipped G63 went a long way toward demonstrating the G63’s visual versatility.
2025 Mercedes-AMG G63, engine | Cars.com photo by Conner Golden
Is the 2025 Mercedes-AMG G63 Still Fast?
But no G63 has even a remote capacity for subtlety. The “Mercedes truck” profile is unmistakable, and even the active exhaust can’t completely cork the menace of the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8. As has been the case with all AMG V-8s since time immemorial, its soundtrack is guttural and metallic, an oily rumble that befits the G63’s power and size.
The G63’s 577 hp and mighty 627 pounds-feet of torque are enough for a 4.2-second 0-60 mph scoot — a prosaic number until you consider both this SUV’s aerodynamics and its 5,842-pound curb weight. Light-to-light hole shots and on-ramp blasts are pure theater; smacking the accelerator initiates a slight lurch as the nine-speed automatic transmission kicks down a bracket of gears — then the 4.0-liter explodes with a medieval roar. Its rear end observably squats under acceleration, raising the front half with just a hint of torsional twist.
Acceleration is strong, but not oppressive in the way it can be in super-SUVs like the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT and Tesla Model X Plaid. It’s undeniably quick, but it’s more fun than focused, feeling very much like you shouldn’t be allowed (by either law or physics) to move nearly 6,000 pounds with such ferocity. The physicality of the G63’s forward advancement and its echoing blat summons antisocial behavior from even the most placid drivers.
It’s a total hoot, as has been true of every full production AMG Gelandewagen since the 2002 G55. What hasn’t remained consistent is the G’s shocking contrast of composure and comfort with AMG hilarity and its genuine roots as a military vehicle. Now, the current W465-generation G is about as far removed from the original cloth-seat, four-cylinder 4×4 box as humans are from bananas — yet we still share genetic similarities with that comical fruit.
2025 Mercedes-AMG G63, rear angle | Cars.com photo by Conner Golden
About the make
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German luxury automaker with a diverse lineup of cars and SUVs. Its EQ sub-brand produces all-electric sedans and SUVs.
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Is the 2025 Mercedes-AMG G63 Comfortable?
It’s all about juxtaposition. The G63 wears the finest interior materials of any Mercedes short of an S-Class while also maintaining body-on-frame construction and full-time four-wheel drive. There are available massaging seats and a premium Burmester sound system, perfectly complemented by three locking differentials and a suite of terrain-specific drive modes. Dual 12.3-inch displays with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are impressively configurable, as are Merc’s signature ambient lights that gently (or aggressively) suffuse the interior with your favorite hue. Meanwhile, the mechanical door locks sound like rifle bolts, and all five doors open and shut like bunker hatches with a supremely satisfying chunk.
But again, with the exception of the infotainment system and associated smartphone connectivity, the G has offered this fabulous mix of ludicrous and luxe for decades now. What sets each successive refresh or generational leap apart is how Mercedes manages to further compartmentalize its raw truck DNA within a wrapper that’s not that much less comfortable than a standard GLE.
Other than some noticeable wind buffeting, this latest G63 is no more punishing or compromised than any other performance SUV — and if you drove any iteration of the long-lived “first-generation” W463 from 1990-2018, you’ll know that’s pure magic. I will say this latest G doesn’t feel significantly removed from the “second-generation” 2018-24 W463 outside the requisite tech and interior modernizations. Much of the modern G-Wagen’s irreplicable dual personality was born in this last generation, when the SUV abruptly evolved from a charming leather-lined V-8 tank to an actually livable — and luxe — super-SUV, with a day-to-day driving experience on par with other big-buck behemoths from Range Rover, BMW and elsewhere in the Mercedes lineup.
1 / 282025 Mercedes-AMG G63, center stack display | Cars.com photo by Conner Golden
What’s New for the 2025 Mercedes-AMG G63?
A quick sidenote on this generational changeover. I have but one major operational complaint about the 2025 G63, and it involves the new keyless entry doors. Until this new generation launched for the 2025 model year, every prior G in the U.S. market had remote locks operated exclusively via the key fob, without the option of keyless entry. Now, the familiar mechanized handles incorporate touch-to-lock on the surface of the handle along with keyless entry. It’s fantastic in theory but clunky in execution; I couldn’t quite figure out the cadence of when the door was properly unlocked, leading to more than a few instances of having to fish the key out of my pocket when the door either failed to unlock or, in the case when I preemptively unlocked it, relocked itself after grabbing the handle. No biggie, but G-Class buyers with established muscle memory might need to unlearn old habits.
Without the benefit of a back-to-back drive with the outgoing SUV, you’d have to delve into the spec sheet to suss out the biggest changes. The biggest, of course, is partial electrification across the entire G-Class range: Both available gas powertrains pack the same 48-volt mild-hybrid system with an integrated electric starter motor, which Mercedes says adds 20 hp and 148 pounds-feet of torque at low engine rpm.
Those rare American G-Class buyers who do plan to take their 4×4 gigabrick off-road should absolutely spring for the AMG Offroad Package Pro — it ain’t just a roof rack and some mud flaps, it’s how you get the top-spec of the Active Ride Control suspension, which swaps physical antiroll bars for hydraulic hardware. This setup significantly alters roll stiffness, depending on setting. The Off-Road Package also unlocks off-road traction control configurable to seven distinct settings, as you would get in most track-focused AMG models.
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2025 Mercedes-AMG G63, rear | Cars.com photo by Conner Golden
What Does the AMG Offroad Package Pro Add?
The package adds a few more off-road tweaks, but seeing as my schedule didn’t allow for any off-road adventuring, I can merely confirm that the wideband adjustability of the package-specific Active Ride Control was lovely on unexpectedly craggy and fractured street surfaces around Los Angeles. I can think of no better daily vehicle from a comfort, character and capability perspective, provided you can afford both its conspicuousness and consumption. Over 196 miles, I averaged an indicated 9.8 mpg in contrast with the G63’s EPA rating of 14/16/15 mpg city/highway/combined. Did the G63’s soundtrack and general go-get-’em attitude have me driving like a nutjob? Yes. Will normal, well-adjusted city driving also likely fall at or under that 14 mpg watermark? Also yes.
But what a blast. The Gelandewagen has never, ever been better even if it’s mostly the same as it ever was. As far as I’m concerned, they should make the W465-generation G63 for another 30 years. Maybe then we can talk about adding more power. Maybe.
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West Coast Bureau Chief
Conner Golden
