The G-Wagen. The Geländewagen, if you must. It's not a name that rolls off the tongue. That’s why it’s marketed as the 2025 Mercedes-Benz G-Class.

No matter what you call it, this SUV is unmistakable. Looking much the same since disco was still a thing, its squared-off silhouette is as much a part of its appeal as its Mercedes badge — and that’s the point. It’s a fashion statement carved with a straightedge.

But what began in 1979 as a military vehicle ferrying generals and border agents across Balkan minefields is now an over-the-top luxury SUV wearing a price tag with more commas than a Swiss bank transfer. Certainly, there’s nothing subtle about the 2025 Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG. It’s the automotive equivalent of wearing a tuxedo to the gym — impressive, a little absurd and impossible to ignore.

The Mercedes-AMG G63 is the top-of-the-line rendition of the G-Class, which is also offered as the G550, with a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six generating 443 horsepower, and the all-electric G580, with 579 horsepower and an EPA-rated range of 239 miles per charge. All-wheel drive is standard across the lineup.

Regardless of model, you’ll find this German sledgehammer’s basic shape hasn’t changed much since Jimmy Carter was in the White House. This isn’t a wind-tunnel-shaped pod with curves like a scented candle. This is a military-grade brick with tall, flat sides, round headlights, a hood you could land a drone on. It’s a design that flips the bird to aerodynamics.

But underneath that Cold War profile beats a modern heart: AMG’s hand-built 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 mated to a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. It’s good for 577 horsepower and will fling this three-ton rectangle from zero to 60 in 4.2 seconds, according to Mercedes-Benz. That’s quick in any SUV; in one this heavy, it’s mind-boggling.

The nine-speed automatic is smooth in traffic, sharp when you floor it, and seems to understand that G-Class drivers aren’t shy about using the gas pedal. The steering feels far more precise than you’d expect in a tall, slab-sided SUV, which makes it surprisingly manageable in traffic. There’s no doubt that it’s better than it needs to be, so you can precisely clip apexes, should your neighborhood happen to have any. Ride quality is firm, thanks in part to the big 22-inch wheels, so you’re not exactly floating. But it’s not punishing.

Perhaps this vehicle’s biggest surprise is its doors. Yes, its doors. They don’t close with a “do-you-know-how-little-you-pay” clang of an Asian sedan. It closes with the intent of a Teutonic monolith, thunking shut with an airtight solidity that was once typical of all Mercedes-Benz vehicles, but sadly no longer is. You feel its weight, which telegraphs the craft with which it is designed and built.

Inside, it’s a nightclub with an instrument panel, Nappa leather, brushed metal trim, digital displays and enough ambient lighting to set the mood. It smells like money well spent, with a bolt upright seating position that makes you feel as if you’re in charge of something important, even if it’s only dominating the Whole Foods parking lot. You don’t drive a G63, you command it, storming into town like you just annexed Liechtenstein. Yet its headrests are pillowy soft, coddling your head like a mother from Düsseldorf.

The instrument panel features dual 12.3-inch screens behind a single pane of glass. One is the digital instrument cluster, the other, the infotainment touchscreen with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, navigation and a Burmester surround sound system.

The 2025 Mercedes-AMG G63 is absurdly expensive, ridiculously fast and ludicrously capable for something that’s more likely to be found in valet parking than seen crossing some raging river. There’s a strange honesty in its excess, and it’s glorious. It looks like nothing else, drives like nothing else, and possesses an unmatched presence. In an age of wind-tunnel sameness, the 2025 Mercedes-AMG G63 is truly in a class of one.

2025 Mercedes-AMG G63

Base price: $186,100

Engine: Twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 with hybrid assist

Horsepower/Torque: 577/627 pound-feet

EPA rating (combined city/highway): 15 mpg

Fuel required: Premium

Length/Width/Height: 192/78/78 inches

Ground clearance: 9.6 inches

Payload: 1,235 pounds

Cargo capacity: 38-68.6 cubic feet

Towing capacity: 7,000 pounds

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