New Spy Shots Show G550 4X4 Playing In the Snow with One Portal Axle
Motor 1 takes a peek at the new G550 4×4. It might not be ‘Squared’ any more as there’s just one portal axle now.
The previous G550 4×4 Squared will go down in history as one of a kind. That’s because it’ll end up being the only one that had portal axles both front and rear. Despite the G-wagon being the vehicle that constantly resists change, it appears the front portal axle on the super off-roader was just too much. As you can see from the photo above, lower control arms indicate the presence of a traditionally driven independent front axle. It also seems quite a bit lower to the ground, too.
This anomaly was discovered over at Motor1. While it does take away from the cool factor somewhat, the plus side is that Doug DeMuro can’t hide under your Mercedes any more. This change may end up driving the cost down a bit, too. A portal front axle is the more complicated unit to engineer. But how much of the price will be slashed – if at all – is yet to be seen.
There doesn’t appear to be many other changes outside of the driveline. Upgraded LED headlights look to carry over. Eight lug rims are also carried over, although these tires appear to have more meat on a smaller rim compared to the previous 4×4. If mercedes has ambitions for a higher-speed off-roader, this is surely the way to go. Maybe Baja is in their future? Or maybe they saw the customer base of the 4×4 Squared almost never utilized the rig to its full potential.
The setting for the video appears to show two G550’s playing in the wintery stuff. While it looks like a load of fun, chances are there’s real testing going on. Those wheel arches house all sorts of cooling louvers, and moving suspension parts. If snow packs into any of those areas and causes trouble, it’s better to know now. So while it does look fun, these Mercedes test drivers are finding valuable information. That sure does seem like a dream job though, doesn’t it? “Mercedes test driver” has a pretty good ring to it.
Photos: Motor1
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