I bought this thing having never sat in one. I did all the research, and I agree with most of the data, but here are my quick takes, hopefully someone shopping for one comes across this thread.
Before I got any real road time, I did:

- The obligatory spacers (15MM, pop the wheels out just enough to still look factory -- should have come like this)
- BMC filters for some fresh air
- New mats (just to get that factory new funk in there)
- New OEM door sills (mine were destroyed and its a 24!)
- Wheels taken off and detailed, barrels look showroom new.
- All the cabin air filters replaced - who knows who was farting in this thing before I got it.
- Fresh oil change so I'm going on my counter
- Entire car ceramic coated (front end already PPF'd)

Now that shes as new as I can afford, on to the things they don't tell you:

The not so great:
1. Getting in and out of the car: that doorway is not big. I'm 6'4 and I just figured out how to get in and out without banging my knees. I do occasionally turn on the parking light by accident.
2. The windshield: what the hell. Even after a short drive it's filthy. I'm not worried about rocks (I probably should be on account of all the threads), but man this windshield really shows how much stuff is just flying around in the air out there. Luckily it's easy to clean, but its not great for my OCD.
3. The windows shake when you roll them down a bit! I typically like to drive with the windows 25% open, and man do they rattle when you go over a bump! I'd be afraid to slam the door with them down. They look like they'd snap right off!
4. The exhaust on WOT sounds fine. It's just loud though imho, and not in a great way. My 2021 E63S sounded tons more refined on WOT. The shifts in the E sounded brutal and you can hear the turbos clearly. Not so much in this.
5. Back seat room is pathetic, at least behind my 6'4 lanky body.
6. No keyless entry! I still walk up to it and expect magic, but nope, I get a big nothing-burger.

The absolutely wonderful:
1. Exhaust note at any RPM under 5K. You cannot beat it. The slight vibration under your feet from the equipment just inches away, it adds to the sensation.
2. General fit and finish: It's good. Everything feels expensive and solid. It's a wonderful place to be. The seats are super comfortable, the leather everywhere smells and feels great, the quality is peak Mercedes 100%.
3. Not having to worry about uneven road/bumps/driveways. This is more of a general SUV thing coming from a sedan, but it's liberating.
4. The square wheel set up! Being able to rotate tires and getting another few months out of them is such a relief. They could have gone staggered, but they did us a solid on this.
5. The most important to me, and one I thought would be a giant let down after having MBUX for 3 years, the Command system!! I LOVE IT. It mostly has to do with the steering wheel, but I personally find it A TON easier to navigate from the steering wheel than MBUX. That MBUX steering wheel is useless, while this one with the actual buttons and that genius volume barrel thing is incredible. I love how the sat presets can be accessed and easily navigated from the steering wheel sliding up or down, while in the MBUX you had to scroll side to side. Love the second screen in the center screen, and I love having data in front of me that isn't displayed in 10 other places. That's one thing about MBUX that I found super lame, the redundancy of all the data across every screen AND the HUD. I never ever looked at my speedo because it was in my HUD so it didn't matter what I had displayed. To be fair, this is not as advanced obviously but this is way more of a minimalist driver focused set up. The steering wheel in this is far superior than the MBUX set up, while the MBUX trackpad is leagues beyond this glossy ancient mouse looking thing.
6. The sound system is top shelf. It's incredibly good, especially if you dial it in to your liking.
7. The road presence. It feels good, but also feels substantial. It's one of those cars that if you're driving down a tight street, its the oncoming traffic who gets out of the way to let you pass.
8. Seating position. Being a giant I was worried about comments on riding high. You are able to lower the seat all the way, and then bump the front of the lower pad up just a tad so you're almost reclining in the seat. It's super comfortable and feels like a throne!

In short, this thing is amazing and I now see what all the fuss is about. Once I got out of my head all the silly car tuber reviews highlighting the "performance", and got synced with what this car is actually about, I fell in love.

 

Good looking G. Enjoy

 

This was a great post, thank you! Your G63 looks amazing - I love it! I could not agree with you more about the windshield, I am also really OCD and it just gets dirty so easily. Luckily it is super easy to clean and I wipe it down almost every time I drive. I can easily reach the whole thing and do it in 2 minutes. I won't mention the glare of the interior on the windshield or windows, as I have pretty much got used to that quirk (glad you do not experience it). I don't really roll my windows down much at all, so I have not experienced the rattle. Since I have a 2025, I am lucky to have the keyless entry - which is a nice upgrade on the 2025. Though, I admit, I don't use it much.

I am not a tech guy, and it has been a few years since I have had a Mercedes-Benz, but I find the COMMAND system to be really nice and easy to use. This is coming from a guy who still has not synced his phone with the vehicle after two months of ownership, so I greatly appreciate the more minimalist approach with the system. I find everything to be well displayed, extremely responsive, and intuitive. I have also been using the voice command feature, which works really well - and I have never used it on my previous vehicles. I am not an audiophile at all, and still need to go into the audio settings, but the sound system is really nice. I do find that with Sirius it cuts out a bit here and there - possibly more than my other vehicles. I think this is mostly because I live in a more rural, heavily wooded area so that is not uncommon in summer when the leaves are on the trees.

I agree with you so much about the seats, they are super comfortable and very supportive with a great driving position. I do not have a lot of passengers in mine, and when I need to haul several people, I take my 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser 200-series which definitely has much more backseat room and overall very comfortable. This vehicle does have a great road presence, you do feel it is substantial and commanding. I also tend to take the Land Cruiser when I want things to be a bit more stealth, as this does get a lot of attention and sometimes I do not want that bother.

I have a G550 with the AMG Line package, so there is a bit of rumble (especially in Sport mode), but nothing like the G63 I am sure. Despite that, I am enjoying the benefits of the AMG Line package, as it is definitely noticeable than a G550 without it as far as the sound. I also love the AMG steering wheel that came with the package, it feels great and looks good.

You have the best posts, thank you! I love hearing from new G wagon owners and the pros and cons can help potential buyers. For me, despite the quirks, I have wanted one for 20 years and very happy with my decision.

 

Haha I'm glad Im not the only one who noticed that our windshields are basically squeegees for the environment.

Maybe someone can weigh in, and I'm sure it's been tried, but there are a hundred G63 exhausts listed on ebay, some under $1K. I bet it would help pull a little more rumble out of effectively the same engine..

You must tell me where you live. I'd LOVE to live in a place wooded enough to cut out my sat! I'm in So Cal and best we have is Rustic Canyon or Topanga. Everything else is pretty much concrete hell.

 

The windshield is just next level with bugs and debris, so it drives me crazy. The overall exhaust system with the AMG Line on the G550 may be the same, it has the side exhausts, but NOT exposed or like on the G63 at all - they are not visible until you look under the vehicle. When I looked under both mine and a new 2025 G63, the overall system looked the same, but I likely to be very wrong - as I think I would need to redo my whole system. I bet there are G63 exhausts that I could get that would give me a little more rumble. I have not combed the forum to see if someone has done with with a G550 with AMG Line package. To be honest, I am not a big fan of loud exhausts, so the rumble on mine is nice, but I may consider another option to get a bit more.

I live in Massachusetts, about one hour from Boston in the south central area where it is a bit more rural and thick New England woods. I lived in San Francisco for 10 years (2006-2016), but left the city every weekend when I was part of the Land Rover off-roading club and that was really nice to explore more rural areas of CA, OR, WA, etc.. Southern CA, especially LA, definitely has a lot of concrete! I don't think I could live there, now that I am in the woods with a lot of land. I had a second home in PA that I sold a couple years ago and that was farm country, so I do really miss that as well. I have lived in NYC and SF, but I am definitely a country guy.

 

Thats the dream for me. Somewhere rural for sure. I daydream and regularly google "best small towns in America". One day!

 

 

That is one beautiful G63! I love it!!!

 

Great pics, you are quite the photographer

 

Thanks man! I used to shoot with a proper camera but haven’t take it out in forever. The tech in the iPhone cams has come a long way that dusting off the old Z6ii is just too much of a bother.

Same rules apply about framing though!

 

You do take some great photos! I have never had a camera before, so I just use my iPhone. I resisted getting a cell phone until 2008 when I had to get an iPhone for work. Did I mention that I am not good with technology? HAHA. I did just sync my phone with my G wagon and muddled through setting up the MB app. It's cool that the vehicle that shows up is the exact build based on the VIN. The app seems useful, has some good information you can access with your smart phone.

 

Welcome to the club. Nice write up and photos! Was this the G that had a carbon fiber wrap on the hood from Fife? Do you notice any improvements/differences with the BMC filter?

 

Thanks! This was a one owner from up north. Dealer got it on trade, front PPF'd but no CF.

I do not notice any difference with BCM, I think the car is too heavy and not super performancy to notice. To be fair, I haven't launched it either so it's too late now to tell the difference anyway lol. I will say though if you look at the stock filters compared to the BMC, there myst be some improvement in air intake.