By Gavin Braithwaite-Smith, Motoring Research
Brabus’ latest modified Mercedes G-Class 4×4 has taken a bit of a turn to the left-field.
While
you might expect the Merc modder to busy itself fitting these cars with
twin-turbo V12s and big wheels, the ‘Adventure’ version is dedicated to
off-roading.
Forget Hyde Park, the Adventure looks ready for Jurassic Park.
Though
still based on the Widestar, the Adventure adds gnarly off-road tyres
and suspension that allows 40 mm (1.5 inches) more ground clearance.
Brabus has also added a winch, roof-mounted luggage rack with spotlights
and a ladder at the rear.
The Brabus Adventure is
also perhaps the only off-roader that comes with skid plates made from
carbon fibre. Out back, Merc’s standard spare wheel mount is gone. In
its place, a sinister-looking black tubular item that swings out.
Contained within is a monster spare, to match the four on the car.
Especially interesting is that this is a package aimed mostly
at those who bought the diesel G350d, rather than the full-on AMG. You
can, but the package has been launched with the G350. It wouldn’t be
Brabus if there weren’t performance upgrades, though, and the diesel
Adventure is no exception.
From a baseline of 286
horsepower, Brabus boosts the 3.0 straight-six diesel to 330 horsepower.
Torque is also boosted to 509 lb-ft. The engine upgrades are warrantied
for three years and 60,000 miles. Just because it’s a diesel, that
doesn’t mean you escape having flashy exhausts – AMG-style side-exits
feature, too.
While this is the ultimate off-roader, rather than the ultimate
urbanite, Brabus hasn’t forgotten to work its magic on the inside. It’s
the usual fare for the outlandish tuner, with quilted leather
appointment and custom alloy trimmings.
It’s a refreshing
change of pace for Brabus, to be preparing a G-Class for off-roading
rather than the urban jungle. That said, we do wonder whether any cars
that are fitted with the Adventure kit will see a drop of mud on their
travels…
