Why the AMG G63 Is Still the Best Thing Mercedes Makes
Close your eyes and whisper "Mercedes-Benz."
This incantation likely conjures a stately, stretched-out sedan of some distant vintage. It's probably riding on breadloaf sidewalls and either painted jet black or some gleaming metallic beige. It will not, however, look anything like this: The upright matte-bronze She-Shed parked in my driveway.
But in 2025, the G63 is the very best
Mercedes-Benz
has to offer. It feels of considerable substance and style, the type that used to drape the shoulders of any car that wore the three-pointed star.
One time, a friend came by, poked her head in the G Wagen, and simply decreed,
"It smells like money!"
That old-school attention to feeling seems increasingly rare at a time when the German marque stumbles in search of a modern identity. Don't understand what I mean? Take a look at the
EQE
. I'm not a fan, and neither are the car's owners, apparently, as many have found their way to the secondary market in short order.
You should not confuse a Mercedes with a Chevy commuter
The cheapest EQEs have just dipped below thirty grand on the used market, have few miles on the clock, are a couple of model years old, and generally rang up near eighty grand when new with a few options. New ones can barely be given away.
Meanwhile, pull up a new tab and find your local Mercedes dealer:
G-Class
trucks—of which I am a fan—sell at a price of 'Please Enquire.' Whatever figure that enquiry produces, you'll pay it. Or more.
Granted, most EVs have depreciated quicker than a ripe peach, but EQE values have dropped like a Steinway in freefall. It was perhaps the least-enjoyable thing I've driven in the past few years (the EQE, not the free-falling Steinway), given the disparity between real-world experience and my expectation of the badge.
Photo by: Kyle Kinard / Motor1
Mercedes might be forgiven for their early attempts at a mainstream EV, along with the rest of
Zee Germans
—only
BMW
nailed that first round with the i4. But that dilution of core brand attributes, which plagued Mercedes EVs, also stretched to flagship performance vehicles like the C63, which has come in for a raft of criticism from the media, including myself, with a similar attitude taken by prospective buyers.
Mercedes, to their credit, have admitted 'they lost some customers' with the car and seem to be considering a
course correction
, though they've remained unrepentant in other interviews, insisting a lack of C63 sales resulted from a
lack of customer education
; Not from building a Mercedes nobody but legislators asked for.
C63: An embarrassment of technological riches. Undesirable all the same.
Photo by: Mercedes-Benz
It doesn't bring me any glee to bring these points back up, because I've made them before. Rather than beat a dead horse, I repeat myself because I simply want Mercedes to find its way back.
Because every enthusiast loves Mercedes in some way or another, whether it's for their stodgy Seventies sedans that wore like an old fraying cardigan, or for their hyperbolic approach to performance wherein most Mercedes-AMGs bore at least eight cylinders, a pair of turbos, and enough torque to rip a Sequoia from the earth.
There's always been something deeply aspirational about a Mercedes-Benz, and yet the number of Mercedes I desire to own dwindles each year. How to solve that? Borrow some lessons from this G-Class and apply them to every last Mercedes.
Photo by: Kyle Kinard / Motor1
Photo by: Kyle Kinard / Motor1
Of course, it's the most despicable auto-writer cliche to mention the cha-chunk of a G-Class's door when you slam it shut against the latch, but here it is again. Combine that audible sensation with the mighty heft of the doors themselves, the force required to depress the door-latch button itself, and the slam it takes to fully latch the door shut…
Like a Colt 1911, this vehicle demands all your arm strength to actuate its exterior functions, evoking a rugged utilitarianism. These touchpoints perfectly demonstrate an abstract concept: Quality is communicated through what a driver feels, not how a vehicle looks.
So, simply make the EQE's doors feel heavier? No, that's not it. Take this less cliched example: the sunroof slider. Compare the G's slider to a downmarket SUV like the 4Runner that sits in my driveway a lot.
Photo by: Kyle Kinard / Motor1
Both the G63's slider and the one in my own 4Runner offer identical functionality. You simply grab a little handle at the leading edge of the slider and move it along a set of tracks until the glass roof is revealed.
In the 4Runner, it feels unremarkable. In the Mercedes, it feels almost indescribable. There's that heft again, but this time with a smoothness to the action, like you're sliding a heavy piece of fine china over velvet. I think a team of human beings considered how it should feel to close this shade and made decisions working back from that particular aim.
There were cost-cutting measures to consider—after all, the money guys have shareholders' pockets to line—but in the end, even the G-Class's least-used feature feels like money.
Photo by: Kyle Kinard / Motor1
The G-Class communicates the abstract idea of 'quality' with every touch point, whereas many other Mercedes—lined with capacitive touch buttons and clicky plasticky trim pieces—signal an indifference toward their driver.
Cut-rate Mercedes-Benz will demand cheaper materials, in turn creating a challenge for the designers, engineers, and bean counters. But Mercedes always overcame that challenge with its US products; Generally the less-expensive ones never felt anything less than a Mercedes-Benz.
Even the beat-up diesel E-Class taxi you hailed in Skopje still rode like a Mercedes. The sedan's synthetic seats held up for a half-million miles with some occasional care and didn't feel cheap so much as intentionally hard-wearing. Budget Mercedes haven't felt that way since at least 2013, when the marque made its biggest play toward the mass market with
CLA
.
Photo by: Kyle Kinard / Motor1
Photo by: Kyle Kinard / Motor1
Alongside BMW's 'The Ultimate Driving Machine,' Mercedes's 'The Best or Nothing' credo sits atop the pile of automotive taglines. It's an idea so concise and so attractive, it still lures me to the brand. This G63 still speaks to that idea in an honest way, even if you're cynical about the Kardashian types who buy the truck and park them in front of boutiques you can't shop in.
But the Kardashians do prove something that Merc should remember; Americans buy cars that move them emotionally, not the one that looks the most clever on a piece of drafting paper.
It's why we love the G63's bombast, an old-school E-Class's stodgy adherence to ultimate quality, and the SL's drug lord menace. Vehicles like the EQE and C63 felt like equations where you have to work backward to find the value of 'x', instead of structures supported by a core brand identity.
Photo by: Kyle Kinard / Motor1
With a deeply unsure legislative climate, I sympathize with product planners at any company. Navigating the changing winds of world governments is difficult when product planning moves at a glacial pace.
But if you simply stick to your guns and build a car that feels like The Best or Nothing—at every price point—it doesn't matter which direction the trade winds blow. People will follow in your wake.
More On Mercedes-AMG
Mercedes-AMG's New Super Sedan Revealed: Insane Power, V-8 Noises
AMG's New V-8 Will Be Around for as Long as People Want It, Says CEO
Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily.
back
Sign up
For more information, read our
Privacy Policy
and
Terms of Use
.
Share this Story
Facebook
X
LinkedIn
Flipboard
Reddit
WhatsApp
E-Mail
Got a tip for us? Email:
tips@motor1.com
Join the conversation
(
)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Drive
2 hours ago
- The Drive
Ferrari's ‘Hypersail' Boat Looks Like Something out of Dune
The latest car news, reviews, and features. This week, Ferrari released plans to build an extremely expensive vehicle with no engine. Meet the Hypersail, a decidedly sinister-looking 100-foot sailing yacht. This won't be the kind of yacht you throw a party on—it's going to be built for speed. As for why this is happening, an article on Ferrari's site states that the idea is to 'broaden Ferrari's racing identity, by pushing the Prancing Horse into another form of endurance competition.' Ferrari Executive Chairman John Elkann is quoted answering 'why' with, 'Because we couldn't not do it. When one looks at what drives Ferrari, it's about passion and competence at the service of the impossible.' Sounds like it boils down to 'because we wanted to,' which, sure, why not! This slightly abstract reveal video gives you a little more context on what we're talking about: I'll admit I don't know quite enough about boat racing to quickly understand if this tri-foil setup is better than existing foil systems (there are plenty of racing yachts using such a thing), but the basic idea is maximal hydrodynamics and velocity. Speed is a little different on the water, not just because it's measured in knots but also because what feels like a casual cruise in a car is absolutely ripping in a boat. America's Cup racing yachts will be in the 60 mph neighborhood at maximum attack. Ferrari has stated that its ultimate plan is to take this thing racing. 'Soon, watching the Prancing Horse unfold on the mainsail of its first sailing yacht will get fans' pulses racing as much as seeing a rossa cross the finish line of Le Mans first,' the brand posted. There are some lines in the press release about sharing learnings from the car side, but I don't know. I think somebody over there just wanted to try something different. The Ferrari Hypersail program is being run by Team Principal Giovanni Soldini, who will pick the sailors as well as direct the vessel's construction and planning. The yacht itself is being designed by French naval architect Guillaume Verdier. Ferrari Ferrari's building the thing in Italy and bringing in other nautical engineers and experts to see the project through, but maintains that it's an 'in-house' vehicle, not just a rebadged white-label boat from an already established nautical brand. As for its technological details, the Hypersail will be what's called a full foiling yacht. That means it will effectively 'fly' over the water—the hull itself will be up in the air while three little wings (the foils) will be in the water when it's underway. This is done to minimize drag—pushing through water takes a lot more oomph than pushing through air. The foil on the keel (a long protrusion at the bottom of a sailboat that helps steady it) is apparently uncommon; Ferrari says the Hypersail will be 'the world's first 100-foot monohull with a foil on the keel, designed to fly on three points of contact.' '…the use of a canting keel as the support for one of the foils, with the other two contact points being a foil on the rudder and, alternately, the two lateral foils,' Ferrari's release explains. For those of us who look at boats casually, 100 feet is quite a long vessel. I co-own a stinky old sailboat with some family members, and at about 25 feet, it's got room for a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen inside. Looks like Ferrari's dispensing with the comfort-craft amenities, as, again, this vessel is built around racing. Ferrari also proudly proclaimed that the Hypersail boat, scheduled to be unveiled in its final form next year, will be entirely powered by wind and the sun (solar power). It has no combustion engine at all. Development cost and whether or not there will be a commercially available civilian version remain TBA. But if you wanted to go out and buy an America's Cup racing yacht right now, you'd need $8 to $10 million. And if you actually want to go racing, Outside Magazine once wrote 'It has been estimated that mounting a successful America's Cup campaign costs over $100 million.' I think I'll stick to local hillclimbs and track days. Got a tip? Drop us a line at tips@
Car and Driver
2 hours ago
- Car and Driver
The True Cost of Owning an Electric Vehicle: What You Need to Know
If you're thinking about buying or leasing your first electric vehicle, what costs should you be prepared for beyond the purchase price? Will there be any expensive surprises? Will maintenance cost more or less than a traditional gas-powered car? We'll answer this with in-depth information on EV insurance, depreciation, charging costs, tax incentives, home charging installation, and more. After you read this guide, you'll have a better idea of what it costs to own an EV. One of the most important factors that car buyers consider is affordability, up there with quality and fuel economy. But for EVs, you'll want to look beyond the window sticker to determine what you're really going to pay. The MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price) often doesn't reflect the real cost of an EV. For one, the MSRP of an EV is usually significantly higher than a comparable gas or hybrid vehicle, in part because of their expensive-to-produce batteries. According to Kelly Blue Book data from June 2025, the average transaction price of a new EV was $57,734, while the average price for a gas-powered vehicle was $48,799—a nearly $9000 difference. But MSRP and purchase price aren't the whole picture. Mario Tama | Getty Images EV State and Federal EV Tax Incentives State and federal EV tax incentives can reduce the real-world cost of an EV significantly. The maximum federal tax incentive is $7500 at the time of this writing, bringing your average EV closer to cost parity with nonelectric vehicles. Not every EV or buyer qualifies for the credit. EVs must contain a certain percentage of domestically produced parts, buyers must not exceed an income limit, and vehicles with MSRPs greater than the IRS guidelines below do not qualify: Vans, SUVs, trucks: $80,000 maximum MSRP All other vehicles: $50,000 maximum MSRP This article has more information about federal tax credits; the government also has a list of vehicles that qualify for full or partial tax credits. The tax credit is different than a typical dealer incentive; it's not a discount on the purchase; instead, it reduces the buyer's tax liability. If a buyer owes less than $7500 in federal income tax, they won't get the full benefit of the credit. But buyers can transfer the tax credit to the dealer, who can then give them an immediate discount on the vehicle purchase price. The IRS has more details on how this works. Also check with the relevant agency in your state to see if there are additional state tax incentives or rebates. For example, Colorado is known for having a particularly generous tax credit of up to $3500 in addition to the federal credit. Other EV Incentives Slow-selling EVs may also have substantial incentives, discounts offered by the dealer or manufacturer. In early 2025, the new electric Dodge Charger Daytona saw discounts that could exceed $12,000, hinting at its low demand. Check for current offers at the manufacturer's website; many car-shopping sites also highlight attractive deals. How to Pay for an EV While the tax credits make EVs stand out from typical cars and trucks, the process of buying an EV is largely the same. You could pay cash up front or (more likely) finance the vehicle's price through a loan. Loans may be initiated through the vehicle manufacturer's financing arm (also known as captive auto lenders) or through a bank, credit union, or online lenders. Check out our in-depth guide to all facets of auto financing. Some lenders offer EV-specific loan terms. These are sometimes known as green loans. They may offer better interest rates or other terms. Some captive auto lenders naturally offer lower interest rates to incentivize low-emissions-vehicle sales. Some banks and other lenders also offer specialty loans. When researching which lender to finance through, it's worth asking about EV-specific loans. Many EV makers bypass dealer networks and sell directly to car buyers. Following the lead of EV pioneer Tesla Motors, more recent startups, including Rivian, Lucid, and Volkswagen's upcoming Scout truck and SUV brand, intend to sell directly to consumers. While there's typically no negotiation, there may be incentives or other special offers. Some states have specific rules prohibiting this practice, while others currently only allow an exception for Tesla. You may check with local dealers, direct-to-consumer retail outlets, or your state vehicle-licensing agency for more information. What It Costs to Insure an EV EVs have a lot of advantages, but one area in which they fall short of their fossil-fuel kin is in the insurance department. As we've covered in our in-depth guide to insuring EVs, insurance for these green vehicles is generally more expensive than an average car. There are a few reasons why EVs are more expensive to insure: Higher purchase cost. More expensive to repair. Higher labor and parts costs. A 2023 study found that EVs, on average, cost $442 per year more than an equivalent gas vehicle to insure. That said, a number of factors influence insurance costs, so be sure to do your due diligence with your insurance agent or broker. Additional Costs: Registration Fees, Additional Taxes In many states, transportation infrastructure repair for roads, freeways, and bridges is funded in large part by sales taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel. Many states have implemented increased registration fees or other taxes to make sure that EV owners are paying their "fair share" of the costs. The fees can add up. For example, in Texas there is a $400 fee for new EV registrations, with an additional $200 fee for each yearly renewal. According to some analyses of various state registration fees and taxes, EV registration fees actually exceed what non-EV drivers pay in gasoline taxes. If you're in one of the following states, it's worth researching the fee before getting a nasty surprise at the licensing office. Alabama Arizona Arkansas Georgia Idaho Indiana Kansas Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Tennessee Texas Virginia Washington West Virginia Wyoming Factor in registration and licensing costs into the total cost of the vehicle no matter what state you live in. The numbers will likely be available on your state's vehicle-licensing office's website. EV Maintenance and Repair Compared to an internal-combustion gasoline or diesel engine, electric motors are relatively simple mechanically. That could mean less maintenance, as there are fewer things that can go wrong. But there are some maintenance items that EVs and gas cars share: Tires Brakes (although an EV's regenerative braking can make the brakes last longer) Suspension (shocks, struts, springs) Cooling system EVs often use specialized tires to cope with their extra weight and special rubber compounds to decrease rolling resistance and thus improve range and efficiency. When it comes time to replace tires—when worn out, damaged, or at six to 10 years—they may cost more than those on a gas- or diesel-powered vehicle. There is also some data indicating that heavier EVs cause increased tire wear and require more frequent replacement. Brakes, however, are a bright spot. Instead of using the brakes to slow down, most EVs use regenerative braking to turn their electric motors into electric generators. The traditional brake components, like brake pads and brake discs, are present but used less frequently, resulting in lower maintenance costs. While the math gets trickier for fancy upscale EVs with adjustable suspension systems, there's nothing special about most EVs' suspension other than optimization for the vehicle's increased weight. The cooling system (more accurately a thermal-management system) on an EV helps maintain the battery at its optimum temperature so it can work correctly. In cold weather, or to prep the battery for fast-charging, it will actually heat and circulate fluid to warm the battery to the right temperature. This all means that there's a liquid that fills the system, often a specialized (and expensive) one, and various pumps and sensors. Unless there's an unforeseen problem, the system will be inspected and the fluid changed at regular intervals per the manual. What's the bottom line? In general, EVs are cheaper to maintain. The Cost to Charge an EV Installing home charging can be the biggest surprise expense of the EV-ownership experience. Some lucky homeowners will have suitable wiring and a convenient outlet ready to go but others may face significant costs (from about $500 to more than $1300 on average, according to a study by Angie's List). Check the requirements of the charger you are planning to use and consult an electrician. Incentives and rebates may offset the cost of the charger or the price of installation; talk to your utility company about that. Our home charger buying guide provides a comprehensive overview of the process, costs involved, and recommendations for home charging units. Your local electricity rate will also affect the cost of EV ownership. The cost of electricity varies widely, but it's usually expressed in dollars per kilowatt-hour (kWh); the national average as of March 2025 was $0.17 per kilowatt-hour. (Hawaii had the most expensive rate, at $0.41, and North Dakota the least at $0.11.) Electricity rates may vary during the day or seasonally. After determining your electricity rate, you can get a ballpark estimate of the cost to "fill up" your EV by multiplying your battery capacity in kilowatt-hours by the electricity rate in dollars per kilowatt-hour and then adding another 10 percent to account for losses during charging. For example, a current 2025 Chevrolet Equinox has an 85-kWh battery. Many owners do not fully drain or fully charge their batteries to extend their service life, so a 20 to 80 percent charge would cost $9.54 at the national average electricity rate. That would recoup 171 to 191 miles of EPA driving range, depending on which Equinox EV model you're charging. Charging at home is significantly more economical than using a public charger. While some public chargers are of the same type you'd use at home, what comes to mind when most EV drivers think of public charging are the ultra-fast, high-voltage chargers operated by companies like Electrify America, EVgo, ChargePoint, and others. These are also known as DC fast-chargers, and they're much faster than any home charging system—filling up most EVs in minutes rather than hours. It is almost always significantly more expensive. Public DC fast-charger rates vary by too many factors to list here, including local electricity rates, time of day, and demand, but in general, it's around $0.50 per kilowatt-hour. Using our Equinox EV example, it would cost nearly $27 to fill up from 20 to 80 percent. What Is an EV Worth When It's Time to Sell or Trade It In? EV owners generally don't hold on to their vehicles as long as the overall average—typically three to four years. This means that anyone considering buying an EV needs to think about how much it will be worth a few years down the road when the time comes to sell it or trade it in. This is called depreciation; how much the value of an item has decreased over time. EVs typically have notably worse resale value than other types of vehicles. A recent study finds that, on average, EVs depreciated by 58.8 percent over five years, compared to an overall market average of 45.6 percent. Recently, Tesla models are being hit particularly hard by depreciation. This means an EV will be worth less at the end of an ownership period. That's less money coming back to you, so you can think of it as an additional cost to factor in. The Bottom Line As you can see, there are many factors that influence the cost to own and drive an EV. The biggest single factor in the total cost is the selection of the vehicle itself. A less expensive, more reliable EV with a higher resale value could prove to be a prudent choice. Equally important is how the EV will be charged. Home charging installation can be very expensive; if you have an older house, you may want to go over your plans with an electrician before buying an EV. If you'll charge at DC fast-chargers, budget for significantly higher charging costs. But remember, reduced maintenance costs, EV tax incentives, and any other purchase or lease incentives could drastically alter the picture. The best advice we can give you about the cost of EV ownership is that it pays to do your homework. With knowledge about some of the less obvious factors and some tools to estimate them, you'll have a good idea of what owning an EV will cost you.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
New car price inflation may already be here, and tariffs will make it worse: Cox Automotive
Analysts at Cox Automotive believe tariff-induced price hikes are coming for new cars — and could already be here. "The new vehicle market is likely to see the return of inflation, and it may already be happening," Cox senior economist Charlie Chesbrough said during the company's 2025 midyear review and second-half outlook. "Given the impact of tariffs, prices are likely to start rising at a much faster rate, so the trend suggests higher vehicle prices are coming to the new vehicle market," Chesbrough added. Chesbrough said the combination of higher-priced models affected by tariffs coming to replace depleted inventories, the declining use of incentives, and potential supply disruptions will create conditions that will shoot prices higher in the new car market. President Trump's auto sector tariffs began on April 3, but automakers had built up big buffers of non-tariffed supply before then. Supply is a big factor in pricing, and that non-tariff supply is dwindling. Cox data shows that in March, the industry's supply stood at 92 days. In June, that figure fell to 70, with some automakers like Toyota (TM) and Honda (HMC) having around half that amount. "The supply this year has been falling dramatically since March as the tariff-induced buying surge drew down available inventories," Chesbrough said. Read more: 6 steps to find cheap car insurance in 2025 Cox division Kelly Blue Book reports the average selling price of a new vehicle crept up to $48,799 in May, up from the month before but below the $50K mark seen in the height of the pandemic. As prices are poised to rise, sales may soon drop accordingly. May's sales pace fell to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 15.6 million, Chesbrough said, with June slumping even further to 15.3 million, with more declines to follow. "The impact of tariffs have not been felt, and that will change in the 2nd half of this year," Chesbrough said. Chesbrough said the Cox team predicts that if tariffs remain in place, sales will fall around 1% to 2% to 15.7 million for the year, down from 15.9 million last year. The pain from falling sales won't hit all automakers uniformly. While GM (GM) performed well in the first half of the year, Cox predicts Toyota (TM) and Ford (FORD) could outperform in the second half, based on strong results in the second quarter. Stellantis (STLA), Volkswagen, and Tesla (TSLA) may suffer as they saw dropping sales and market share in the first half of the year. Pras Subramanian is the lead auto reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on X and on Instagram. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
