G63 AMG is a better build with Grabber AT3s

G63 AMG. In a world of aerodynamic design needs, spacious cabin architectures and air-suspension ride quality, this is Mercedes-Benz’s very successful outlier SUV.

Proud of its military origins, the latest G63 AMG integrates exceptional hand-built Austrian assembly quality with a proven, overengineered, steel ladder-frame chassis. Few luxury SUVs are built like this anymore, with most designs using the monocoque approach for superior steering dynamics.

However, the G63 AMG’s iconic design, exemplary build quality, and twin-turbocharged V8 engine make it wildly successful. Despite the R4 630 600 price, Mercedes-Benz South Africa has sold out its first allocation of the latest AMG Geländewagens. It’s a testament to how much luxury SUV buyers value its heritage and the sound signature of that 430kW, turbocharged 4-litre V8, with its side-exit exhausts.

G63 AMG has a vulnerability

But there is an issue with this most charming of AMGs. Tyres. The Geländewagen’s primary design purpose remains off-road ability and conquering severe terrain.

The issue is that its powerful V8 engine enables it to reach speeds that would overwhelm a rugged all-terrain tyre rapidly. Paradoxically, running the G63 AMG on low-profile tyres rated for high speeds undoes its usability as an all-terrain luxury touring vehicle, if you want to self-drive to Tswalu Kalahari.

A solution is Continental’s General Grabber AT3s. These tyres are certified for the G63 AMG as an official OEM option, and offer an ideal spectrum of capabilities, from high-speed cruising confidence to all-terrain toughness. Although most G63 AMG builds feature outrageously oversized 22-inch wheels rolling 295/40 tyres, there is a comfier and better alternative.

Enhancing G63 AMG ownership

The Continental Grabber AT3s are sized 275/50 for 20-inch wheels. That means more tyre volume, enhancing ride quality and providing a greater traction bandwidth in sand driving.

If you deflate the Geländewagen’s low-profile 295/40/22s, there’s minimal elongation in the tyre contact patch. But air-down the Continental Grabber AT3 275/40/20s, and you’ll gain a lot of traction for exploring those iconic Kalahari red dunes.

Sure, these tyres will generate more road rumble than the lower-profile Pirellis that most AMG-series Geländewagens are equipped with, but the benefits are many. For owners who frequently journey on poorly surfaced roads with potholes, the Grabber AT3s have much better square-edge impact survivability.

Always choose the 20s

If you don’t want to be stranded with a flat or broken wheel in your AMG Geländewagen, you want the Grabber AT3s. Especially if you do a lot of driving business and leisure self-driving travel on rural roads, specifically in KZN or Limpopo, where the pothole strike risk is significant.

Sure, the 22-inch wheels with low-profile tyres might look aesthetic to some, but they have almost no all-terrain driving ability. And because of their much lower air volume, they degrade ride quality too – which is wickedly ironic for a luxury SUV, like the AMG-spec Geländewagen.

Owners are universally better served by choosing the smaller 20-inch wheel option, which looks more in proportion to Geländewagen’s proportions, too. Speed rated for 210km/h, the Continental Grabber AT3s, with their MO1A tyre markings, are what smart AMG Geländewagen owners are choosing on their new builds. Because tyres and their terrain vulnerability should never limit the ownership experience of any Geländewagen.