2017 Mercedes-Benz G550 4×4² Is Absurdly Awesome and It's Today's Bring a Trailer Auction Pick
• The 2017 Mercedes-Benz G550 4×4² that’s currently up for auction on Bring a Trailer is a surefire way to attract everyone’s attention.
• Compared with the regular G550, the 4×4² is almost a foot higher, more than nine inches wider, and fitted with 36.1-inch-tall off-road tires.
• We previously tested a 2017 G550 4×4² and marveled at its 6.1-second 60-mph time as well as its obvious awesomeness.
There are plenty of ways to attract attention. Attending a wedding dressed in a Smurf costume or loudly singing Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” in a Waffle House should do the trick. But maybe you want the good kind of attention. For exhibitionists with deep pockets, there’s another, more expensive way to ensure all eyes are on you. It’s the brightly colored 2017 Mercedes-Benz G550 4×4² that’s currently listed on the Bring a Trailer auction site, which—like Car and Driver—is part of Hearst Autos.
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A G That Screams, “Look at Me!”
It’s not just the eye-popping Electric Beam paint that makes this G550 4×4² stand out, although the highlighter-like hue definitely plays a role. No, to be clear, the gigantic G-wagen could be grayish-brown and still make passersby take notice. That’s because not only does it have the body of Mercedes’s iconic G-class, but also because it stands almost a foot higher than the regular G550 and measures more than nine inches wider. The 4×4² also rolls on 36.1-inch-tall Pirelli Scorpion ATR off-road tires. Less obvious, albeit no less important, are its portal axles that contribute to the lifted G’s towering 17.9 inches of ground clearance.
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That’s Right, We Tested One
When it was first released, we tested a 2017 G550 4×4². It hit 60 mph in an impressive 6.1 seconds—impressive because it was only four-tenths behind the regular G550, which shares the same 416-hp twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8. Of course, the jacked-up version’s side-exit exhaust provided extra theater. The one listed on BaT features an aftermarket Brabus exhaust system that dumps out below the truck.
Throwback to that time we thrashed one.
Michael Simari|Car and Driver
Our trip down memory lane reminded us that the G550 4×4² is a bit of a handful to drive, which is to be expected by a three-plus-ton machine that’s seven feet, four inches tall. Its steering is sloppy, its body control is floppy, and when we stood on the brake pedal at 70 mph it took 196 feet to come to a stop. Meanwhile, daily tasks such as navigating fast-food drive-throughs and interacting with ATMs require careful planning. Getting in and out of the skyscraper-esque SUV is also a production. Still, it’s all worth it because there’s truly nothing else like the 4×4² on the road—or off it, for that matter.
Peep inside the Beast
Perhaps our least favorite part of the 2017 Mercedes-Benz G550 4×4² is that it’s the old generation. That means it’s missing all the updated tech and features found in 2019 and newer models. This one that’s up for auction has the outdated infotainment system, the ugly center stack with more buttons than a QWERTY keyboard, and the lack of a few niceties that make the current G-class more livable. At least the materials remain top-notch, with leather covering myriad surfaces and the seats all sporting quilted microsuede sections that carry over to the door panels.
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The G550 4×4² on the BaT website currently has a bid of $150,000. That’s about $75,000 less than the 2017 model’s $225,995 base price, but we’ll have to see how much higher the bids climb by the time the auction ends on Thursday, November 10.
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