2017 Mercedes-Benz G500: Surviving Schöckl Mountain — cnet.com

A chase scene in just about every action movie has our hero, be it James Bond or Jason Bourne, racing along in something light and fast while the bad guys lumber after in a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen. And you scoff and say, "There's no way that big SUV could keep up!" I thought so too, until I experienced the speed and capability the 2017 Mercedes-Benz G500 can bring to even a rough and rocky trail. As we got nearer to Mercedes-Benz's proving grounds at Schöckl Mountain outside Graz, Austria, in the G500, I could sense my driver, Gunter, getting excited. The G500 runs the same engine as the G550 offered in the States, namely a 4-liter twin-turbo V8. We turned off the pavement and onto a gravel road traveling at what I would consider to be a moderate speed. Suddenly, Gunter floored the gas and jerked the steering wheel to the left, entering a rocky and rutted trail, carrying enough speed to make me grab the oh-shit bar in front of me.

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