Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Culture

The 2014 Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG outside Willow Springs

Nick Jaynes
By

I recently had the opportunity to drive all of the Mercedes-Benz AMG models out on Willow Springs racetrack outside LA. I don’t mean a few of the AMGs – I mean all of them. You name it: CLA45 AMG, C63 AMG 507 Edition, SLS AMG Black, and the hulking monster itself, the G63 AMG.

Of all the wondrous fun I had – especially with the SLS AMG GT – I had perhaps the most fun with the G63. Right now you’re probably thinking I’m mad. But I’m not. Let me explain.

Recommended Videos

When we had downtime between laps on the track with the SLS AMG Black, I snagged the keys to a G Wagon and headed out into the desert.

The G63 is powered by a twin-turbo charged 5.5-liter V8 that produces 536 horsepower and 560 pound-feet of torque. Although this is an old truck by any one’s measure, it’s a riot. The thing looks like an assault vehicle, drives like a nuclear-powered tractor, and sounds like an SLS.

The exterior and ride quality are classic off-roader. The interior is on-par with the 2014 E-Class with soft leather and a fit and finish that would make Rolls-Royce squirm.

On the road, the thing is an absolute beast. While it corners about as well as a block of melting cheese, it goes like absolute hell and makes enough noise to permanently damage any children you fly by at full throttle. This is even more impressive when you realize how unapologetically boxy the damn thing is. It’s literally as aerodynamic as a rock. Being able to accelerate like it does is no small feat, as it fights against Mother Nature on all fronts.

The luxury and on-road acceleration are impressive by any standard. It’s the off-road capability of the $138,000 luxury truck that has me up the wall.

You can show up at the world premier of any high-budget Hollywood film in the G63 and no one would bat an eye. You could drag race muscle cars all day long and likely win. You can also go off-road with the best of them, too.

After ripping and roaring down the lonely California highways for a while, I decided to get daring and turned off the road and headed into the hills outside Willow Springs. I paused, popped the thing into low-range, and, for the hell of it, locked up all three locking differentials. I was off.

Rolling on low profile tires ascending hills even a Toyota FJ Cruiser would find a challenge all the while bathed in the pinnacle of German luxury made me giggle. Rocks, ruts, you name it; nothing got in the way of the G63.

I paused at the top of the hill snapped the photos you see above and waited to watch the sunset.

Delightfully, to my surprise, all the brush around me was sage. So as I drove over, crushed, or set the plants alight with the low-hanging exhaust pipes, they gave off the most sensuous smells.

It was an incredible moment. That was, until I realized there was nowhere to turn around and I had to either go forward into the unknown or back down the 35-degree rocky incline. That, my friends, is a story for another day.

Nick Jaynes
Nick Jaynes
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Nick Jaynes is the automotive editor of The Manual. When Nick isn't behind the wheel on the open road, he can be found…
How long should you let new cigars rest in a humidor?
Cigar humidor

Looking at those beautiful, oily cigars you've just unboxed or unwrapped, the calling to light up is real. I get it. I always want to smoke my cigars right away, too. But you shouldn't. Mail day is always exciting after you've ordered a slew of new cigars. When they arrive, the real fun begins. You'll probably need to organize your humidor to make the new sticks fit or arrange them for optimal humidification. As you're handling them, it's difficult to resist the temptation to crack open the cellophane or boxes and smoke one right away. While you can do that in most cases, I would recommend against it. Depending on where those cigars came from, where you live, and how they traveled, they might need a little time to rest in a humidor. They'll need to replenish some humidity and moisture or dry out a little.
How long should you let your new cigars rest?

When you put cigars in a humidor, especially one that's filled, they'll soak up and release humidity over time until they reach the average RH (relative humidity) that you have set inside your humidor. If you have a device like a that does this automatically, it will produce moisture and humidity to keep the levels optimal. You can also achieve the same thing with in smaller humidors, which release and soak up the humidity to match the levels on the label. Boveda packs come in a range of RH levels, from the low to mid-60s to the mid-70s.

Read more
The 11 best Kevin Costner movies, ranked
He has a full resume of films, but if you're a Costner fan, then you must see these movies
Kevin Costner in Dances with Wolves

An all-American, blue-collar working man turned Hollywood essential, Kevin Costner has lived a life full of experience and dreams that some can only imagine. Starting out as a small kid -- 5'2" at high school graduation -- who moved around a lot, Costner was fond of things like poetry, writing, and singing in his Baptist choir. Outside of the arts, he was also very interested in sports of all kinds, which is reflected in his film career to this day. Also a man of the outdoors, Costner built his own canoe at 18 and paddled it through sections where Lewis and Clark ventured. Fun facts aside, Costner had a full and interesting life before the world got to know him as the charming and eloquent movie man we know him to be today.
From his past life, accomplishments, and hobbies, Costner was fully prepared to write, direct, and act for the screen as he fulfilled yet another lifelong dream. A man who was once called "The King of the Sports Movie," Costner has been able to act in films of a subject matter near and dear to his heart that became the films he is best known for. And that doesn’t include his many other successful movies having to do with politics, crime, and romance that also make for some of his best roles. Luckily, we’re here to talk about all of those films at once as we celebrate the man who has accomplished more in one lifetime than some could in many. Here are the best Kevin Costner movies of all time.

11. Open Range (2003)

Read more
The best Quentin Tarantino movies, ranked – Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and more
If you haven't seen these films at least one time, you need to ... and then watch them again and again
Scene from Pulp Fiction, John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson

Of all the contemporary film auteurs, perhaps no one’s work has permeated pop culture as thoroughly as Quentin Tarantino's. This director’s hyper-stylized, retro fantasy worlds have come to define cinematic coolness. His clever mashups of genres, exquisite sense of aesthetics, impeccable editing, uproarious suspensefulness, and impossibly quippy dialogue have been endlessly imitated.
Given the current political landscape, Tarantino’s work has undergone a serious critical re-evaluation from Black and feminist critics and scholars who point toward both his allegedly abusive behaviors and the offensive politics and rhetoric of his films. It’s true that in this new light, for many, there may be nothing redeemable about his entire oeuvre. 
However, to discard all Quentin Tarantino movies would discount the impossible talent of his frequent collaborators and stars, such as Sally Menke (who edited all of Tarantino’s movies until her death in 2010), Uma Thurman (who not only played the protagonist of Tarantino’s most iconic movies but was also credited as a co-writer on Kill Bill), Samuel L. Jackson (a frequent Tarantino star), and many more.
With that in mind, here’s our (subjective!) ranking of the greatest directed Quentin Tarantino movies of all time.

9. Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019)

Read more