Old and new collide in the Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG

It could be the most extraordinarily bizarre production vehicle in the world. The 2013 Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG makes no sense whatsoever. It’s a German military truck dressed up in a veneer of civility with a hot-rod engine. It combines legendary off-road capability, AMG performance, luxury, and technology in complete disharmony.

And whether you love it or hate it is a pretty good indication of whether you operate from the heart or the head, at least when it comes to cars.

The sensible approach to the G63 AMG would be to reason that you will never use its three differential locks and then dismiss it over its dismal fuel economy. But for some of us, the roar of the engine coming out of the quad-sidepipes coupled with the goofy, boxy cab and chrome brush bar will provoke instant desire.

Everything old is new again My first clue to the absurdity of the G63 AMG came when I used the key fob to remotely unlock the doors, the door locks sounding like the pump action of a Mossberg 500 shotgun, then had to push a button on the door handle to actually open the doors. The car I learned to drive in, a 1961 VW Beetle, had similar door handles, giving a clue to the vintage of at least some parts of the G63 AMG.