Fascination Brabus 900 XLP Rocket
Total work of art
Brabus 900 Rocket Edition
© press-inform – the press office
The G-Class from Mercedes has long since developed from a simple utility off-roader to a luxury SUV. But there is still room for improvement, as Brabus shows.
It’s hard to believe that it started with just 72 hp. When Mercedes and its partner Puch brought the first G model onto the market in 1979, a weak diesel engine had to be used as the drive. The robust off-road vehicle, which was primarily planned for the military and police, had little to do with comfort or even luxury.
A good 40 years later, things look very different. The G-Class from Mercedes has become a luxury class, with engines already in the series of hardly under 300, mostly almost 600 hp and not under 110,000 euros starting price. Even that is no longer enough for refiners like Brabus: the G version of the Bottroper heaves 900 hp on the drive shaft and the finest luxury ensures that mastering this herd of horses does not degenerate into work. The price: a good 600,000 euros.
The tuners use the Mercedes AMG G63 as the basis for the 900. For the Brabus Rocket 900, they upped the V8 engine from the AMG version from 3,982 to 4,407 cm3 displacement, giving it a whopping 662 kW / 900 hp. Original Brabus statement: “Not only are the cylinder bores enlarged to 84 millimeters and correspondingly dimensioned forged pistons installed. A special crankshaft milled from solid and finely balanced with a stroke extended to 100 millimeters and longer connecting rods matched to this complete the intervention in the mechanical inner workings of the V8. ” The engine is supported by special high-performance turbochargers.
The V8 now achieves a maximum torque of 1,250 Nm. At 280 km/h, the electronics put an end to propulsion – the high center of gravity in an off-road vehicle and the all-terrain tires do not allow more. for safety’s sake. After all, the 2.5-ton Brabus manages the sprint from zero to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds – that’s as fast as a Porsche 911 Carrera S. The 9-speed automatic transmission doesn’t seem to have any trouble with so much power. Climate protectors probably rather: 14.4 l/100km are already officially due, which makes CO2 emissions of 330 g/km.
You can feel the full power not only at the sight of the car peppered with carbon parts and air intakes. Anyone who takes a seat in the driver’s seat and presses the start button brings an automotive work of art to life. The full V8 (whose sound from the flap-controlled exhaust can be set by a dial – to pacify the neighborhood – can be set by a dial) sounds as it should be for a V8 – full, thirst for action, hardly tamed. The kick on the gas pedal takes some getting used to. While its 800 hp predecessor could still be started gently, the 900 jumps off at the slightest touch of the pedal. The acceleration is breathtaking – but at some point it can also be finely dosed.
driving comfort? compromise thing. On the one hand, there is pretty much everything that Mercedes and Brabus have in terms of luxury on the high-end shelf. Side bolsters on the seats, for example, which inflate when cornering and thus improve lateral support. Assistance systems abound. Fine materials such as leather right down to the footwells, carbon or aluminium, perfectly finished, a steering wheel that feels good on the hands. Brabus calls it a masterpiece interior. Space on the two individual seats in the back, even more space in the front. A comfortable entry into at least considerable heights. Effective ambience light on external parts such as the side pipes. In addition: A suspension that is comfortable, but also hard appropriate for an off-road vehicle. And doors that you have to slam with momentum – “It’s still a G-Class,” says a Brabus employee.