The Brabus XLP 800 6x6 Is Excess On Six Wheels

Have you looked at some of Mercedes tuner Brabus’ recent efforts with the AMG G63 – either the XL-800 or the XLP 800 pickup – and thought to yourself, ‘nice, but they quite simply don’t have enough wheels?’

You’re in luck today, because the tuner’s just unveiled the third member of this ludicrous family, and it has two more wheels than the typical car. And more, on a car like this, is better.

Taking inspiration from Merc’s own G63 6x6 from a decade or so ago, Brabus has taken the current-gen G63 and stretched it with an enormous custom steel frame so that the truck now measures in at 6.2 metres long.

That allows for the fitment of an extra pair of wheels out back, and like the rest of the XL family, all three axles are of the high-clearance portal variety, allowing you to lob this six-wheeled monster at pretty much any terrain.

And lobbing it you will be, because it gets the same uprated engine as its pathetic four-wheeled siblings too. New turbochargers for the 4.0-litre V8, plus new maps for the injection, boost control and ignition, all help attain peaks of 788bhp and 737lb ft of torque. That’s up from the regular G63’s 577bhp and 627lb ft. It’s all transmitted through the standard car’s nine-speed automatic, although all six wheels are driven.

All that means that somehow, this enormous six-wheeled brick of sheer conspicuous consumption can hit 62mph from a standstill in 5.8 seconds, while top speed’s had to be limited to 130mph to give the poor tyres a chance. Oh, and just in case you were worried nobody would notice you approaching in your six-wheeled, widebody Mercedes G-Wagen pickup truck, Brabus has also fitted a valved stainless steel exhaust system.

Inside, meanwhile, it’s the usual swathes of carbon fibre and quilted leather, plus over 200 individual elements picked out in Brabus’ signature Rocket Red. We’re sure trying to spot them all would enliven even the dullest of road trips.

You have to be very okay with flaunting your enormous wealth to drive something like this, and the XLP 800 6x6 comes with an appropriately massive price tag. Including Germany’s 19 per cent VAT, it’ll run you at least €1,381,590 (around £1.2 million). But the bragging rights of having six wheels on your Wagen have to be worth that alone, right?