Aston Martin plotting G-Class 4x4 rival under 'Project Rambo'

Aston Martin is reportedly readying plans for a powerful high-riding 4x4 to rival the newly facelifted Mercedes-Benz G-Class, with design proposals already submitted for the secret rugged off-roader that’s being developed under the ‘Project Rambo’ codename.

It’s thought the reference to ‘Project Rambo’ is a deliberate link to the Lamborghini LM002 that was produced from 1986-1993 and nicknamed the Rambo Lambo.

That car combined epic power (at the time) courtesy of its supercar-sourced V12 powertrain with all-terrain capability.

According to Autocar, Aston Martin engineers are keen to blend extreme levels of off-road capability to match the latest Mercedes-AMG G 63 with supercar levels of performance – without forgetting limo-like comfort.

Aston Martin chairman Lawrence Stroll has yet to green-light the project, but the continued success of its top-selling DBX SUV has buoyed hopes internally that it will be signed off.

The growing popularity of the long-lived Mercedes-Benz G-Class is said to be another motivating factor behind Project Rambo.

If approved, Aston Martin apparently wants to restrict production of the 4x4 to just 2500 units in a bid to maintain exclusivity.

It’s not known if the G-wagen rival would be built on the same production line as the DBX in Wales or if production will be outsourced, but it’s likely the rugged SUV would share the DBX’s platform to save costs.

If it is related to the DBX, the rugged high-riding 4x4 will almost certainly come with the same Mercedes-AMG M177 twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 as the latest G-Class and produce around the same 430kW and 850Nm of torque.

That means the Aston off-roader could launch from 0-100km/h in around 4.5 seconds.

An all-electric powertrain is unlikely. Stroll has already pushed back Aston’s first EV by a year, admitting that consumer demand for electric cars “is not what we thought it was two years ago”.

Instead, the British sports car-maker will invest in hybrid powertrains to bridge the gap to battery-electric Aston Martin cars.

Stroll has said that some of his customers are interested in vehicles that deliver a limited pure-electric range in town, rather than full EV.

“What we are feeling is that there are people who still want some electrification to drive around in the city for five, 10 or 15 miles on electric power but still have the sports car smell, feel and noise when you get out onto the autoroute,” he said.

This has fuelled speculation that Aston might borrow the same wild plug-in hybrid twin-turbo V8 that powers the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door 63 S E Performance.

If so, any future 4x4 could come with upwards a 620kW and 1400Nm of torque.

In China, a plug-in hybrid version of the DBX is already available, but the recent mild-hybrid take on the Aston SUV was dropped.

It’s thought the first all-electric Aston that will launch in 2025 will be a high-riding four-seat SUV-coupe that features an advanced powertrain borrowed from US EV pioneer Lucid.