Mad Mercedes-AMG G 63 ute costs $1m

As the world goes nuts over EV utes like the Tesla Cybertruck, Rivian R1T and Nikola Badger, Brabus has just slammed down a gas-guzzling beast that beggars belief.

Making its global debut at the 2020 Geneva motor show (assuming the Corona virus doesn't shut it down), the Brabus 800 Adventure XLP is a fearsome dual-cab ute priced at a cool $A962,000 (€575,630). Let's just call it a million bucks.

The bonkers German beast is based on the Mercedes-AMG G 63, which retails for $A259,600 in Australia; only this one is a pick-up not an SUV - and almost every dynamic element has been upgraded to code red.

The hulking ute combines a pumped-up twin-turbo V8 with a nine-speed automatic transmission, a 4x4 driveline, heavy-duty off-road suspension and a rear tray.

Imagine all the tools it could carry...

The G-Class 4x4 wagon's fires have been stoked to deliver absurd amounts of power. Power from the 4.0-litre biturbo V8 rises from 430kW to 588kW, while torque is up from 850Nm to 1000Nm. How much you could tow with 588kW and 1000Nm?

The 0-100km/h sprint of 4.8 can't match its upcoming EV pick-up rivals but it's far from slow. Top speed is 210km/h.

And it boasts 22-inch alloy wheels with all-terrain tyres fitted and a wide-body kit which adds 116mm extra width.

This is thanks to flared wheel arches made from carbon-fibre, naturally.

There are many next-level features on the big German rig, but one of the most interesting is the adoption of portal axles. Similar to the systems used on a Mercedes Unimog, portal axles use a geared setup that allows the axles to be located much higher, essentially creating more ground clearance.

In other words, the differential is mounted higher than the centre of the wheels, which together with a few other suspension tweaks more than doubles ground clearance, from 240mm to 490mm.

Brabus has gone troppo with the suspension, the front double wishbone system given a complete overhaul to get the portal axles fitted, with lots of billet aluminium used in the integration.

"The components required for this such as the all-new integral subframe and various axle links were produced using state-of-the-art CNC technology," reads the Brabus press statement.

At the rear the beam axle was also reworked to ensure the longer wheelbase and ute tray didn’t adversely affect performance.

"However, many parts were newly designed and milled from billet aluminum for the portal axle setup. This includes not only a reinforced axle housing, but also all suspension links," says Brabus.

Even height-adjustable coilovers and powered side-steps are added, all of which combine to deliver what Brabus says is "outstanding off-road capabilities".

The big ute's custom-made tray is pretty wild but Brabus is no chop shop.

Instead of massacring the rear seats and axing the back doors, it has engineered a bespoke rear tray and extended the G 63's wheelbase by 500mm.

The extra length added to the rugged ladder-frame chassis allows the decent sized tray, whose utility may be curtailed by the use of carbon fibre and timber finishes.

Brabus' reputation as a Mercedes modifier is almost without peer, but this latest creation takes the AMG G 63 to the next level.

Oh, and the show car comes with a Wingcopter drone in the tray. The drone is a heavy-duty 240 km/h device with a 120km range to fly medical supplies to hard-to-reach destinations. Brabus reckons the front end can be fitted with a winch capable of pulling 4500kg too.

And if you don't have a spare million bucks lying around, don't stress. There's a watered-down version, the Brabus 700 Adventure XLP, which is only costs $A652,000 (€389,830). Or you could look for a pre-loved AMG G63 6x6, but they're pretty expensive too.

For the record, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are very high, claimed to be 14.5L/100km and 345g/km respectively.