In a thesaurus somewhere in Germany, look up Brabus and one may find a suitable synonym: hardcore. The Bottrop, Germany-based tuners have never produced vehicles for the faint of heart, and we are pleased to see they are still up to their best work. What they have done with Mercedes’ lauded family-hauler can best be described as aggressive, both aesthetically and performance-wise. Stepping up to bat for inhouse tuners AMG (who neglected to offer a high-strung version of the GL), Brabus’ first step was to massage the venerable 6.3 liter V8 into the sport-ute, then adding a pair of turbochargers and a massive water-to-air intercooler. The intake, exhaust, brakes, suspension and gearbox were given the Brabus treatment as well, and the end result is 650bhp and a 0-60 time under 5 seconds. The exterior is upgraded with lightweight rolling stock and a widebody treatment, giving the truck a more aggressive stance to match what’s under the hood. The interior is absolutely breathtaking, and boasts custom quilted leather with alcantara piping and a ton of carbon fiber tech pieces. The only thing we were disappointed to see was that Brabus has continued its tradition of aggressive pricing as well; the uber-truck is rumored to cost over $500,000. It will debut at the Geneva Auto Show in a few months but orders are being placed now.
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Source: AB