Subtlety has never been one of Brabus’->ke368 strong suits so it goes without saying that this bright-as-day creation didn’t fall too far out of the German company’s tuning tree. At its core, this is a Mercedes-AMG G63, the Silver Arrows’ resident off-road marauder. But just its image is that of a rugged performance machine, Brabus has created a tuning program that provides a slash of vibrant personality into the G63.->ke1712 As a result, it doesn’t look as imposing as it once was. Or does it?

There are a number of things about this particular kit, dubbed the G700 Widestar, that’s worth keeping an eye on. It has modifications on both the exterior and interior. It has a new set of fancy wheels. It also has sizable engine upgrade, which has and will always be the real highlights of any Brabus tuning->ke1987 program. The modifications may look ostentatious on the surface, but that’s only one way to describe the G700 Widestar program. You can also call it heavy on extra power or if you’re really stretching for words to describe it, maybe you can even call it heavy-handed and brutish, mixed in with a certain flamboyant flair that the standard AMG G63 understandably lacks.

Whatever the case may be, what’s clear is that Brabus’ new kit for the AMG G63 fits into its wheelhouse. It won’t be Brabus without the attention to detail that comes with building a kit like this one. Sure, black suits the G63 perfectly, but like most of its past programs for other Mercedes->ke187 models, Brabus has found a way to give the hulking brute of an SUV->ke145 the personality to match its unyielding ferocity.

Continue after the jump to read the full review.

Exterior

It’s hard no to take your eyes off of the bright yellow paint finish – it's officially called "Solar Beam" – that Brabus gave the AMG G63. But if you look past the color for a few seconds, you’ll notice that that the SUV’s exterior also received a few modifications. Chief among them is the solid black carbon fiber hood scope sitting right on top of the hood. While it does give the AMG G63 a sportier look, its main function is to give the engine more room to breathe, something I think it’s going to need with the kind of upgrades Brabus made to that part of the SUV.

Other than that, the exterior also received a new black grille and a classy bullbar. The latter, in particular, should come in useful in protecting the headlights and the extra set of LED running lights. At the back, the German tuner fitted a redesigned bumper to go with new taillights and a rear fixed wing. Even the SUV’s spare wheel lid has been replaced by the tuner’s own version. Same thing with the sport exhaust system. It’s new and it’s from Brabus. Finishing off the whole exterior upgrades are the Brabus badges that adorn the body of the AMG G63 and the new set of 23-inch forged wheels shod in Yokohama tires.

Interior

Keeping in line with the theme of the exterior, the AMG G63’s cabin was given the full-on Brabus treatment. Black leather was the main ingredient in the cabin as Brabus wasn’t bashful about using it to cover pretty much the entire surface of the interior. Yellow contrast stitching was added into the seats and door panels while new floor mats and pedals complete the cabin makeover of the SUV.

Drivetrain

Brabus didn’t specify the kind of power upgrade it gave to the AMG G63, but past programs that have yielded the same results point us to the B 63S 700 kit. This particular program is made up of a pair of Brabus-built turbochargers, each coming with a larger compressor unit, a new downpipe measuring 2.96 inches, and low back pressure metal catalysts. In addition, the German tuner also included a low-temperature cooler, boost tubes, and a gold heat reflection for the SUV’s intakes. A modification of the ECU unit finishes off the engine upgrade, resulting in a new power output of 690 horsepower and 960 pound-feet of torque. That should be enough to propel the AMG G63 from a standstill to 62 mph in just 4.9 seconds to go with a top speed of about 149 mph.

Pricing

Again, the German tuner made no mention of the price for this new kit, but a similar program for the AMG G63 was priced at €272.930,07, which is a little over $300,000 based on current exchange rates. Expect a similar price tag for this kit, or something that’s slightly higher on account of the yellow finish given to the SUV’s body. Remember, that price tag already comes with the donor car.

Competition

Mercedes AMG G63 by Edo Competition

We don’t see a lot of kits for the Mercedes-AMG G63 but one tuner that did take a stab once was Edo Competition. That kit was presented in 2014 and while it wasn’t as extensive as any of the other programs we’ve seen for the SUV, it did provide a nice look at what the AMG G63 is capable of if it’s infused with aftermarket blood. To be fair, Edo Competition didn’t give the AMG G63 any exterior modifications. But it did offer some upgrades on the interior, most notably the prevalent use of leather and carbon fiber throughout the cabin.

Under its hood, the tuner gave the G63’s powerful V-8 engine a list of enhancements ranging from the optimized electronics to the Vmax override. A newly developed sports exhaust system and sports catalysts complete the engine upgrade, helping the G63 improve its output to 592 horsepower and 663 pound-feet of torque. These numbers don’t come close to approaching what Brabus and Mansory did, but it was sill able to cut the SUV’s own 0-to-60-mph time to an impressive 4.6 seconds to go with a top speed of 140 mph.

Read our full review here.

Mercedes AMG G65 Gronos by Mansory

I’m cheating here a little bit, but I can’t help it. Sure, it’s a Mansory kit from 2013 and it’s for the G63’s big brother, the G65. But do you notice something similar about this program? Maybe even a little too identical? I’m not saying that one tuner copied another here, but it is quite amusing to see two of the best in the business do something like these to the G63 brothers. Be that as it may, Mansory’s program also came with a carbon fiber aerodynamic kit to go with a black leather interior and yellow contrast stitching.

True to form, Mansory also spent some time working on the AMG G65’s interior, giving it’s bigger 6.0-liter V-12 engine a power upgrade that netted 850 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. Performance numbers weren’t announced but it’s safe to assume that this Mansory-tuned AMG G65 is capable of sprinting from 0 to 62 mph in under four seconds to go with a top speed in the neighborhood of 180 mph. These numbers are understandably bigger than what Brabus was able to do with the G63, but whatever the cases are, both kits provide a good example on the tuning possibilities of both AMG-powered models.

Read our full review here.

Conclusion

I understand the urge for these tuners to bring something new and different to the table. That was the case here for Brabus, even though the yellow paint finish could be misconstrued by some as taking a page off of Mansory’s own program back in 2013. But I’m not prepared to go that far because Brabus has proven to be one of the best tuners in the business. It’s reputation is as impeccable as it’s power kits, and combining those things have yielded another impressive tuning kit, this time for the AMG G63. The SUV will never be the prettiest car in the land, but with an upgrade like this, it won’t need to.