Another auto show and Brabus comes up with another vehicle. This time, the aftermarket company has come up with the so-called Brabus 800 Adventure XLP that is based on the Mercedes-AMG G63. That's right, the SUV with a pickup bed is debuting at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show.

The prestigious aftermarket company is known for its ability to make your pocket a lot lighter once you’ve bought its products and this time also it’s no different. The Brabus 800 Adventure XLP features exquisite exterior and interior cues and a powerful mill under the hood. Despite the changes, does it warrant a sticker price of over half-a-million dollars?

What Is It Like On The Outside?

It actually doesn’t look as bad as it sounds. Up front, the Brabus 800 Adventure XLP comes with round LED headlights, so nothing new here. In between sits a black grille with vertical slats and the Brabus logo in the center. The hood comes with a massive black dual-channel hood scoop that contrasts the silver body well.

The stock G63 bumpers make way for black ones, a bull bar, and a winch. It is rated to tow up to 9,900 pounds. The bumper features two LED lights on each end that look glorious in action. The skid plate underneath is made of carbon. Overall, the front looks smart and intimidating and will make you give it way if you spot it in your rearview mirror.

The side profile is where you see all the difference for the first time. The Brabus 800 Adventure XLP rides on 22-inch silver wheels wrapped in 325/55 Pirelli Scorpion ATR all-terrain tires.

Brabus has raised the SUV so high that even not even the 22-inch wheels look big on it. In numbers, the 800 Adventure XLP sits 19.2 inches above the ground. The carbon fender flares look sporty and have a black piano finish to them. The SUV also comes with a stainless steel tailpipe in front of the rear wheels on either side. Since the XLP is befitted with a truck bed, Brabus extended its wheelbase by 19.7 inches. Overall, this Brabus truck stands at 209 inches in length, this being 27.1 inches longer than the stock G63.

Brabus has also equipped this vehicle with a luggage rack to haul your stuff if the bed isn’t enough. It is mounted with LED auxiliary lights in the front to throw more light on the road up ahead. However, the rear is where all the changes transpire.

The tailgate gives way for a truck bed and so does the tailgate-mounted spare tire. The cargo bed is made of steel, whereas the bedsides are made of carbon. This has helped Brabus keep the weight of the truck down. Despite these structural changes, the company says the frame retains the G-Class’ torsional rigidity as it is.

An optional take-off and landing bed is also offered for a drone from Wingcopter. This high-end drone can reach speeds of up to 150 miles per hour and is able to transport aid supplies and rescue equipment safely and autonomously over a distance of up to 75 miles to areas not accessible otherwise.

Plush On The Inside

The one that Brabus is getting to Geneva is part of the “First Edition” batch. For starters, it comes with a burned oak leather shade that contrasts the exterior paint quite well.

The center sections of the seats feature shell-shaped quilting and perforations. Some areas such as the headliner are upholstered with black Alcantara. The other bits include tailor-made aluminum components for the pedals, door-lock pins, and paddle shifters behind the steering wheel.

It Is A Beast Under The Hood

Under the hood, the Brabus 800 Adventure XLP features the same 4.0-liter, V-8 mill as the AMG G63. However, Brabus has swapped the twin-turbos for two larger turbochargers of its own that have added extra oomph.

After the mods, the SUV makes 800 horses and 737 pound-feet of torque. It is capable of doing the 0-62 mph sprint in 4.8 seconds, which is more than a second faster than its alter ego.

It might as well be the quickest four-wheel G63 out there today. However, the top speed is limited to 130 mph by the company due to the high center of gravity and huge tires. Brabus has also equipped the Boost Xtra sound kit and a high-performance exhaust system.

Brabus has made use of bespoke material for the chassis, including underlying chassis reinforced axle housing and a CNC-produced integral sub-frame. The company says the 800 Adventure XLP is an outstanding off-roader, thanks to the newly designed in-house suspension system and portal axles. Not a lot of companies have adapted portal axles yet, and it is a fairly new technology.

To put it in simple words, when you upgrade the size of the tires on your vehicle, the gear ratios tend to get messed up. This also leads to a loss of power. However, with the portal axles, there are a couple of advantages. The axle doesn’t drive the wheels directly. A small gearbox of sorts is attached at the end of each wheel that moves the wheels without the loss of power as the gear ratios remain close to the factory configuration. This helps you capitalize on all the power available at your disposal to move the vehicle effortlessly.

The other advantage is that portal axles also take care of lifting the vehicle. Brabus hasn’t mentioned anything about a lift kit being used on this vehicle, so I’m guessing portal axles have been assigned the duty for that as well. In the case of a lift kit, it is the body that is lifted, but the differential below stays at the same place. With portal axles, the differential itself is raised off the ground.

You then get extra ground clearance without worrying about the obstacles hitting and damaging the differential. This also helps increase off-road stability immensely. If you are into hardcore, technical off-roading, portal axles are the way to go.

Portal axles cost an arm and a leg to install and that is one of the reasons why Brabus is charging the exorbitant amount of money for the 800 Adventure. Although it has its advantages, it also comes with a con. Generally, the handbrake cannot be used on the rear wheels and companies tend to install drum brakes at the front that take care of the handbrake duties. We need to ask the Brabus engineers how they’ve solved this minor issue.

How Much Does The Brabus 800 Adventure XLP Cost?

The show car waiting to be displayed in Geneva is fully-kitted with all the optional goodies, including the Wingcopter drone, and is priced at €666,386 ($730,549, at current exchange rates).

Believe It or Not, the Brabus 800 Adventure XLP Has Some Competition!

Although the SUV-turned-pickup-truck is a niche vehicle, it actually has competition. I’m talking about the Hennessey Maximus 1000 which is based on the Jeep Gladiator. It wasn’t priced as high as the Brabus 800 Adventure XLP, but it isn’t cheap either. Hennessey limited the production to 24 examples and priced it at $200,000 a pop. Some features were retained, some were new. The company was charging the amount for:

-* Jeep’s Signature Seven-Slat Grille

-* All-Black Exterior Shade

-* Maximus-Exclusive Bumpers

-* LED Light Bar On The Roof And Bumper

-* Hennessey-Designed 20-Inch Alloys

-* Stainless Steel Exhaust Pipe

-* LED Taillights

-* Ground Clearance of 17.1 inches

-* Custom Leather Upgrade

-* Hennessey-embroidered seats

-* A Seven-Inch Infotainment System

The major changes came under the hood:

-* Pentastar Engine Swapped With FCA’s 6.2-liter, Supercharged V-8 Engine

-* Hennessey's HPE1000 Engine Upgrade

-* 1,000 Horsepower

-* 933 Pound-feet of Torque

-* New ECU, Fuel System, and Radiator

-* Upgraded Suspension System

-* Six-inch Lift Kit

Final Thoughts

The Brabus 800 Adventure XLP is a one-of-a-kind vehicle you can buy today. Brabus has become a marque in itself and there’s no denying that they build fantastic vehicles. Brabus chose the G63 as its foundation for the XLP, which itself is such an accomplished and adored SUV.

Kudos to Brabus for not going overboard with too many structural changes that would make it look completely different. The pickup bed is a nice touch and so is the drone; although it may not find a lot of buyers. After all, how many people would want a drone that goes faster than the vehicle itself? If I were to pick my favorite bit from the vehicle, it’s got to be the portal axles.

Yet, at over $700,000, the Adventure XLP is way too expensive, but there are people ready to shell out that kind of money and Brabus has an offering.