Let’s say you’re a wealthy Swiss agronomist with a chalet at 9,843 feet (3,000 meters) in the Alps, and you want to reach your cabin in style even in the worst weather conditions. What’s your occupation? This guy commissioned a Delta 4×4 to hitch a track to a Mercedes-Benz G 500.
To create the necessary space for the tread, the Delta 4×4 gives this G-Class a suspension lift of 7.874 inches (20 centimeters). Extended fenders cover wider rig width.
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Even in the Swiss Alps, this level of off-road capability wasn’t needed for several years. The tracks are detachable, and the SUV can run on conventional wheels during the summer months.
Performing this conversion is an expensive endeavor. With parts and installation, track setup alone is €50,000 ($52,442 at current exchange rates). Plus, the pieces have to be homologated In Switzerland including testing and inspection, and that process adds up to an additional €50,000 in costs.
Later, suspension upgrades and the necessary approvals added around €19,000 ($19,929) to the vehicle. There’s another €20,000 ($20,994) in extras such as a modified front bumper with brush bars, a roof rack and an additional set of wheels.
Calculating all these numbers gives this conversion a cost of around €139,000 ($145,778). To give you an idea, the new G 500 in Germany currently has one prices start from €130,203.85meaning that work is more than a vehicle.
The Delta 4×4 specializes in doing extreme conversions like the one on this G-Class. For example, they created the Suzuki Jimny with a portal axle for extreme off-road terrain. The company also built a Rolls-Royce Cullinan overlander with raised suspension and a roof awning.
The future of the G-Class is electric. Motor1.com recently had the opportunity to drive an EQG prototype. Mercedes engineered it to have every bit of off-road capability as a combustion powered version. The team even made the EV capable of tank turns.
Mercedes hasn’t provided full technical details about the EQG yet. It has four electric motors – one driving each wheel. There has been speculation that the battery may be the 108 kilowatt-hour package from the EQS SUV.
