Even if you’re not a Mercedes-Benz aficionado, the name Brabus probably rings a bell. This premier aftermarket upfitter has been taking Merc sedans and SUVs to the next level for decades now, but occasionally they do something excessively awesome, even for them. Enter the Brabus 800 Adventure XLP, a super toy for, well, the super-rich. What started as a Mercedes-AMG G 63 has evolved into a high-performance off-road pickup with a twin-turbo V8 pumping out 800 horsepower and 737 pound-feet of torque, more carbon fiber than we’ve ever seen, and a portal axle IFS.
Brabus offers plenty of other souped-up Gs, but what makes the 800 Adventure unique is the combination of a full-size G-Class interior combined with a carbon fiber truck bed that’s actually a useable size. Brabus was able to install this bed without sacrificing cabin room by extending the G-class frame by 20 inches. This wasn’t some hack job in a garage, though. According to their press release, their team used “state-of-the-art design and engineering software to run the calculations required” for a factory-level finish. The final product utilized a special steel-ladder-style frame for torsional rigidity beneath the bed with features like relocated suspension components for better geometry. That’s not all they changed though; not even close.
While the bed may catch your attention, it’s some of the other design work that’s more impressive. Take the IFS portal axle conversion, for example, which required a wealth of custom parts like an all-new integral subframe, axle links, reinforced axle housing, and a host of other components specially milled from billet aluminum on a high-tech CNC. This brand-new portal axle system was then paired with a tailored version of Brabus’ Ride Control coilover suspension, with damping rates adjusted to the higher ground clearance of the portal axles. Like their other systems, the Adventure XLP’s Ride Control will adjust suspension dynamics, ride height, powertrain mapping, steering responses, and vehicle assistance systems through the factory Mercedes Dynamic Select adjustment switch.
Also included in the suspension redesign is a switch to the new Brabus Monoblock HD wheels, which were designed with an eight-lug pattern specifically for the portal axles. These alloys are designed for maximum durability and wrapped in 325/55 R 22 Pirelli Scorpion ATR all-terrain tires beneath the carbon fender flares.
Speaking of carbon, Brabus used a lot of it. In addition to the bed and the fender flares, they used it in the hood, wheel arches, rub strips, and front skid plate. There’s so much carbon, in fact, that Brabus doesn’t even bother listing it all. They simply end the list with “among other things.” Other standard features include an unbelievable interior with customer-specced leather colors and patterns, and tailor-made aluminum pedals, door-lock pins, and ergonomic paddle shifters on the steering wheel. Moving to the exterior and engine bay, owners will receive a WideStar body on their G for a 4.6-inch wider stance, upgraded turbos, a remapped motor, new exhaust, and so many other performance upgrades that this portal-axled beast will do 0-60 in 4.8 seconds. The only thing you don’t get standard? A winch—you wouldn’t want that weighing down your supercar, right?
To be fair, the winch isn’t the only thing that doesn’t come standard, because the 800 Adventure XLP has three trim levels. You can get your foot in the door for the base model price of 389,831 euros ($425,000), but to get all the goodies, you’ll need to step up to the First Edition for the reasonable figure of 575,630 euros ($628,000). If you want the truck shown here, though, you’ll need to throw a little more cash into the ring for accessories, around 666,386 euros ($727,000), to be exact. Okay, well not exactly. That price doesn’t include tax, so if you live in Germany, for example, you’ll need to tack on another 126,613 euros ($139,000) for VAT. You’ve got that lying around, right?
Fortunately, at a total out the door price of nearly 800,000 euros ($873,000), Brabus will throw in the exact sort of accessory you’d expect of a car befitting a Bond villain: an electric VTOL unmanned aircraft capable of traveling at speeds of 150 mph. It’s even capable of launching right from the truck bed—how practical.
As much as I want to love this truck because it is very cool, I can’t help but gawk at its ridiculousness. It’s not the price alone that gets me, or the absurd amount of bespoke amenities, or even the outlandish drone, but rather the concept that someone would pay that much money to turn their luxury SUV into a truck they’ll probably never use. I mean, honestly, can you see someone hauling a pallet of sod home in this thing? I certainly can’t, which leads me to believe this is one seriously epic-looking truck with no practical cargo space. A machine purpose-built to get your designer duffel bags wet on the drive to the ski resort. Who knows, maybe I’m wrong, and there’s someone out there willing to use this on the farm. If so, I’ll gladly buy them a beer, but I’ll pass altogether, and use those euros to drive around the world for a while—a very long while.
