Mercedes Confirms that the G500 Going with 4.0-Liter V-8

2015 Mercedes-Benz G500 4×42 (Credit: © Mercedes-Benz)

The vast majority of the auto industry is doing what gearheads of yore said you couldn’t do: create a replacement for displacement. That’s right, most major automakers are downsizing their engines while subsequently putting out record output numbers per liter. Now it looks like Mercedes will follow this trend with the nearly untouchable G500.

This report stems from an interview that De Telegraaf had with vice president product group SUVs and sportscars, Wolf-Dieter Kurz. In the interview, the VP candidly said, “At the end of this year the current 5.5-liter V-8 engine [will be] replaced by the 4.0 V-8 Biturbo.” Apparently, this move it an attempt to comply with the new, stricter EU6 emission regulations.

This is the same 4.0-liter V-8 that powers the Mercedes-AMG GT and the C63, but it will see its power output cut. Though it will be less powerful in the SUV than in the two AMG monsters, this engine will deliver a healthy power bump over the G500’s existing 5.5-liter engine. Reports put the 4.0-liter V-8 at 422 PS (416 horsepower), which would be a 34 PS (33.5-horsepower) increase over the 5.5-liter.

Though this early confirmation is a bit of a shocker, the move is not. In February, Mercedes released a show version of the G500, dubbed the 4×4², that featured the exact same engine.

There is no mention of this affecting the American version of the G500, the G550, but I don’t see why Mercedes would change the European model without doing the same to the American model. Putting different models in the U.S.- and European-spec G550/G500 would not make good business sense.