AMG G63

Segment
SUV

Brabus has been serving us with some of the most dramatic Mercedes-Benz performance models we've ever seen over the last few decades, long before every second or third Merc had an AMG badge on it. Now, we have the Brabus 700 Widestar by fostla.da. The partnership between the two companies has birthed one of the most aggressive Mercedes-AMG G63 models we've ever seen.

Along with a giant Brabus badge on the grille (which features black vertical slats, with two of them painted in red), it's difficult to miss the enormous carbon attachment on the hood. Along with circular LED lighting around the headlights (as on the regular G63), there are also LED lighting strips lower down. Coupled with the G63's boxy proportions, it's not an SUV you'd want to see coming up behind you at speed on the highway.

Fostla also saw fit to lower the 700 Widestar by just over an inch, and it rides on 24-inch Monoblock Z Platinum Edition wheels. The comically flared wheel arches aren't just for show, but are likely necessary to accommodate the massive wheels. Special Brabus brake calipers are fitted, and at the back, a large Brabus script is visible on the spare wheel cover.

Inside, Fostla has seemingly taken inspiration from Rolls-Royce by creating a starry sky with an array of individual LEDs. Together with the ambient lighting along the dashboard and door panels, it's like a nightclub in there. Even the glovebox lights up dramatically. Generous use of carbon fiber on the steering wheel and Alcantara on the center console lid mix well with the leather seats, with the Brabus logo stitched into the headrests. The usual Mercedes screens for the infotainment and driver's display apply here, too.

This is a G63, though, so what's under the hood also counts. The 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 gets a power boost to 700 PS (691 horsepower), which is over 100 hp more than the standard model. Considering that the stock G63 will do 0-60 mph in under five seconds, this 700 Widestar must be an absolute beast. It's just as well that all that power goes to all four wheels. As far as midlife crisis purchases go, few other vehicles satisfy the requirement better than this G63.