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2019 Mercedes-Benz G-Class vs big luxury off-roaders: How they compare on paper

During our first drive of the 2019 Mercedes-Benz G-Class, the all-new SUV's product manager was asked to identify competitors that might have been benchmarked in its development. The look on his face was about the same as if someone had asked him to recite King Lear in Klingon. As far as Andreas Hoeppel was concerned, the G 550 and AMG G 63 doesn't actually have a rival, or at least something the engineers and designers thought to compare it against. The G-Class is a G-Class, who cares what the other guys are doing? Well, in case you care, we figured we'd plug the new G-Class' specs into the old Autoblog Comparo Generator 3000 (TM) to see how the G 550 and AMG G 63 compare to the Range Rover and its mightiest SVAutobiography Dynamic model, plus the Lexus LX 570 and Bentley Bentayga V8. Frankly, Heir Hoeppel was onto something as each of these is wildly different. But, they do share some common elements: giant size and weight, ultra-lux interiors, and far more off-roading capability than other luxury SUVs offer and any of its owners are likely to ever utilize. Sad. So enjoy this trip down specification lane, and if you're still left hungry, you can always check out our Range Rover comparison or create your very own comparo. Off-Road Clearances and Capability All the fancy off-roading software and special cameras in the world won't do you a lick of good if your SUV is too close to the ground or has low-hanging body work that'll get easily ripped off. As such, check out each of these uber-SUV's ground clearance, approach and departure angles, and wading/fording depths. In this case, the Range Rover has an advantage due to its air suspension that can raise itself into an Off-Roading height that's a whopping 2 inches higher than the new G-Wagen. Sadly for itself, Lexus only provides figures for its air suspension when in normal height. It could match or surpass the Range Rover for all we know (but doubt it). As Land Rover does provide figures for the Range Rover's approach and departure angles in normal and Off-Road height, you can get an idea of just how much clearance the new G-Wagen has without any fancy (and expensive to fix) raising and lowering air suspension hardware. In fact, its departure angle is better than even the Range Rover's Off-Road height. Bentley doesn't provide any such information despite touting the Bentayga's surprising off-roading talents.

Lexus rounds out the LS line with 500h hybrid

The 2018 Lexus LS range will feature a full hybrid LS 500h version, which will be presented to the public at the Geneva Motor Show in March. The LS 500h is expected to use a 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V6, also seen in the LC 500h coupe. The platform sibling LC 500 coupe does have an available V8 version in its non-hybrid guise, but perhaps Lexus has seen fit to equip only the sportier coupe with an eight-cylinder – a major deviation from the previous V8-only LS series bloodline. The earlier LS 600h was the first production full hybrid vehicle with a V8 engine, producing 439 horsepower; since the LC 500h's hybrid powertrain only produces 354 hp, the earlier car is likely to remain the horsepower king. The coupe still hits 60 mph under five seconds, so the big sedan should also be able to move briskly. Almost 30 years have passed since Toyota unveiled its Lexus luxury brand and the LS 400 flagship, as the UCF10 body LS 400's design was locked in spring 1987 and the wraps came off in January 1989. The LS 400 of those days was often deservedly revered, and in the following decades it has spawned numerous new generations of high-end Lexus LS sedans. But in case the latter-day LS models have become just a touch too Camry- or Avalon-like, the 2018 version should bring a new edge. Related Video: News Source: LexusImage Credit: Lexus Green Geneva Motor Show Lexus Hybrid Luxury lexus ls

Lexus RC 350 F Sport ready to take on Europe's coupes

Rumbling into the slot between the Lexus RC 350 Sport Coupe and the RC F is this, the RC 350 F Sport. Debuting at the Geneva Motor Show next week, the intergalactic malevolence of that spindle grille is given further aggression with a mesh treatment and 19-inch F Sport mesh wheels in dark metallic. Traditionally, F Sport models have also brandished unique fascias, but the standard RC is so visually aggressive to begin with, it still ought to throw quite a scare into rivals like the BMW 4 Series M Sport.
Bigger identifiers come in the cabin and under the skin, foremost being the redrum-reminiscent Rioja Red leather treatment and Silver Performance trim, perforated leather wrapped 'round the steering wheel and a moving center ring in the dash cluster inspired by the LFA. When the coupe is put into Sport+ mode, the included adaptive damping will kick in, and buyers can optionally order the four-wheel steering system when the car goes on sale in the US this fall.
There's a press release with info and specs below, a high-res gallery above and a bright lights, big city introduction on March 4 in Geneva.