We recently had the chance to drive the AMG-motivated G63 on twisty roads in France, and also drove the built-for-business Professional model on challenging trails in the same part of the world.
While we were there, Mercedes had another way to demonstrate what the iconic G-Class is capable of: the Iron Schoeckl. This huge contraption resembles a mountain because it was modeled after Schoeckl, the highest mountain in the area near Graz, Austria, where the G-Class is built. The mountain's elevation is nearly 5100 feet, and while the Iron Schoeckl is considerably lower than that, it's plenty big at nearly 26 feet high and 88.5 feet long, and demonstrates what the G-Class can do.
The G-Class is capable of severe-angle driving (45-degree incline and a 28.4-degree rollover angle on a side slope, for example), and the Iron Schoeckl proves it. While we didn't get to drive the G-Class up onto the mini-mountain, we rode along with one of the engineers. Driving at a low speed and in low range, he started with a steep incline, which the G-Class mounted with ease. At the top of the Schoeckl is what's essentially a giant a teeter-totter for vehicles. The driver pulled forward enough to where the steel panel at the top changed from facing uphill to downhill. We sat on the moving panel as it changed direction, and once it was done, the engineer drove the G-Class down. It handled the descent as easily as it did the ascent.
It was a fun ride, one I wish I could've driven myself (if they'd handed me the keys, I certainly would have). The ride demonstrated the abilities of a vehicle that doesn't get tested like this in the wilds of Los Angeles. It also made me wish we could get an Iron Schoeckl of our own at Truck Trend.