Brabus has unveiled one of the craziest evolutions of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class we've ever seen. Dubbed the Crawler, the limited-edition off-roader was largely developed in-house by the German company and bears little in common with the SUV from which it borrows styling cues.Although the Crawler looks like a truncated G, there's more to it than meets the eye. Brabus proudly declares that this is the first car based on a self-developed chassis.Pop your head underneath and you'll see a high-strength tubular steel frame. Brabus also added front and rear portal axles, which the G-Class no longer offers, as well as adjustable shock absorbers and aluminum struts.Some of the other body panels look like they came from a G-Wagon parts store, but none have Mercedes-Benz part numbers. To control weight, Brabus built a carbon-fiber tub and dispensed with doors, windows, and roof pillars. Instead, a carbon fiber body panel attached to the tubular roll cage protects occupants from the sun.The roof spoiler completes the package. Stepping inside (seems a long way) you'll find four individual carbon fiber seats with navy Silvertex upholstery, a digital instrument cluster and a separate screen displaying the navigation system.Instead of asking buyers to drown out the V8's roar, Brabus added a two-way communication system that allows passengers to talk through an intercom built into each helmet.
Power comes from a 4.5-litre twin-turbo V8 that delivers 900 hp and 774 Nm of torque, numbers that easily surpass the standard G-Series. Side and turns all four wheels through a nine-speed automatic transmission. Brabus sets a 0 to 60 mph time for the third-place crawler.4 seconds. Its top speed tops out at 100 mph, which is surprisingly low considering the engine's horsepower output, but that's all the off-road tires can handle.More importantly, the Crawler offers over 20 inches of ground.
More importantly, the Crawler offers over 20 inches of ground clearance, thanks in part to its 20-inch wheels. Robust underbody protection devices prevent costly contact between various underbody components and the long list of obstacles that drivers can encounter in the desert. Production of the Brabus Crawler is limited to 15 units worldwide.Production of the Brabus Crawler is limited to 15 units worldwide.Pricing information hasn't been announced yet, but nothing suggests it will be cheap. And, buyers will ultimately end up paying a lot for what's essentially a toy: Brabus stresses that the Crawler is not street-legal.
