Slideshow
5 Of The Coolest Utility Vehicles From The 2015 Geneva Motor Show
Mar 5, 2015
- Image Credit: Mercedes
5 Of The Coolest Utility Vehicles From The 2015 Geneva Motor Show
It's not often that an automaker publishes a photo of one of its vehicles without all four of its wheels firmly on the ground. As you can see above, however, the bright yellow SUV – in this case a special model from Mercedes-Benz – is something rather special.While the Geneva Motor Show is most often thought of as a showcase of high-performance street and race cars, there always seem to be a few off-road specialist outliers that are just as impressive in their own right as their 200-mile-per-hour counterparts are in outright speed.
Join us as we take a look at five of the coolest utility vehicles that were debuted at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show.
- Image Credit: Mercedes
Mercedes-Benz G500 4x4
If you've never heard of portal axles, the Mercedes G500 4x4 isn't meant for you.For the record, portal axles are specially designed to allow for greater ground clearance when driving off-road, and the G500 4x4 uses them to full effect, offering nearly 18 inches of clearance before anything in the trail will contact anything tucked up under the vehicle.
Ground clearance isn't the only thing the G500 4x4 has in its favor. A 4.0 litre V8 biturbo engine provides 422 horsepower to all four wheels, which in turn wear 37-inch all-terrain tires. Suffice it to say, if you can't get there in the G500 4x4, you just simply can't get there.
Click here to read more about the Mercedes G500 4x4.
- Image Credit: Kahn Designs
Kahn Design Flying Huntsman 6x6
Loosely based on a Land Rover Defender, Kahn Design's Flying Huntsman 6x6 takes an already off-road-capable platform and turns it up several notches.Whereas the Defender (and just about all other production vehicles) offers four-wheel-drive, the Flying Huntsman 6x6, as its name suggests, sends power to all six wheels.
Power comes from a 6.2-liter V8 sourced from General Motors – similar to the engine in a Corvette. All 430 horsepower will be put to good use, we're sure, with all the traction you'll get from six massive and burly tires.
Click here to read more about the Kahn Design Flying Huntsman 6x6.
- Image Credit: Mansory
Mansory G63 AMG Sahara Edition
Okay, we're going to put this mildly: The aesthetics of the Mansory G63 AMG Sahara Edition are sure to be... an acquired taste.While we may not be big fans of its bolt-on bodywork or desert-camo paint job, we have no qualms whatsoever with the 5.5-liter, biturbocharged V8 or its 828 horsepower and 737 pound-feet of torque.
Click here to read more about the Mansory G63 AMG Sahara Edition.
- Image Credit: Land Rover
2016 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
The Range Rover Evoque may not be the most off-road-ready model coming from the British automaker, but Land Rover has still packed plenty of technology into its smallest model to help ensure it has all the traction and ground clearance it needs to get where its drivers need to go.In the United States, power comes from a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine with 250 horsepower. In other markets, a couple of diesels are also available.
Click here to read more about the 2016 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque.
- Image Credit: Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi XR-PHEV II
Granted, the Mitsubishi XR-PHEV II has not been designed for off-road explorations. Still, it's a high-riding concept that's said to offer a preview at the next plug-in crossover from the Japanese automaker.We don't know a whole lot about what specifications a production version of this PHEV may feature, but in concept form, the front-wheel drive machine uses a 12-kWh battery and offers a total output of 160 horsepower.
Click here to read more about the Mitsubishi XR-PHEV II.