Now that guzzolene flows freely and big SUVs from the 1990s are on the roads again, Mercedes-Benz is betting there is still a market for an off-road version of its forever-young G-Class. The Stuttgart-based automaker teased the G500 4x4² at the Geneva motor show last year, returning the notoriously on-road luxury tank to the off-road machine that it was back in its Cold War youth.

The G500 4x4² is the more garage-friendly version of the G63 AMG 6x6 pickup (which, due to boring issues such as federalization requirements and price, could not join us in North America), but it should prove to be just as noticeable in front of trendy restaurants in SoHo. Stateside, it will be powered by Mercedes' 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 churning out 416 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque and will offer a total of 17.2 inches of ride height along with a thoroughly reworked suspension with adjustable shocks, portal axles (helping ground clearance), locking differentials and stabilizer bars.

Mercedes will bring the G500 4x4 Squared to the States, the company has announced. Mercedes-Benz

An 11.8-inch-wider track will help as well, with flared wheel arches accommodating serious off-road tires. With a breakover angle of 47.4 degrees and approach and departure angles of of 51.6 and 43.8 degrees, respectively, we have a feeling this G-Class will be able to do far more than just climb the curb at the mall.

Expect this G-Wagen to start climbing rocks in the States in early 2017, with pricing to be announced shortly before its market launch. Speaking of pricing -- we have a feeling that it will be a bit north of the $119,900 sticker price of the regular G550, so off-road enthusiasts will face the option of buying Jeep Wranglers and Land Rover Defenders for the whole family ... or one of these.

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