Mercedes-Benz G-Class W463 To End Production March 2024, Facelift Incoming

MBpassion has it on good authority that the W463 will be retired in March 2024. In other words, the facelift should roll out sometime in the first quarter. The cited publication says the mid-cycle redesign is codenamed W464, although that’s a wee bit hard to fathom.

Mercedes already uses W464 for the successor of the 461 series. The primary difference between the 463 and 464 is the front suspension: independent for the W463 and solid axle for the W464. Given this information, we’re pretty sure the 463 moniker will soldier on for the 2024 model year (and beyond).

There is another extremely clear difference between the 463 and 464, that difference being the vehicle’s purpose. Merc advertises the W464 as a military vehicle, whereas the W463 is for civilians. As a result, the W464 comes with a straight-six turbo diesel exclusively, an engine that’s much obliged to drink high-sulfur fuel. The military-spec Gelandewagen was designed to run at up to 4,000 meters (13,120 feet) at temperatures of -35 and 50 degrees Celsius (-31 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit).

What can we regular folks look forward to from the W463 for model year 2024? Based on the spy photos in the gallery, the boxy exterior of the G-Class will remain largely unchanged. The interior, on the other hand, will receive a new dash and console. The 463 series will also get MBUX, although it may be a little late. In case you haven’t already heard, MB.OS is on the horizon.

This operating system will first appear in MMA-based vehicles. At press time, Merc is developing four compacts on this platform: two sport utility vehicles, a sedan, and a shooting brake. Speaking of which, the sedan has already been previewed in the form of the Mercedes-Benz Concept CLA.

Turning our attention back to the W463, the V8 is here to stay, albeit with mild- or plug-in hybrid assistance. Mercedes won’t discontinue the inline-six diesel either. At the very top of the spectrum, the G 63 E Performance will follow in the footsteps of the GT 4-Door Coupe and S-Class with more than 800 horsepower on tap from a plug-in hybrid V8.

The mild-hybrid G 63 is expected with 604 horsepower and 627 pound-feet (850 Nm), coming courtesy of the M176 twin-turbo V8 in combination with the EQ Boost system. The G 500 is believed to downgrade from eight to six pots. After all, Merc did exactly that with the S 500 for the 223 series. The luxury sedan is no slouch, for it puts out 429 horsepower and 384 pound-feet (520 Nm) plus 21 horsepower and 184 pound-feet (250 Nm) for the EQ Boost mild-hybrid system.

The big news, however, is that Mercedes will launch a zero-emission G under the EQG nameplate. A baby G-Wagen is reportedly due to be introduced sometime in 2026, potentially on the MMA vehicle architecture mentioned a few paragraphs earlier.