Taking Off-Roading to New Heights

STORY & PHOTOS BY JEROME ANDRE

LeTech also offers a complete roof rack, an air deflector, a spare wheel carrier, and tough protective skid plates..

“THE CONVERSION TO PORTAL AXLES LIFTS THE DRIVE SHAFT TO THE TOP END OF THE HUB USING A GEAR SYSTEM, WHICH RAISES THE AXLE AND SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASES GROUND CLEARANCE.”

We may all love our lifted-up 4x4s, built to conquer any off-road challenge, but the truth is they can be cumbersome to drive for extended periods on the road. And while some more luxurious versions of our favorite off-roaders are certainly more comfortable and refined, they often sacrifice some of their off-road capabilities. So, is there a perfect middle ground, or are we destined to always compromise?

For the German company LeTech, finding a solution was essential. Their team set out to take the already luxurious Geländewagen’s latest G63 generation, with independent front suspension (IFS), and make it even more effective on every type of terrain. To put their creation to the test, we took it to the Nevada desert, where Bill Rader Motorsports (BRM), LeTech’s distributor in the U.S., built the very first IFS W463A (a.k.a: the latest generation G) in the USA.

Putting 37-inch tires on a G-Class is a bold move! The G63, which has 20-inch HRE wheels equipped with Falken Wildpeak A/ T3W 12.5” tires, should receive a new set of smaller Hutchinson x BRM rims to tackle more challenging terrain than the sand dunes we tested on.