Brabus 900 XLP: how a G 63 became a 900 hp pickup limited to ten

The Brabus 900 XLP takes a Mercedes-AMG G 63, stretches its frame by 50 cm and turns it into a pickup with a twin-turbo V8 rated at 900 hp. It stands 49 cm clear of the ground, and Brabus planned to build just ten.

What is the Brabus 900 XLP One of Ten?

It is a limited pickup conversion of the Mercedes-AMG G 63, described by Brabus in a press text dated 16 May 2022. XLP stands for Extra-Large Pick-up, the 900 refers to the engine's output in PS, and One of Ten is the number of cars the company planned to make.

Brabus is a German high-performance tuning company that Bodo Buschmann founded in 1977 in Bottrop, in the Ruhr area, and it works mainly on Mercedes-Benz models. The German Federal Motor Transport Authority has accredited it as a vehicle manufacturer for decades. The company calls the pickup a body variant of the W 463 series G-Class, developed in the English coachbuilding tradition.

The car in Brabus's photographs wears an exclusive paint called Rocket Gray, 22-inch forged wheels in Gunmetal Black with red pinstripes, and a handcrafted Masterpiece interior. Brabus builds each interior to the owner's personal wishes, so no two of the ten need look alike inside.

The engine can reach 1,250 Nm, but the car holds it to 1,050 Nm; the 49 cm of clearance is the total, not an addition.

Where did the XLP pickup come from?

It grew out of the 800 Adventure XLP, which Brabus meant to reveal at the 2020 Geneva motor show as an exclusive First Edition. The show was cancelled, so the car appeared through a press release and photographs instead. Brabus built it in small series at Bottrop on the current G 63.

Most of the structure was settled at that stage. The earlier car already had the 50 cm wheelbase stretch, the 5.31 m length, the portal axles and the 49 cm of ground clearance. Its engine was the 4.0-litre V8 in 800 PowerXtra form, rated at 588 kW / 800 PS and 1,000 Nm, good for 0-100 km/h in 4.8 seconds and the same 210 km/h limit. A stock G 63 engine makes 585 PS and 850 Nm, so Brabus had already moved well clear of the standard car.

The price list was equally bold. The First Edition was to cost 685,000 euros, and a package at 793,000 euros added a drone that took off from the load bed and could fly at up to 240 km/h. The Adventure XLP in 700 form was listed at 463,900 euros. The show car wore ROCKET Silver Matt paint, and the longer wheelbase called for a special propeller shaft while the passenger cabin kept its original size.

Brabus kept the line going. Early in 2022 it added the all-black 800 Adventure XLP Superblack, with a base price of 725,900 euros and a weight of 2,936 kg on the maker's scales, and a Superwhite version followed that year. Behind all of them sits the Widebody concept that Brabus presented for the G in 2019. The 900 XLP develops that concept, and the 800 Adventure XLP, to a higher output.

How does Brabus turn a G-Class into a pickup?

Engineers used design and engineering software to create a special module for the ladder-type steel frame. It adds 50 cm (20 in) to the wheelbase while keeping the frame's high torsional rigidity. A new rear wall with a heated window closes off the cab, and an all-new load bed sits behind it.

The bed makes the car 68.9 cm (27.1 in) longer than a standard G 63 without a rear-mounted spare wheel, for an overall length of 5.31 m (209 in). TVBS in Taiwan gave 5,327 mm, a slightly different figure, but 5.31 m is the one Brabus publishes.

Materials are mixed on purpose. CSP, a Brabus Group division that develops and builds composite components, makes tailor-made carbon parts such as the rear side walls using the prepreg process, while the bed floor and the side-hinged tailgate are steel. Brabus says the combination gives a precise fit, strength and a high load capacity. Brabus says the Flexiteek bedliner is durable and gives a touch of yacht design, and two matt black bed bars behind the cab offer anchor points for securing cargo.

Widestar bodywork, winch and roof gear

The Widestar parts do most of the visual work. Fender flares with extra wheel arches, made from exposed carbon with a matt sealed finish, make the pickup 11.6 cm (4.6 in) wider than a stock G-Class. The side rub strips, the hood cowl with two power bulges and the front and rear skid plates use the same composite material.

Up front, large air intakes surround an exposed-carbon radiator grille with the Brabus logo, a heavy protection element and a winch with a pulling capacity of 4,500 kg (9,921 lb). The rear carries an exposed-carbon trim panel with the logotype set into it. A roof rack and a carbon wind deflector with four auxiliary LED lights sit above the windscreen.

The rocker panels were reshaped for the longer wheelbase and the high ride. Power-retractable steps are an option, and LEDs in the flares light the ground when a door handle is pulled or when Keyless Go unlocks the car as the owner approaches. The Brabus logos in the front flares glow at the same moment.

How does the portal-axle chassis work?

Portal axles put gear reduction units at the wheel ends, which moves the wheel drive below the axle line. Brabus fits special wheel ends with integral portal gear to compensate for the added height of the raised body and powertrain. The Unimog and the US Humvee rely on the same technique.

The result is 49 cm of ground clearance, and that is the total, not an increase. A standard G-Class has 24 cm, and the portal axles and 325/55 R 22 tyres together account for the difference. Brabus also claims extensive articulation of both axles.

The new integral subframe and the control arms are made of high-strength aluminium with CNC machining. The rear axle stays a rigid axle, as on the production G-Class, but its components were redesigned and milled from solid aluminium, with a reinforced axle housing and new control arms throughout. Brabus says the axle geometry was computed and tested extensively and plays a key role in the pickup's off-road ability.

A version of the Brabus Ride Control coilover suspension was tailored to the raised chassis. At the touch of a button the driver can change damper settings through the standard Dynamic Select system of the current G-Class, and the ride height of the titanium-coated aluminium suspension can be adjusted too.

The visual signature of the chassis is the Monoblock Z HD wheel in size 9.5Jx22, adapted to the portal axles with an eight-hole bolt pattern. They carry Pirelli Scorpion ATR all-terrain tyres in size 325/55 R 22, and those tyres have a direct effect on top speed, as covered below.

How much power does the Brabus 900 XLP make?

The 900 ROCKET V8 Biturbo produces 662 kW (900 hp; 888 bhp) at a low 6,200 rpm. Peak torque on the engine's own rating is 1,250 Nm (922 lb-ft) at 2,900 rpm, but a software limit holds the figure to 1,050 Nm (774 lb-ft) once the engine is in the car.

What did Brabus change inside the V8?

The starting point is the four-valve, twin-turbo V8 of the G 63. Brabus first increased displacement from 3,982 cc to 4,407 cc (243 to 269 cu in) by boring the cylinders to 84 mm (3.3 in) and fitting forged pistons. A precision-balanced billet aluminium crankshaft lengthens the stroke to 100 mm (3.9 in), and longer connecting rods complete the work on the internals.

Special high-pressure fuel pumps with a higher delivery rate and a modified air filter system feed the larger engine. The two production turbochargers give way to two Brabus units with a bigger compressor and a reinforced axial bearing, and they deliver a maximum boost pressure of 1.4 bar. Brabus Boost Xtra, a pair of parts fitted to the two bypass valves, adds an audible blow-off noise when the driver lifts off the throttle, in the style of turbocharged racing engines.

Brabus and reports often round the capacity to 4.5 litres; the exact figure is 4,407 cc. A red carbon cover sits on top of the engine under the hood.

Does the engine make 1,250 Nm or 1,050 Nm?

Both numbers are real, and they describe different things. The engine itself peaks at 1,250 Nm (922 lb-ft) at 2,900 rpm. Fitted to the pickup, it is capped electronically at 1,050 Nm (774 lb-ft) to protect the drivetrain, so that smaller number is what the driver actually gets.

Some reports quote only the larger figure, which overstates what the car delivers. The capped value still sits above the 1,000 Nm of the 800 Adventure XLP and well above the 850 Nm of the stock G 63 engine.

All of the Brabus hardware was calibrated on dynamic and stationary test benches and in lengthy road tests so that it works with the engine, the nine-speed automatic transmission and the all-wheel-drive system. The work produced new maps for injection, boost pressure control and ignition. Drivers can shift manually with carbon paddle shifters on the steering wheel.

How fast is the Brabus 900 XLP?

Brabus quotes 4.4 seconds from rest to 100 km/h (62 mph). Top speed is electronically limited to 210 km/h (130 mph) because of the all-terrain tyres, even though the speedometer reads to 300 km/h (186 mph). The earlier 800 Adventure XLP took 4.8 seconds and has the same limit.

The exhaust was designed for the longer wheelbase. It combines metal catalysts that reduce backpressure, gasoline particulate filters and two rear mufflers whose chrome tailpipes emerge in pairs beneath the running boards, ahead of the rear wheels on both sides. Actively controlled butterfly valves let the driver choose between a throaty eight-cylinder sound with the valves open and a subtle Coming Home note with them closed.

Economy is not the point of a car like this. Auto Bild, the German magazine, tested one and measured average consumption far beyond 20 litres per 100 km.

What is the cabin like?

The Brabus upholstery shop crafts a bespoke Masterpiece interior for each car. The pictured example uses Mondial Black leather with Jet Black piping and black stitching, shell-shaped quilting and perforations on the seat centres and door panels, and matt ROCKET Red glazing on the plastic trim.

A clock designed by the luxury watchmaker Panerai echoes its Luminor chronograph. A carbon package and aluminium parts such as the pedals and door lock pins add sporty touches, and the speedometer reads to 300 km/h (186 mph).

Rear passengers get doors modified to open up to 90 degrees. Three gauges set into the headliner with a custom console show the destination, the outside temperature and the speed.

How much does the Brabus 900 XLP cost?

The car Brabus pictured cost EUR 783,764.25 including 19 per cent German VAT. Before tax, the same figure is EUR 658,625. Those are two ways of stating one price, not two different cars. Because every pickup is built to order, the final bill varies from car to car.

The pre-tax number is the one that travelled. Top Gear South Africa quoted EUR 658,625 as excluding import duties, and in Taiwan it was given as the maker's suggested price. TVBS put that amount at about NT$23 million.

Motorious wrote in January 2026 that examples had surfaced over the years above US$800,000, with one reportedly up for sale in an online auction.

What happened to car number 01 in Taiwan?

TVBS Cars reported that a wine-red 900 XLP spotted by the Bade motor registry in Taipei was the first of the ten. TVBS says the Taiwanese Brabus distributor confirmed that a local buyer took car number 01, paying over NT$42.88 million with options and taxes included.

The distributor said its early order was possible because Brabus had rated it the top distributor worldwide in both 2021 and 2022. TVBS also gave the dimensions as 5,327 mm long, 2,100 mm wide and 2,264 mm high, on a 3,390 mm wheelbase, with a payload of 754 kg. The wine-red colour scheme of that car differs from the grey car in Brabus's own photographs.

What did Brabus build after the 900 XLP?

Brabus announced the XLP 800 Adventure in May 2025, this time on the W 465 series G 63. It returns to an 800 hp twin-turbo V8, with a tailor-made bed, a portal-axle chassis and an exposed-carbon exterior, and Brabus says it is built to order.

That car makes 588 kW / 800 hp (788 bhp) at 6,600 rpm and 1,000 Nm (737 lb-ft) at 3,600 rpm, and covers 0-100 km/h in 4.8 seconds with the same 210 km/h limit. Ground clearance is 47 cm, fording depth is 91.6 cm (36 in), and the Widestar flares bring the width to 210 cm (82.7 in). The 2025 pickup keeps the 4,500 kg winch and the 325/55 R 22 all-terrain tyres, and Brabus shows it with a Sky Blue interior against a black exterior.

Brabus 900 XLP specifications