[Report] "Driving a Benz Over Mountains and Crossing Rivers" Experiencing Korea's Only Off-Road Driving Course

Mercedes-Benz Korea Unveils SUV-Only Driving Experience Course
Set Up on 26,000㎡ Near Yongin AMG Facility
"Offers a Unique Experience Like Real Mountain Driving"

"We wanted to create a special customer experience space where the performance of Mercedes-Benz sports utility vehicles (SUVs) can be tested."

Matthias Bechtle, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Korea, said this at the G-Class off-road media event held on the 13th at AMG Speedway in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. Last month, Benz Korea opened the 'Benz SUV Experience Center,' a driving experience course exclusively for Benz SUVs, on a 26,000㎡ site near the Yongin AMG Speedway.

Matthias Beutl, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Korea, is explaining the SUV Experience Center at the New G-Class Offroad Day. Photo by Mercedes-Benz Korea

At the event, Benz Korea unveiled the SUV-exclusive driving experience course to the domestic press for the first time. The Benz SUV Experience Center is the only permanent off-road driving course in Korea that utilizes actual natural terrain. It is designed to preserve nature as much as possible, including forests, trees, and mountain slopes, allowing participants to fully enjoy rugged terrain driving.

The course is divided into the SUV course (A course) and the G-Class exclusive course (G course). The SUV course can be driven by the general public, while the G-Class exclusive course is driven by professional instructors with passengers experiencing it indirectly. The SUV course, consisting of a total of nine courses, allows uphill and downhill driving on three types of surfaces and slopes. It offers driving on various terrains such as rocks, sand, and gravel, as well as obstacle experiences.

At the SUV course visited that day, there was a rocky path with a slope angle exceeding 30˚. Even though it is difficult for a person to climb, the G-Class electric vehicle weighing over 3 tons easily ascended it. Next to it, there was a waterway up to 80 cm deep to test the SUV's water fording capability. Mercedes-Benz G-Class vehicles lined up, partially submerged in the waterway, then quickly exited.

We then moved to the G-Class exclusive course. The G-Class exclusive course consists of 14 driving courses specialized for off-road performance testing. The highlights of the off-road course included the rock crawling course to check extreme suspension movement, the mogul course, and the mud section where the four-wheel-drive system's power distribution capability can be observed.

In particular, the G-Class exclusive course is set up in a natural environment rather than artificial terrain. Driving this course gives the feeling of actually driving in the mountains. CEO Bechtle said, "On the G course, we made it possible to have a dynamic and realistic mountain driving experience," adding, "We minimized deforestation with environmental considerations and conducted voluntary environmental assessments."

At Benz Korea's SUV driving experience course, you can drive not only Benz's internal combustion engine SUV models such as the GLC, GLE, and GLS but also the new G-Class vehicles. The direct driving program on the SUV course is open to anyone aged 18 or older with a driver's license, and the G-Class exclusive taxi program is available for those aged 6 and above with a height of at least 140 cm.