Ron picked the least glamorous route of any test in this series — unpaved fire roads above La Turbie, loose surface, real elevation change — and by the time all three cars reached Port Hercule, nobody was arguing his choice of car was wrong for it.
Off the tarmac first, on purpose
Every other road test in this series has run on paved roads, because that’s what most of this fleet’s cars are actually built for. This one is deliberately different: the unpaved fire roads in the hills above La Turbie first, loose surface and real gradient, before descending into Port Hercule, Monaco’s marina, where the cars need to look as at home outside a superyacht as they did on loose gravel twenty minutes earlier. Not every SUV in this fleet can genuinely do both halves of that day well.
Three drivers, three different SUV philosophies. Ron takes the Mercedes G63 AMG — the boxy, three-locking-differential icon that’s never pretended to be anything other than a real off-roader wearing a supercar’s power figures. The Range Rover Sport Hybrid goes to whoever’s narrating, a car currently listed out of Los Angeles only in this fleet, not Monaco — worth stating up front. Juliana claims the Range Rover Evoque, the smallest and most efficient of the three, and argues that not every day needs the other two’s outright capability.
The numbers, for anyone who wants them before the story
| Mercedes G63 AMG | Range Rover Sport Hybrid | Range Rover Evoque | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seats | 5 | ~5 | ~5 |
| Engine | 4.0L twin-turbo V8 | ~3.0L plug-in hybrid I6 | ~2.0L turbo, mild-hybrid |
| Horsepower | 585 hp | ~440 hp | ~250 hp |
| Drivetrain | AWD, 3 locking diffs | AWD | AWD |
| Rental (per day) | ~€1,200 | ~€650 | ~€1,100 |
| Off-road capability | Genuine, purpose-built | Strong, less specialized | Limited, road-focused |
The Sport Hybrid’s figures here are Range Rover’s own published numbers for the PHEV powertrain, hedged like any unverified spec — this fleet’s own listing has none of that data attached. The Evoque’s fleet listing is similarly thin, so its horsepower is a general estimate for a mid-range trim rather than a confirmed figure for the specific car in this fleet.
First stint: the fire roads, where the G63 made an argument nothing else in this test could answer
Ron took the G63 up first, over loose surface and real gradient that most luxury SUVs are engineered to avoid rather than handle. Three locking differentials aren’t a marketing bullet point on this car — they’re genuinely functional, and it showed immediately: traction where the surface offered none, a low-range gearing option most rivals in this price bracket don’t even bother including. “This isn’t a road car that can survive some gravel,” Ron said. “This is an actual off-roader that happens to have 585 hp.”
The Sport Hybrid followed, and made a real if less specialized case — capable enough on the same surface to be genuinely useful, with the added benefit of an electric-only mode for the quieter final approach into town. “This is the practical answer for someone who wants real capability without committing to something as extreme as the G-Wagen,” the narrator said.
Second stint: down to Port Hercule, and Juliana’s honest case
The Evoque came down last, back onto paved roads well before the marina, and Juliana’s case built itself on exactly the ground the other two had just proven wasn’t universal: most days, for most drivers, the fire-road capability of a G63 or Sport Hybrid never gets used at all. “You paid for something you needed for twenty minutes,” she said. “The rest of the week, this is the one that’s actually right-sized.” It’s a real argument, even if it didn’t win the specific test built to showcase the other two’s strengths.
A bit of context on each car
The Mercedes G63 AMG remains one of the few genuinely capable off-roaders in this fleet that also delivers real supercar-adjacent power — a rare combination, not a common one in this segment.
The Range Rover Sport Hybrid pairs real off-road ability with plug-in hybrid efficiency, a strong middle ground between the G63’s extremes and the Evoque’s road-focused compactness.
The Range Rover Evoque is the compact, road-focused entry point into the Range Rover lineup, sized for city and coastal driving rather than genuine trail work.
Practical considerations
The fire roads above La Turbie require genuine caution regardless of vehicle — loose surface, real drop-offs in places, and best attempted with a guide who knows the current conditions. The G63 AMG and Evoque are both confirmed available in Monaco and the French Riviera; the Sport Hybrid, as noted, currently is not.
Our call: the Mercedes G63 AMG. Ron’s pick wins on a genuinely rare combination — real off-road capability and 585 hp of actual character, not a luxury SUV that merely looks the part. Choose the Range Rover Sport Hybrid for a strong middle ground once it’s available here, or the Range Rover Evoque if most of your driving never leaves paved roads in the first place.
The G63 AMG and Evoque are standalone rentals out of Monaco and the French Riviera. Get in touch and we’ll set one up.