Mercedes G-Class

It has been the definitive cross-country vehicle since 1979. It has won the Paris-Dakar Rally, is deemed a worthy means of transport for the Pope, ranks as an automotive design icon, is a serial winner of readers’ polls and constitutes the gene pool for a Mercedes-Benz SUV family that now numbers four model series in all. It is, of course – the G-Class. It has been in production for 29 years now, making the G-Class by far the longest-serving passenger car model series there has been since Mercedes-Benz came into existence. And its haul of superlatives is set to grow still further, because the G-Class is subject to continual updating that keeps it in touch with the very latest motoring technology. This time, once again, the exterior has only been modernised to a limited degree quite deliberately. The advances mainly centre on the vehicle’s telematics, along with the new 5.5-litre V8 engine that is available for the G 500.
From the outside, the newest generation of the G-Class can be identified by its restyled, three-fin radiator grille, with the G 500 sporting new-look 18 inch light-alloy wheels as an additional distinguishing feature. The model range continues to comprise three different body variants (short-wheelbase Station Wagon, long-wheelbase Station Wagon and Cabriolet), which are either powered by the fuel-efficient V6 CDI engine generating 165 kW/224 hp and 540 newton metres or a new, mighty 5.5-litre V8 petrol unit with an output of 285 kW/388 hp and 530 newton metres of torque. This new engine propels the G Class to sports-car-like performance: the dash from 0 to 100 km/h is completed in just 5.9 seconds. The latest edition of the G-Class is equipped with the advanced, more user-friendly generation of telematics technology. A Bluetooth hands-free system for mobile phones is built in as standard. A new media interface can also be specified as an option that allows an external music storage device to be linked up to the off-roader’s on-board electronics and control system. Audio tracks appear in the instrument cluster and in the centre console’s colour display, and can be simply called up by using the buttons on the multifunction steering wheel.