Car Of The Week - Mercedes-Benz G-Class

Mercedes Benz is a brand that needs no introduction. Mercedes is one of the most popular and successful luxury car brands in the world. The German car giant is world-renowned for manufacturing luxury sedans, saloons, and SUVs. When you buy a luxury car you can be assured of the best luxury, reliability, engineering prowess and overall satisfaction. The Mercedes G-Class or G-Wagon SUV is one of the most iconic products to come from the house of Mercedes. We are going to tell you more about the Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV and what makes it so popular.

Before the 1970s the 4X4 off-road SUV market was dominated by 3 cars. If you were looking to buy a reliable, rugged and super capable 4X4 SUV which had could take you anywhere then your options were – Land Rover Defender, Toyota Land Cruiser and the American Jeep. Early into the 1970s, Mercedes decided to change this. The Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi a significant shareholder in Mercedes at the time suggested manufacturing a 4-wheel SUV which like the American Jeep, Land Rover Defender which was capable of both civilian and military duties. In 1973, Mercedes came up with the first mock-up of the car…the mock-up was made with wood instead of clay! This was because wood was a better material better suited to the boxy design of the car. Looking at the design it was clear that the G-Class was intended to be a 4X4 SUV that was capable of both civilian and military capabilities. The Mercedes G-Class was jointly developed by Daimler-Benz in Germany and Steyr-Daimler-Puch in Austria. Production of the new car started off in February 1979 in Graz, Austria. The cars were hand-built and had 3 different body types – convertible, 2-door and 4-door. The first-generation G-Class was powered by a 2.3 L petrol 4-cylinder engine producing 90 bhp of max power and a 2.4 L diesel 4-cylinder engine producing 71 bhp of max power. Soon after its launch the Mercedes G-Class soon gained popularity and was on the path the success. During Pope John Paul II's visit to Germany in 1980, Mercedes built him the ‘Popemobile’ based on the Mercedes Benz G-Class.

Initially, Mercedes did not export the G-Class to The USA, over fears the car would not fit the perception of the Mercedes-Benz brand name with American customers. In 1981, G-Wagon saw its first facelift and the upgrades included an automatic gearbox, air conditioning, additional fuel tank, hard top for cabriolet amongst others. Like the Porsche 911, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class is one of those cars that has not changed its design ever since it first entered production. Hence, making it instantly stand out. The tall, boxy and overall rugged design of the Mercedes G-Class is very well known across the world making it an iconic SUV with an evergreen design. The first G-Class SUVs began making their way to the American shores in 1993 by way of direct imports. The cars quickly began making a name for themselves and sold well. The robust box frame chassis allow for great departure and approach angles, the great ground clearance ensures the G-Class can dominate any obstacle no matter where. The Mercedes-Benz G-Class is amongst the most reliable and bulletproof cars ever made with many of them functioning even after 20 years of active service. A true hallmark of Mercedes-Benz.

The 2001 Mercedes-Benz G-Class was the first of the G family to come equipped with modern systems like ESP, Brake Assist, Traction Control and was introduced in the USA as well. The car came powered with a 2.7 L turbo-diesel engine and a 3.0 L V6 diesel engine. The Mercedes G-Class celebrated its 25^th anniversary in 2004, they dropped a bombshell…the Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG powered by a V8 engine producing a mighty 476 bhp of max power output. This made the already super capable off-road SUV, a mountain climbing rocket with a 0-100 km/hr time of 5.5 seconds!

The current generation G-Class after close to 40 years since its introduction remains the same and true to its DNA. Yes, it is a luxury SUV which is super capable, but the beauty of it is the fact that the intent and design of the car has still not changed one bit. The car comes powered with a choice of 2 petrol and 2 diesel engines; the petrol includes an AMG variant. The base petrol engine is powered by a V8 twin-turbo engine producing 416 bhp of max power while the AMG variant produces 577 bhp of max power. The diesel engines are V6 turbos producing 282 bhp and 376 bhp of max power output.

The Mercedes-Benz G-Class is one of the best SUVs in the world. The ‘Three-Pointed Star’ has firmly made its mark not only the sedans and saloons segment but with the G-Class, they have also made their mark on the SUV segment. The Mercedes-Benz G-Class is perfectly suited for the car hall of fame. It is a true icon in every right.