More than 20 years after its first attempt to win over the
hearts and minds of Australian buyers, Mercedes-Benz's military-derived
G-Class is back.
Two long-wheelbase luxury off-roaders will relaunch the badge
in Australia, comprising one sensible vehicle and another with more
firepower than a third-world despot.
The G-Class is a formula that has served Mercedes-Benz well,
keeping the peace in political hotspots, carrying popes and exploring
some of the world's toughest terrains throughout its three decades of
production.
Its looks have remained virtually unchanged since the first
vehicle - developed primarily for the German army but later taking on
civilian clothes - rolled off the production line in 1975. It still has
the big, slab sides, sharp angles and exposed door hinges, and the spare
wheel still hangs awkwardly off the side-swing rear door.
The entry-level G350 CDI Bluetec comes into Australia priced
from $161,680 plus on-road and dealer costs, pushing it to the premium
end of the luxury off-roader market.
For the money, though, you get a vehicle that gains serious
off-road firepower that has the means to leave potential rivals in its
dust.
It starts with the G350's 3.0-litre turbo diesel V6 engine.
It produces 150kW of power but a well of 540Nm of torque from as low as
1600rpm. Fuel use is officially 11.2L/100km on the combined cycle, while
carbon dioxide emissions are rated at 295g/km, helped by Benz's
urea-based system that converts up to 80 per cent of nitrous oxides into
more harmless nitrogen, and water.
The diesel is mated to a seven-speed automatic gearbox, with
drive sent to all four 18-inch alloy wheels via a two-speed transfer box
that splits between high and low range.
There's also three separate button-activated differential
locks high on the dash that allow any combination of front, centre and
rear lock-up depending on where the traction is needed.
The traditional, boxy exterior has changed little since the original 1972 design, however its finish has improved.
The G-Class uses metallic paint as standard, with a special
scratch-resistant ceramic make-up that means off-road excursions won't
hurt the paintwork's lustre too much. There's also a full-length rubber
strip running along each side to help minimise supermarket dings, and a
rear door-mounted spare wheel.
Inside, there's more than a hint of luxury. The base model
gets leather seats, metal sunroof, satellite navigation, six-CD audio
with DVD player and a reversing camera.
Interior space is vast to start with, but flip and tumble the
split-fold rear seats forward and the amount of flat load space the
G-Class yields borders on huge.
But if capacity under the bonnet is more important, Benz is also offering the firebrand G55 AMG.
Priced from $217,230 plus on-road and dealer costs, under the
bonnet lies a supercharged V8s from the German car maker's go-fast
division — and once dwindling stocks of the now-discontinued
C-Class-based CLC 200K coupes trickle out of showrooms, the last
supercharged car to wear a Benz badge on sale in Australia.
Developing 373kW and a massive 700Nm of torque from just over
idle, the 5.5-litre engine propels the 2.5-tonne G55 from 0-100km/h in
an impressive 5.5 seconds.
Fuel use is officially 15.9L/100km and emissions are rated at
372g/km CO2, with the exhaust fed through to a pair of AMG-badged side
extractors mounted in front of the 19-inch rear wheels.
For the extra money, the G55 adds a more luxurious interior
featuring front seats with heating and cooling, a TV tuner, suede-like
Alcantara roof lining, and a firmed-up ride to handle the extra
performance.
The gearbox — there's still a two-speed transfer box giving
high and low range — drops down to a five-speed unit, however it's the
same one as used in the SL65 Black roadster.
Both models in the G-Class line-up have dual front airbags,
and a pair of side-curtain airbags, as standard. The vehicle's
electronic stability control system is automatically remapped when any
of the off-road functions are selected.
Mercedes-Benz expects the G-Class to be a relatively slow
seller in Australia, with only about 120 customers a month likely to
take the plunge. At the moment, more than half the orders are for the
G55 model, with the car maker expecting sales to favour the
diesel-engined version in the long term.
However, the car maker is investigating the possibility of
bringing in a stripped-out, four-seat ''G-Professional'' version of the
long-wheelbase — two evaluation vehicles with what is described as a
''hose-out'' interior are currently in Australia — and adding a
short-wheelbase version.
If the short-wheelbase model does come, it will potentially
be a marketing challenge — a spokesman for the company says its
three-door layout would turn off customers wanting the convenience of
five doors.
