The words hardcore-offroading and Mercedes-Benz rarely go in the same sentence, unless, that is, you’re talking about the carmaker’s G Class range – known to most aficionados simply as the Geländewagen.
And after almost a decade of absence of a G Class range in South Africa, Mercedes-Benz this week unveiled an offering of three models for local die-hard offroaders (the G55 was previously available on special order only, built by AMG for right-hand drive markets).
The range is now more varied thanks to factory-based right-hand drive production, meaning buyers get to choose between two V6 turbodiesels: the 135kW/400Nm G300 CDI Professional and the 155kW/540Nm G350 BlueTec, or the powerhouse of a 5.5-litre supercharged petrol in the form of the V8 G55 AMG pushing 373kW/700Nm. All models are available in auto only.
At the launch in the sandy dunes and rocky traverses of Namibia it became clear that the G Class is the Swiss army knife in the Merc line up, and barely broke a sweat no matter how slippery, dusty, stony or hilly the terrain became.
Standard across the range are axles with jaw-dropping flexing ability, long spring travel, permanent all-wheel drive, a synchromesh transfer case and, most importantly, three diff locks. The diff locks can be manually selected individually at the flick of each button, and there’s low range for best gearing at low speeds.
The other highlights on the Geländewagen’s bush-whacking CV include ground clearance of 213mm, a fording (wading) depth of 600mm, and approach and departure angles of 36 and 31 degrees respectively – which was proved time and again over some serious obstacles with zero body scraping.
As I’ve mentioned earlier the G Class, like Land Rover’s Defender, is an iconic 32-year old shape and very little has changed over the years. It’s a robust and boxy design with bold corners and big wheel arches.
The entry-level G300, like the Defender, is extremely basic with door padding and luxuries like radio and electric windows absent. It’s rugged with hard and plasticky finishes, cloth seats (two single seats in the second row), drivers-side airbag only, 16-inch steel wheel rims, and thick rubber mats – which is all a little disconcerting when you factor in the R773 990 price tag (excludes R23 750 for an optional 5 year/120 000km service plan - MobiloDrive is standard in the others).
It’s also the only one in the range with a fuel filter with water separator for protection against contaminated fuel, and is clearly the one designed for the roughest terrain (an army and special forces favourite worldwide).
It’s the loudest and harshest in the range to drive, but the engine - with commonrail injection – is torquey and responsive, with the five-speed auto gearbox keeping things moving.
At R1 227 140 the G350 BlueTec gets Merc’s latest emission technology, already seen in cars like the S350 BlueTec. Spec level-wise the G350 is a significant jump from the G300, and besides better insulated ride quality offers all the Merc-like comforts you’ve come to expect from the marque.
The engine is also a pearler, with the 7G-Tronic ‘box keeping things low revving and composed. On the safety front added spec includes a better traction-control system called 4ETS, and ESP.
The range-topping G55, at R1 875 100, is aimed at offroaders with a boy-racer side. According to Merc buyers can expect 5.5 seconds for the 0-100km/h sprint, and a limited top end of 210km/h.
It’s clearly the laarnie in the range with colour-coded everything, 19-inch AMG wheels, AMG finishes inside and out, stainless steel running boards, and two sets of tailpipes with a proper V8 growl.
Agreed, pricing across the range is on the steep side, but according to the execs at the launch these vehicles are to a large extent hand made. And we were told that the purchase price must be factored into how long they last; 75 percent of original models sold are said to still be on the road. -Star Motoring