Mercedes-Benz G Class Cross-Country

Introduction

The story of G Class started way back in seventies when Shah of Iran suggested Mercedes to make SUV's. Mercedes got into partnership with Austrian manufacturer Steyr-Daimler-Puch and in this way G Class came to life. The letter “G” stands for “Geländewagen”, which means cross country in German. Its unique box styling hasn't changed much since its inception. Built primarily for military use, its first civilian model was launched in 1979. To improve its on road performance later Mercedes roped in AMG (independent high performance division of Mercedes) which significantly increased its power and speed. Also to note here is that its the second longest production car in the history of Mercedes Benz.

Engine, mileage & variants

In Sri Lanka Mercedes has provided as much as 7 variants including 5 petrol and 2 diesel engine with latest BlueTEC technology. The top end petrol variant (G 65 AMG) extract its raw power from 6.0 liter V12 engine producing 603 hp revving between 4300 to 5600 rpm with humongous torque of 1000Nm between 2300 to 4300 rpm. With that sort of power and torque rotating the wheels this variant has a top speed of 230 Kmph and attains a speed of 100kmph from standstill in just 5.3 seconds. It is surprisingly most fuel efficient among all other variants transversing almost 10 Kilometer in one liter. Among the two diesel options available, both have same engine specifications but the G 350 BlueTEC BA3 Final Edition is more fuel efficient. It get its power from 3.0 liter V6 engine producing almost 208 hp of power revving at 3400 rpm and delivering a torque of 540 Nm between rotation of the engine cylinders from 1600 to 2400 rpm. This V6 engine provides it a top speed of 175 Kmph and an acceleration of 0 to 100 Kmph in 8.8 seconds. Surely the diesel engine is almost one third in power compared to its powerful petrol counterpart and to add to this it also has higher fuel consumption of 8.9 Kilometer per liter of fuel.

Exterior

The G Class Cross-Country looks like an old school SUV with looks that are outdated by todays standard. Its classic box style structure hasn't changed much. Looks like Mercedes has focused more on its off-road capability than its on road dynamics. You can see sharp lines all over its body and the use of rectangular geometry with curved edges. On the rear you can see the extra spare wheel hanging on the rear door. Overall, excluding few cosmetics tweaks it has the same old school SUV look focused more on off road performance. The G Class has large wheelbase of 2850mm and its other dimensions are 4672mm x 1760mm x 1951mm (L x W x H). For the diesel variants Mercedes has provided smaller 16 inch alloy wheels with tyre size of 265/70 R 16 and with the powerful petrol version comes the larger 20 inch wheels with tyre size of 275/50 R 20.

Interior

Mercedes have tried its best in giving it modern appeal from inside, leaving few things as it is. Sit on the drivers seat and you will get the feel of king of the road. The high driving position also gives you better command on the road. The dashboard is similar to other Mercedes with multifunction steering covered in leather, THERMATIC automatic air control, heated front seats etc. The dashboard has 16.5 cm screen with COMAND APS multimedia system through which you can access music, navigate through your route, listen radio, it also houses a DVD drive with 6-disc DVD changer we can say its the central control unit for all telematic components. Its a SUV so you don't have to complain about the space either be it leg room or head room or boot space. It has cargo volume of 480 liter and when you fold rear seats you get massive 2250 liter of space.

Safety, Braking and Miscellaneous

This Merc hasn't been tested by independent safety body EURO NCAP but there is not reason you will feel unsafe in this military/civilian vehicle. Mercedes has provided all the basic safety features like all airbags for drivers and passengers, Brake Assist, Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Reversing camera, Side Impact Beams, Front Impact Beams, Traction Control etc. Both models have three fully locking differentials which is unique making it one of the few vehicle with such a feature. G Class offers tried and tested off-road features with latest technology such as 4ETS (Electronic Traction System), all wheel drive, ability to continue driving even when only one wheel has grip.

Verdict

If you are planning to buy G Class because you want a luxury SUV than you are certainly not on the right track, you must go for a Range Rover or a Cayenne or even the Land Cruiser. Its a true off roader with anywhere to go attitude. So if you can compromise little on luxury for off roading capability and a massive road presence, then its the perfect choice.