Mercedes-Benz G-Class

The Mercedes-Benz G-Class is offered with Nappa leather upholstery as standard in both of its variants, with multiple choices of configurations. First is the all-black Nappa leather upholstery with contrast stitching in colours like yacht blue, white, bronze, lime green, red and gold. Then there are colour options in leather upholstery like Yacht blue, Platinum white, Espresso brown, Bengal red, Titanium grey pearl and Saddle brown, all of which are also available in dual-tone themes with black as the secondary colour.

While the topstitching colour options for the Mercedes-Benz G-Class include AMG Line black, two-tone classic red/black, two-tone truffle brown/black and two-tone macchiato beige/black, the time finisher options for the SUV include designo black piano lacquer trim and designo black flamed open-pore ash wood trim.

The cabin of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class looks elegant and sporty, with the SUV having a massive 30-inch rectangular cockpit covering much of the dashboard, which also has propeller-like rounded AC vents with silver surrounds in centre console and corners. More silver garnish can be seen in the multi-functional steering wheel, with each and every element here exuding top-notch quality. 

Pros and Cons:

Pro: Numerous options of leather upholsteries

Con: Lighter interior colour options are difficult to maintain

Features and Technology

In the second-generation version, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class was updated with a host of new-generation features that make it belong to the current era and follow the most recent trends.

Behind the electrically adjustable multi-functional steering wheel for both rake and reach, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class has a wide full-TFT cockpit comprising 12.3-inch screens for the instrument console and a touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Operating on the latest COMAND system from Mercedes-Benz, the central touchscreen also serves as the interface for other vehicular settings, including the three-zone automatic climate control and high-quality Burmester audio system. There are separate physical controls for the climate control and audio system positioned in the centre console too. 

The other comfort and convenience features offered in the Mercedes-Benz G-Class are front ventilated, heated and electrically-adjustable seats, a wireless charger, a single-pane electric sunroof, rear AC vents and 64-colour ambient lighting.

Pros and cons:

Pro: Comfort-oriented features and large screens

Con: No panoramic sunroof for a car of this price

Boot Space and Storage

Where the Mercedes-Benz G-Class excels is the sense of space on the inside, especially in the boot compartment. Both the variants of the G-Class have a capacious boot compartment of 667 litres with the second-row seats up. And if you think that’s still not enough, the boot space is expandable up to 2,010 litres after folding down the second-row seats.

Now that’s really huge and helpful for those who wish to stow their luggage before their off-road adventures. The Mercedes-Benz G-Class also has enough small storage spaces everywhere in the cabin, including the cup holders and glove box and centre console storage compartments.

Pros and cons:

Pro: Massive boot space

Con: Nothing much actually

Boot Space and Storage

Where the Mercedes-Benz G-Class excels is the sense of space on the inside, especially in the boot compartment. Both the variants of the G-Class have a capacious boot compartment of 667 litres with the second-row seats up. And if you think that’s still not enough, the boot space is expandable up to 2,010 litres after folding down the second-row seats.

Now that’s really huge and helpful for those who wish to stow their luggage before their off-road adventures. The Mercedes-Benz G-Class also has enough small storage spaces everywhere in the cabin, including the cup holders and glove box and centre console storage compartments.

Pros and cons:

Pro: Massive boot space

Con: Nothing much actually

Even after so many years, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class retains the iconic boxy and squared design profile of the original G-Wagen from the yesteryears. Thankfully, this second-generation version is modern in its approach without compromising on the old-school retro ethos of the G-Class design.

The boxy-looking front profile of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class has a rectangular grille with rounded edges in the middle, which has horizontal chrome slats in the G 400d and vertical dark chrome slats in the G 63 AMG. The clamshell bonnet, rounded Multibeam LED projector headlamps with LED DRLs and fender-mounted clear lens turn indicators are common to both the variants. 

The front bumper of both G 400d and G 63 AMG differ in their designs, with them having different housings for the fog lamps and slightly different central air dams. The Mercedes-Benz G-Class has angular windows and door panels, upright bonnet and D-pillar and trapezoidal wheel arches. While the G 400d gets 19-inch alloy wheels options, the G 63 AMG has a host of 20-inch AMG alloy wheels to choose from.

At the back, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class continues its iconic legacy with the tailgate-mounted spare wheel, with the rectangular LED tail lamps placed on the side edges of the rear bumper. There are a host of colour options to choose from for the G-Class, including the Graphite metallic Platinum black metallic, Hyacinth red metallic, Sea blue metallic, Olive metallic, Mystic blue bright, Diamond white bright, Mystic brown bright, Citrine brown magno, Dark olive magno, Night black magno, Platinum magno, Desert sand non-metallic, Jupiter red and Dark blue.

Pros and cons:

Pro: Old-school essence of the original G-Wagen with modern touches

Cons: Side-opening tailgate is difficult to open in linear parking spaces

Despite it being a diesel-powered version, the G 400d is the lesser fuel-efficient G-Class among its two variants. Mercedes-Benz claims 6.1 kmpl fuel efficiency for the G 400d, which can go up to 7.8 kmpl if driven sedately on highways. 

Meanwhile, the performance-oriented G 63 AMG is also the more economical one of the two, with a claimed fuel efficiency of 8.47 kmpl. However, expect this G-Wagen to deliver 5-6 kmpl in usual driving conditions.

Pros and cons:

Pro: Decent efficiency on highways for a vehicle of this size

Con: Real-world city efficiency is poor for both petrol and diesel versions

Equipped with independent double wishbone with coil springs at the front and a trailing link with rigid axle and coil springs at the rear, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class has robust underpinnings. The tough and capable suspension setup of the G-Class is further accompanied by the low range button for optimal torque distribution, adaptive adjustable damping for superior ride comfort and roll and pitch stabilization for reduced body roll.

Coming to the electronics, the G-Class comes with five on-road drive modes – Comfort, Sport, Sport+, Individual and Slippery, and five off-road drive modes – Trail, Sand, Rock and Desert, all of which make this behemoth of an SUV a brilliant SUV to hold the ground in all driving conditions. 

Pros and Cons:

Pro: Excellent off-road driving capability without compromising on ride quality

Con: Slight body roll at triple-digit speeds

The more affordable Mercedes-Benz G 400d has a 3.0-litre inline-six diesel engine, which churns out a maximum power output of 326 bhp and a maximum torque output of 700 Nm. This version of the G-Class has a top speed of 210 kmph, while it is capable of doing the 0-100 kmph run in 6.4 seconds.

Meanwhile, the performance-oriented Mercedes-AMG G 63 gets a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 petrol engine, which delivers a maximum power output of 577 bhp and a maximum torque output of 850 Nm. This version has a top speed of 220 kmph, while it being faster than the G 400d with a 0-100 kmph sprint time of 4.5 seconds. 

The transmission common to both the variants of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class is a 9-speed 9G-Tronic automatic gearbox, which is also offered in a host of other Mercedes-Benz models.

Pros and cons:

Pro: Both petrol and diesel engines deliver thunderous performance

Con: Diesel engine becomes noisier at higher RPMs

Both the variants of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class are equally loaded with sophisticated safety features, the highlights of which are PRE-SAFE preventive occupant protection system, active lane keeping assist, active distance assist with blind spot assist, active parking assist with 360-degree camera, adaptive cruise control and autonomous emergency braking.

The G-Class variants also come equipped with front and rear parking sensors, eight airbags, hill descent control, hill start assist, tyre pressure monitoring system, electronic parking brake with auto hold, ABS with EBD and brake assist and electronic stability control with traction control.

Pros and cons:

Pro: PRE-SAFE preventive occupant protection system works flawlessly 

Con: Could have had more ADAS features

Competitor Comparison

There are very few SUVs that match the fine balance of off-road excellence and sheer luxury offered by the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. With that approach, the closest competitor to the G-Class is the Land Rover Defender, which is relatively more affordable than the G-Class by a considerable margin. Other range-topping luxury SUVs matching the aura of the G-Class are Land Rover Range Rover, BMW XM, and Lexus GX. 

Conclusion and Final Verdict

The Mercedes-Benz G-Class has a grand stature, which is hard to match by other standards. While it is one of the most expensive SUVs out there, it justifies its elite positioning with the luxuries of high order, potent powertrain options and rugged and capable mechanical hardware.