Mercedes-Benz G-Class Review

It was in 2018 that Mercedes-Benz finally decided time was up for the Mercedes G-Class and replaced it. And what do you replace a 40+ year old iconic model with? Another, that looks exactly the same. 

The lengths the company went to do so are extraordinary, saving antiquated details like exposed door hinges, labouring for ages to produce wing-topping indicators that would pass modern crash regulations, and plenty more besides. We explain why this makes it such an icon in our Mercedes G-Class review.

The result might look all but identical, but this Mercedes G-Class only carries over a handful of bits, and we mean a handful. The list includes just the headlight washer nozzles, the sun visors, the tow bar, spare wheel cover and the button for opening the door. 

They sweated over that button, and the noise it makes when the door opens and shuts, Mercedes-Benz knowing to mess with the Mercedes G-Class formula would be potentially ruinous to the G-Class’s unique, and enduring appeal. 

They pitched it exactly right though, with the new Mercedes G-Class there’s all the charm of the original, but with some expectation of a good drive. 

They've achieved this too, all while retaining its incredible off-road capability, the G in Mercedes G-Class standing for ‘Gelandenwagen’ which roughly translates to terrain vehicle, the original being developed as a working vehicle and for the military. 

Sure, these days, that ‘terrain’ is more likely to be the carpark around the back of Harrods, under an apartment in Monaco or nothing more challenging than a steep driveway in Beverly Hills, but that it can still take on the Mercedes G-Class’s long-standing test route around the Schockl Mountain in Austria, underlines Mercedes-Benz’s commitment to the Mercedes G-Class’ off-road legacy. It's certainly one of the best 4x4s going. 

In the UK there are two engine choices, a 3.0-litre 6-cylinder diesel badged G 350 d, and the Mercedes-AMG G 63, it having an off-road developed version of the 4.0-litre twin turbo V8 that also sees service in cars like AMG’s GT R and GT R PRO. Amusing madness, as a 585PS V8 in a vehicle that retains a ladder chassis shouldn’t work, but Mercedes-Benz’s band of G-Class obsessed engineers have somehow managed to make it do so. 

Inside it’s luxurious, and the touchscreen tech would have been the stuff of science fiction back when the original Mercedes G-Class was introduced in the 1970s. 

SUVs get a bad rep, and perhaps justifiably so, but the Mercedes G-Class seems to be impervious to this, its ancient, boxy looks are charming, its retained ability somehow vindication of its existence. It’s the ultimate SUV subterfuge, and incredibly appealing too, assuming you can afford it, as even that diesel will be knocking on £135,000 with a couple of options added, and the G 63 adds around £60 grand on top of that.    

The best, or the one you want? Quantifiably, the G 350 d is the best Mercedes-Benz G-Class, as it’s the most faithful to the original’s concept. The AMG has to concede to its diesel relation off-road (only a bit, though) thanks to suspension designed to help it contain its huge power, and the consumption is a bit punishing, even for those with pockets deeper than the Mariana Trench. In truth, as much as we, and many buyers, are seduced by the lunacy of the G63, it’s the G 350 d that’s the one to have. 

In truth, the G 350 d is quick enough, 7.4 seconds to 62mph is plenty fast in something this size and weight, and it’ll tow better, go further off-road, carry more and be a little bit easier to justify should the environmental activists, or your conscience, come knocking. Oh, go on, just by the G 63 and go and enjoy it, you’ve worked hard for this.

The Mercedes-Benz G-Class starts at £142,635 for the G 450 d AMG Line Premium Plus.

The petrol G 500 AMG Line Premium Plus costs £154,870.

The Mercedes-AMG G 63 starts at £189,375, while the G 63 Magno Edition costs £209,975 before further options.

That places even the least expensive G-Class deep into luxury-car territory. It costs considerably more than many versions of the Range Rover, BMW X7 and Land Rover Defender.

The most obvious rival to the Mercedes-Benz G-Class is Land Rover’s Range Rover, which also has a rich off-road heritage and retained ability, even if it’s unlikely ever to require it as it’s morphed through time, convincingly, into a luxury vehicle. 

Other big premium SUVs include BMW’s X7, Audi’s Q8 and a host of others, but none, not even that of Range Rover, exude the sort of old-school charm, yet breadth of ability of the G-Class. You could pitch the new Land Rover Defender against the Mercedes G-Class, but its renewal, while impressive, doesn’t come close to the G-Class’ abundant cool, though, likewise, neither does the Brit’s price tag. 

The front seats are fully electrically adjustable, as is the steering wheel column, these having a memory function to retain your preferred driving position. 

There’s three-zone climate control, those zones being the driver, passenger and rear passengers so you can set your preferred individual temperatures. If you’re parking it outside your ski chalet, then option the Winter Package, which adds an auxiliary heater and heated windscreen for a toasty interior and clear view as soon as you get in it on the hunt for fresh powder...

Ambient lighting in the G 350 d gives a choice of 8 interior colours, and the AMG’s increases the offering to 64 choices, so if your kids want the interior of your car’s ambient lighting to match Princess Poppy’s hair then you’ll be able to do just that.  

The design, like the exterior is heavily influenced by the previous Mercedes G-Class, so forget swooping flowing surfaces here, it’s a bit more blocky and upright in there, and no less appealing because of that. 

That clear functionality is a huge part of its draw, in fact, Mercedes-Benz even go so far as offering the opportunity to have conventional dials in front of you instead of a digital screen – depending on the market – for the most hardcore traditionalists out there. We are certain that nobody does this, and it’ll quietly be dropped in time.     

There’s loads of space and comfort in the front, helped enormously by the upright glass all around you and there’s a decent, if still not overly generous, amount of space in the back, that 40mm stretch adding a bit of legroom in there, the increased width adding some shoulder room, too. 

With utilitarian roots there’s decent storage in the cabin too, with a deep twin-lidded box between the driver and passenger; removable double cup holder in the centre console; bottle holders in the door pockets, and map pockets (despite standard nav) on the back of the front seats. Need somewhere for your sunglasses? Leave a pair in the handy pop-down stowage compartment above the rear-view mirror. There are 12 volt sockets in the centre console, the rear and the load compartment, too. 

That load compartment is accessed via a side-opening door with the spare wheel hanging off it. Despite its weight it opens and closes easily, all with the satisfying old thunk you’d recognise from the old G-Class.

The boot inside is 667 litres with the seats in position, or 1,246 litres if you drop the rear seats – these doing so in a one third/two thirds manner, through a leaver set in the floor. The space is very boxy, meaning it’s hugely useful, only the relatively narrow opening limiting what you might be able to get in there. 

It’ll tow, a lot, and quickly in the case of the AMG model, it able to haul an unbraked trailer of up to 750kg, the braked trailer capacity being 3500kg, the ESP (Electronic Stability Program) recognising when a trailer’s hooked up to the G-Class and firing up the trailer stabilisation mode from its files. 

That tow bar is standard on all. Add the ability to hang bikes, boats, boards and boxes via a variety of Mercedes-Benz and other, supplied accessories and it’s about as practical as you could ask for. It's little surprise that the Mercedes-Benz G-Class is so often spotted as a chase vehicle for baggage and friends who can’t squeeze into their pal’s super and hypercars.    

With its replacement in 2018 came some necessary dimension changes – for crash protection – a 40mm stretch in the cabin and a 121mm increase in width, as staying faithful to the original’s would have been unnecessarily compromising inside. It now stands at 4,866mm long, 2,187mm wide (including mirrors) and 1,969mm tall. 

Given its looks you might rightfully expect a cassette player inside in a DIN slot, but the Mercedes-Benz G-Class doesn’t take its retro-looking theme so far as to rob buyers of modern conveniences and entertainment. Quite the opposite indeed, the interior puts many of its SUV contemporaries to shame when it comes to infotainment, and its operation. 

There’s a huge 12.3-inch screen spanning a good portion of the top of the dashboard, containing Mercedes-Benz’s COMAND Online system, which is controlled either by touch pads and buttons on the busy steering wheel, or a touch pad with rotary controller – the G-Class, so far, escaping Merc’s replacement of this useful, useable controller with a proper, and less good, touchpad. 

There’s DAB, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, Mercedes me services for three years (a subscription required afterwards) and navigation all as standard. The G63 adds a Burmester sound system over the standard one in the G350 d. Optional packages add rear-seat entertainment and more, should you need it. 

The Mercedes-Benz G-Class is at the very top of Mercedes-Benz’s model series, attracting the sort of buyers who lost count of the zeros on their bank balances many decades previously, and who are used to having exactly what they want. Given its relative volume then, the level of personalisation on offer is remarkable, Mercedes-Benz offering a huge number of trim choices to suit all tastes, and budgets. 

It’s all finished very well inside, too, the odd bit of cheap plastic, sitting uncomfortably in the cabin of something like an AMG GT or Mercedes-Benz S-Class from elsewhere in the Mercedes-Benz range, a seemingly forgivable reminder of the G-Class’s off-road, utilitarian backstory schtick. After all, the Mercedes G-Class is the automobile equivalent of a self-made person, its working-class, practical background having made way for luxury and indulgence, all while not forgetting its roots.

There’s an IWC clock in the dash of the AMG, it too getting a slightly more ‘sporting’ look inside. This basically means the bottom of the steering wheel has been flattened and a has fussier design, but regardless of model, it all feels like it’ll last forever, which is entirely in keeping with the Mercedes G-Class’s tough image.    

Every G-Class has four-wheel drive, a nine-speed automatic transmission, low-range gearing and three locking differentials.

The G 450 d is the most convincing everyday engine. Its substantial torque arrives at low engine speeds, making it feel effortless despite the car’s considerable weight. The nine-speed automatic gearbox changes smoothly and keeps the diesel quiet on a motorway.

The G 500 uses a six-cylinder petrol engine rather than the V8 previously associated with the badge. It is powerful and refined, but sits awkwardly between the more economical diesel and charismatic G 63.

The G 63’s 4.0-litre V8 remains central to its appeal. Its side-exit exhausts produce a deep, aggressive sound, while the immediate acceleration feels absurd in something so tall and heavy.

All three engines receive mild-hybrid assistance. The electrical system can support the engine during acceleration and allows smoother operation of the stop-start system, but this is not a hybrid SUV capable of travelling on electric power alone.

Forty plus years of chassis development has cured this. In the case of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, even though it rides on a separate proper ladder frame underneath (all its rivals being ‘unibody’), that frame is way stiffer than the old one, as is the largely aluminium body that resides on top of it.

The G 350 d as standard has a passively damped suspension set up riding on double wishbone front and multi-link rear. Optionally, you can upgrade that to have adaptive damping adjustment, bundled in with the Premium line equipment option. It’s not cheap at just shy of £6,000, but you do add that suspension as well as Burmester hifi, an electric sunroof and the useful 360 degree camera parking package. 

The steering response might have improved, and the ride is acceptable – it being more cosseting on the smaller of the wheel choices, these spanning 20 to 22-inches in size. 

Naturally, you’ll have a tauter ride with the AMG, in any of its variable damping modes, but it’s not so compromised over its G 350 d alternative to really single it out for criticism. Yes, all ride and handle convincingly now.

Surprising, even, with their agility. Mercedes-Benz, and AMG’s chassis people having worked some magic to achieve some agility here, despite the masses they’re dealing with. It’ll not keep up with those supercars it so often chases if the roads get really twisty, but it’ll make a decent stab of it elsewhere, and, crucially, it’s so much more stable and readable on the road, which makes driving it at any speed enjoyable, rather than the vague, and, frankly, terrifying, responses of the car it replaced.     

Mercedes-Benz’s safety record is enviable, but that hasn’t stopped Mercedes chucking all manner of active and passive safety equipment at Mercedes-Benz G-Class. There’s Active Brake Assist with proximity and collision warning, with autonomous braking when spotting pedestrians, vehicles and cyclists, ABS and Brake Assist Plus. The brakes even recognise when it’s wet, priming the system and pulsing the discs dry for maximum stopping power. 

Electronic stability and traction control systems help maintain control even in extreme situations, while there’s Active Lane Keeping Assist for those lengthy trips to the Alps. Likewise, the Attention Assist system will alert you to your drowsiness on longer drives.

Pre-safe primes all the systems in the event of an impending impact, tightening seat belts, closing the sunroof and even adjusting the seat to the best position for the seat belts and airbags to work. The airbag count is high, with driver and passenger front, side and window bags, too. Tyre pressure monitoring, Traffic Sign Assist, and ISOFIX seat mounts, as well as the Driving Assist Package, which includes Blind Spot Assist and Active Distance Assist are all standard. That’s a lot of Assists… 

The G 450 d returns an official 31.4mpg. That is respectable for a vehicle of this weight and shape, although real-world results will depend on speed, traffic and driving style.

The G 500 manages an official 25.0mpg. Its petrol engine is smooth and powerful, but it will require substantially more frequent fuel stops than the diesel.

The G 63 falls to 14.8mpg under the official test. Frequent use of its performance can reduce economy further.

The G-Class has a three-year manufacturer warranty. Mercedes also provides a three-year paint warranty and 30-year anti-corrosion cover, subject to its inspection and servicing requirements.

Every current G-Class sits in insurance group 50. That is the highest possible rating and reflects the car’s value, performance, repair costs and theft risk.

From the second year, the standard annual Vehicle Excise Duty rate for the  G-Class is £200, while every G-Class exceeds the £40,000 threshold for the Expensive Car Supplement. This adds £440 a year for five years from year two.