SOLID AS A ROCK

Models Covered

5dr SUV (3.0 V6 diesel, 5.5 V8 petrol)

Introduction

Solid as a rock, tougher than granite and seemingly impervious to the sands of time, there’s nothing quite like a Mercedes G-Class. It remains politically incorrect and hugely expensive but it’s now a much more credible alternative to less unique super-luxury large SUVs, thanks to modern-era engineering adopted in a way that hasn’t diluted this Gelandewagen’s unique character. Here, we look at early versions of the second generation W463A design launched in 2018.

The History

You know the real thing when you see it and, when it comes to supremely capable large SUVs, this is the real thing, the Mercedes G-Class. In this second generation ‘W463A’ guise, introduced in 2018, virtually everything changed: the body, the suspension, the steering, the engines – all of it was new. Even the classic ladder-framed chassis was updated. But at the same time, almost nothing about the character of this ‘W463’-series model was different. And the result was as unique as this car always has been.

The G-Wagen story dates back to 1972 and a suggestion by Shah of Iran (at the time a significant Mercedes shareholder) that the company should create a military 4x4. This was satisfied by a collaborative design created by Daimler-Benz and Steyr-Daimler-Puch, now Magna-Steyr, who’ve assembled the Gelandewagen near the Austrian city of Graz ever since. Civilian-orientated ‘460’ and ‘461’ series models were produced from 1979, before the original version of this more civilised ‘463’-series design was first launched in 1990.

The three following decades saw this car successfully overcome any obstacle it encountered – including obsolescence. Turn-of-the-century plans to kill it off in favour of more modern luxury SUV designs like the modern-era Mercedes GLS model were wisely shelved and today, the G-Wagen is more popular than it’s ever been. It remains the forefather of all SUVs to wear the Three-Pointed Star, which is why all Mercedes off road models feature an upper-case G in their name. From the launch of this ‘W463A’ design, buyers could choose between a straight-six G 350d diesel variant or a wildly powerful G 63 AMG twin turbo petrol V8 model. Either way, you get the luxury of a Range Rover with the wilderness capability of a Land Rover Defender. The street presence of a supercar with the sense of a large SUV. The ‘W463A’ design was updated in late 2020 with the G350d diesel replaced by a more powerful G400d variant, plus there was a wider range of trim levels. It’s the earlier 2018-2020-era G-Class models though, that we look at here.

What You Get

By anyone’s reckoning, this is an unlikely fashion accessory. Yet despite a setsquare shape with the aerodynamic qualities of a semi-detached house, that’s exactly what this G-Class has become. This modern-era version is still known by brand loyalists as a ‘W463 series’ model, but it’s very different to earlier Gelandewagens that shared that classic designation, the completely redesigned body for this post-2018-era version being 53mm longer, 64 wider and 15mm taller than before and built of different grades of steel, with aluminium adopted for the wings, the bonnet and the doors.

So what’s it like at the wheel? Well you’d certainly know you were in a new-era G-Wagen here, primarily because this modern model features the widescreen cockpit display we’d previously seen in all of Mercedes more conventional large models, with a 12.3-inch central COMAND infotainment screen bonded seamlessly to a digital instrument display of the same size. Sitting in the back, you’d never know you were in an SUV that was nearly 5-metres long. But this ‘W463A’ model was vastly more passenger-friendly than its predecessor, with plentiful headroom and the redesigned platform freeing up a massive 150mm more legroom. In the boot, you’ll find 667-litres of space.

What To Look For

Old G-Wagens never die – they’re too valuable to be allowed to do so. The G-Class is built solidly, but that doesn’t mean all models are problem-free. Most of the main issues with the W463 series had been sorted by the time this W463A design was launched in 2018 but you’ll need to check that all the smart instrument screens work as they should. Finally, check for signs of over-enthusiastic off roading. There are known issues with the suspension springs breaking after heavy ‘off piste’ use. If you hear a loud thumping noise when you are driving over speed bumps or rough, it’s probably caused by faulty suspension springs.

On The Road

The Mercedes objective with this ‘W463A’-era post-2018 G-Class was to make it viable as an only car, something the older model never was. You’d think this one might still struggle in that regard too. After all, conceptually, it remains pretty old hat, built on a solid ladder-framed chassis and featuring an old fashioned live rear axle and a prodigious 2.5-tonne kerb weight. And yet what we’ve got is something quite different - for a G-Wagen anyway - thanks to the fact that the front suspension, the steering system, the gearbox and the engines were all completely redesigned for this model. So, you might be surprised to learn, was all the familiar-looking bodywork, fashioned in post-2018 form with copious amounts of aluminium, which accounted for much of the 170kg reduction in kerb weight. It was all enough to transform the way this Gelandewagen tackles the only kind of terrain it previously struggled to conquer: tarmac.

In the 2018-2020 period, there were two engines on offer, the 585hp 4.0-litre twin turbo V8 of the top Mercedes-AMG G 63 petrol version and the 286hp 2.9-litre straight six diesel of the alternative G 350d.

Overall

Here’s the car that tops our guilty pleasures list. If all you want to do is impress other oligarchs, the wild G 63 variant would be ideal. But if you really want to experience everything a G-Wagen can do, the G 350d version is the only choice to make. Yes of course the high pricing in both cases is difficult to justify. But G-Class buyers want something more than just another luxury SUV. They want something exclusive. And something more capable in the world’s toughest terrains than just about anything else on four wheels. It’s at home anywhere, from Afghanistan to the Amazon, from Kensington to the Kings Road. And it is, quite simply, unique.