Thursday, October 18, 2018

New Mercedes-Benz G-Class W463b

For almost four decades, the G-Wagen is a living legend in the offroading world. From its military use to civilian use, from Gobi to Sahara, from charted to uncharted regions, the Gelandewagen has been rivaling Land Rovers and Land Cruisers in its lifetime from past to present and now, here we are, after almost four decades, the legendary G-Class has evolved to an all-new model, and when they said "all-new", they really mean it for sure.

2019 Mercedes-Benz G-Class
Because the G-Class is "stronger than time", the exterior design looks pretty much the same as the ancient Gelandewagen of the last four decades, like a senior citizen off to a fresh start to do something he couldn't do before in the first place, but ageless design aside, most of the components are all-new inside and out. It's now wider and longer compared to the old one and it's got more ground clearance as well, meaning there's more to it than that for the legendary Gelandewagen.

2019 Mercedes-Benz G-Class interior

Thanks to the increase in size, the interior is now even roomier than the old model, meaning there's enough space for Boss Madam to stretch her legs at the back and enjoy while letting her personal driver toy around with the futuristic dashboard that does a lot of things to make it more livable. It may be an offroader but the luxurious interior and bigger boot space mean that it works pretty well not just for Boss Madam but for German politicians, military officials, and even financiers who don't bother riding their scooter to the studio set for something that goes boom if you know what I mean.

2019 Mercedes-Benz G-Class
2019 Mercedes-AMG G63

The only offering, the G500, which is priced at 107,040.50 Euros plus VAT, is powered by a 4.0L V8 BiTurbo engine producing 422PS of power and 610Nm of torque. Mated to a 9G-TRONIC, it's capable of going 0-100kph in less than six seconds and onwards to 210kph. However, if you need more firepower, there's the Mercedes-AMG G63, which comes with the same engine as the normal G500 but pumped up with steroids to produce 585PS of power and 850Nm of torque and because it is mated with the same gearbox above but with some AMG injection on it, it does 0-100kph in four and a half seconds and onwards to 220kph. 240kph if you opt for the Drivers Package.

Think about this, when you are engaging with an ultra-expensive supercar in the race, the only trump card to beat them is showcasing its off-road capability to take on shortcuts, just to show them what this legend is capable of. They can go fast but this offroader can go anywhere.

Just like what happened in today's Range Rovers and F-150s, the new G-Class sheds 170kg of weight thanks to its extensive use of lighter raw materials consisting of strong, high-strength, ultra-high-strength steels and aluminum. Because it's got more ground clearance compared to the old one as well as new suspension improvements, the G-Class becomes more capable of tackling different kinds of roads tarmac, gravel, and snow, and somewhere in the G-Class lies a joker card to show its true self, the G-Mode. Set this thing on and the mechanicals are now engaged to make it more off-road worthy as well as setting its gearbox to LOW RANGE setting. With this, the G-Class transforms into a more primitive state that can tackle the environment with ease. It may be high-tech but it's more rugged and more dependable just like what a Gelandewagen should be as long as you're not going to overdo it.

2019 Mercedes-Benz G-Class

The G-Class has been a living legend in the world of offroading and as a machine that can handle different jobs on and off the road, its demonstration is something that can't be overlooked upon. With the new G-Class, though, the story of the living legend continues with new and exciting ways to make sure it still has the stamina, the guts, and the determination to get through uncharted regions with its new tricks and that is something we might get jealous about.

Photo: Daimler AG

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