The Mercedes Benz G550, or G class, what is now considered the crown jewel and the most ubiquitous symbol of status and success, was once nothing more than a military vehicle. Originally developed for war it brought uncompromising rugged dependability and off-road ability. But now in 2023 it’s seen in a very different way, so what is it really?
Driving Impressions
There’s no way one of these drives down the street past you and you don’t call it out
There are essentially two flavors you can get your G Wagon. The first might even be the more common one. The full-potency G63 AMG with all the sporting kit you could think to put on a box-shaped 4×4. HOWEVER, what we have today is much more the spiritual successor to the original G-Class at its conception
This is the G550 which means it doesn’t get the tarted-up AMG treatment and that technically means it’s the “base” option
HOWEVER
It’s really hard to call something with a healthy 6 figure price tag
4 liter twin turbo V8
And over 400 hp
“Base”
Maybe another way to describe it would be off-road spec rather than the AMG sport spec. In fact, in this G550 form this G wagon will genuinely and sincerely go toe-to-toe offroad with things like Broncos and Wranglers. Let’s not forget this was a military vehicle at birth and it’s kept some of that DNA
Which means you get things like 9.5 inches of ground clearance
You get 7000 lbs of towing
You get, not 1, not 2, but 3 locking differentials!
You’re not going to find THAT in your Bronco, even in the Raptor
Now, if it were me, I wouldn’t be lining up right away to take my $140,000 luxury square on too many trails. HOWEVER, in 2019 when this thing got it’s new generation, I had the fortune fo going to the Mercedes plant in Alabama and I got a chance to off-road this G550 and it was astonishingly capable
But yes, the vast majority of the clientele will be sticking to the pavement so how is that?
Well, it’s a lot better than it was before 2019
2019 was the new generation debut and now we have things like adaptive suspension, additional sound deadening, a bigger & more spacious cabin, and a nicer interior. Overall it’s a much nicer place to spend time
The ride is actually pretty good and better than you’d get with the big wheeled AMG version and it’s shouty exhaust
The only demerit I can hold against this G class is that you can’t beat physics.
At the end of the day this is the shape of a box and when you drive a box down a highway at 70 or 80 there’s gunna be wind noise
Although, that said, this is a box i’d happily dive down the highway inany day of the week
So with that, let’s step outside and talk finer details
Exterior Design
Now this is the part of the video where i talk to you about the exterior design, but this is one of the most iconic vehicles on sale today so I won’t drone on about things you already know
BUT here are a couple interesting tidbits
Starting up front there are two major things right away that give it away if someone is driving a G550 or G63
On the G550 we have the brush bar surrounding the grille
The G63 has the brush bar surrounding the front bumper beneath the grille
Secondly, is the grille itself
The G550 gets 2 horizontal slats
The G63 gets the vertical slats of the panamericana grille
Around the side there’s another giveaway but you wouldn’t notice it unless the two were sitting next to each other
The G550 is actually 2 inches shorter to help with offroad approach and departure angles
And then you’ll also notice that teh G550 DOESNT have the dual exhaust peeking out under the side of each of the rear passengers doors
Again, this is to help keep the ground clearance higher than the AMG
You’d hate to climb a rock and as you’re climbing back down you squish your fancy AMG exhaust
And then of course badging and wheel and tire options are different, and maybe a couple small things here and there, but those are the major ways to tell a G63 and G550 apart just by looking at them…now let’s hop inside
Interior & Features
Yanno how earlier I mentioned things like the Bronco and Wrangler…well i take it all back sitting in this cabin
The cabin is where it becomes more apparent this isn’t some military grade 4×4 that has just been left alone for decades
Everythign in here is up to Mercedes standard
Everything is leather wrapped, there are 54 different upholstery options
You can get a bunch of different woods and carbon fibers for your trim
You have a HUGE 12 inch gauge cluster that’s totally customizable
And THAT has a twin 12 inch screen for your infotainment system
It’s running MBUX which we’ve talked about a bunch in previous videos
But the highlights are things like
ACP & AA
64 color ambient lighting with animations and splits
You have not just drive modes, but themes that involve your cluster, telemetry, and ambient light
And you can control all these things 3 different ways
The steering wheel controls
The scroll wheel
Or the touchscreen
You’ve got an excellent Burmester sound system
And you have all the luxuries you’d expect from Benz like
Heated front and rear seats
A heated steering wheel option
And cooled and massaging front seats with the seat comfort package
But the biggest thing they fixed in 2019 was the cabin space itself
The old G was cramped and skinny
Without bending to the side i could basically open the passenger door
Here though you have a much more spacious interior
It is box shaped as we mentioned earlier, but that has huge benefits on the interior
The headroom is crazy, you have loads of legroom even in the back
AND the visibility is phenomenal
And if that weren’t enough, the trunk is also huge and practical
So from an interior perspective, this is far and away the nicest offroader I’ve ever been in..but with that let’s get into the final thoughts
Conclusion
So there it is, the golden goose, the G class. Despite being a square with 4 wheels that started life as a military go-anywhere offroader, it’s shockingly refined in the ride department, its looks snap necks no matter where or when, and it’s got an interior fit for the…well i guess king now. So thanks to Mercedes Benz of Milwaukee for letting me have a go!