Graz, Austria - There are very few vehicles on the planet that could justify the hosting of an international media contingent for a face-lift launch that comprised a new bumper design, colour-coding of the wheel-arches, slight engine and suspension upgrades and revisions to the seat upholstery and dashboard.
But after driving the new Mercedes-Benz G-Class in the beautiful Taunus mountains, on a test track near Russelsheim, and then on a memorable mountain near Graz in Austria, one is forced to conclude that with a car this good, the best thing you could do is to keep it exactly, or nearly exactly, as it is.
We spent most of our time in the new G 350d, which uses an improved version of the 2987cc V6 diesel, that sees its rated (EU standard test) fuel consumption figure drop from 11.2 litres/100km to 9.9 litres/100km. This lower consumption comes on the back of a substantial power hike from 155kW to 180kW, and torque up from 540Nm to 600Nm.
The 350d was fitted with the standard issue 265/60 R18 rubber on 19” alloys, and I must say that when it comes to offroaders in this “real world” category, I prefer footwear that can be used for rugged work, rather than the low-profile, large-diameter rims as fitted to the Mercedes-AMG G 63, which has 275/50 R20 sizings.
Even on the highway, the high-profile 18” rubber was commendably quiet and showed few signs of side-wall squirm, even when taking sweeps at 160km/h, as one can do with impunity on German autobahns. And of course, when the going gets rough, you want rubber that doesn’t flinch the first time it gets up-close and personal with a sharp-edged rock.
OUTSTANDING PACKAGE
While still on the subject of highway-hauling, another very impressive aspect of the G-Class is that it doesn’t feel like there is too much body-roll, in hard-cornering.
This is all the more impressive when you realise that the vehicle runs on all-steel suspension, with no air assistance, just good old-fashioned coil springs, live axles front and rear, and some very sophisticated locating linkages to keep all four wheels pointing where they should.
The new model features revisions to the spring and damper rates and the overall package is outstanding.
The 7G-Tronic Plus automatic transmission fitted to the 350d is a marvellous device, offering butter-smooth shifting on-road and off. And when serious off-roading is required there is low range and three differential locks.
For the record, the G 350d accelerates to 100km/h in 8.8 seconds and has a top speed of 192km/h. The Mercedes-AMG G 63 does 0-100 km/h in an astounding 5.4 seconds and tops out at 210.
Two days after our launch experience we were privileged to travel to Graz and visit the legendary Magna Steyr factory where these cars have been lovingly built for the past 35 years.
The amazing aspect of the G-Class that may not be readily apparent is that apart from bumpers, lights and wheel-arches, the body has not changed appreciably in three and half decades either.
BRUTAL FORCES
But the highlight of our trip was a run down the famous Schoekle mountain at speeds that seemed beyond the bounds of sanity. Driving “our” G 350d was 67-year-old test driver Josef Schantl , who has been using the route up and down this narrow track as a test driver for Steyr since 1969!
The massive G-Class soaks up bumps, ridges, rocks and extreme descents as if it was traversing a super-highway.
As a passenger you grit your teeth waiting for those coil springs to come poking through the bonnet, and yet the suspension soaks up brutal forces with seeming disdain.
Even more impressive was that despite the best part of a day spent pounding up rock-strewn roads at seemingly stupid speeds, the body-ladder-frame construction of our G-Class never so much as squeaked in protest, let alone emitted anything approaching a rattle.
It is little surprise that G-Class sales have shown remarkable growth, in the region of 20 percent, in the past few years.
And the G-men have also just launched the rather outrageous-looking G 500 4x4².
This weird and wonderful device uses the new 4.0-litre turbocharged V8, and features dual strut suspension and portal axles.
Introduced as a show car a few years back, the decision has been made to go into production with the vehicle, but at a huge price premium. It costs nearly three times as much as the G 350d!
Whilst the new G-Class range consists of seven models, all produced in time-honoured hand-built fashion at the Magna Steyr factory in Graz, South Africans will continue to be supplied with just two models, the G 350d and the Mercedes-AMG G63.
PRICES:
G 350d: R1 435 955
G 63 AMG: R2 176 725
Star Motoring