DETROIT MOTOR SHOW: Mercedes-Benz lands new G 500

There was a time when hard-core off-roaders were the only kind you could buy. Then came the SUV tsunami and now hard-core off-roaders are the exception rather than the norm, and luxury hard-core off-roaders are even more rare.

There’s the Range Rover and then there’s this, the second full generation of the Mercedes-Benz Gelanderwagen, now called G-Class to fit in with Benz’s streamlined modern names.The second G-Wagen has finally made its official debut on the eve of the Detroit motor show -- where it was introduced by Arnold Schwartzenegger and Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche, who confirmed an electrified version will eventuate -- after being leaked, teased, leaked again, teased again and then leaked for the third time over several weeks.

But Benz has saved everybody 39 years of the original’s evolution by skipping straight past the military versions, hose-out interiors and small engines and into high-end luxury.

As we’ve reported, unlike most modern SUVs, the G-Class will retain a full ladder-frame chassis beneath its two-box body style, which promises extreme off-road ability to go with its S-Class-derived interior equipment levels and its 170kg diet.

Benz has made a point of keeping the low-range transfer case and three locking differentials, with the entire dash layout centred around their operating buttons, and their promises of even more wheel travel and off-road grip.

"The new G-Class is setting the bar higher still in all relevant areas, in terms of performance both on and off the road as well as with regard to comfort and telematics,” said Mercedes-Benz’s board member for Research and Development, Ola Källenius.

“Our 'longest-serving' model series is therefore ideally equipped to continue its success story. In short, the new 'G' is still a 'G', only better,” he insisted.

For everything that’s new and better mannered about the G-Class, the G 500 is priced at about the same level as the outgoing version in its native Germany, at €107,040.50 ($A$165,000, or around the same as the outgoing G 350d here, where the old G 63 AMG costs a cool $235K).

In fact, it’s put together by contract manufacturer Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria, but it’s close.

Despite its body styling looking almost like a scale model of the original, the new G-Class is 53mm longer and 121mm wider, giving it a more substantial footprint and a far bigger interior.

In spite of a double wishbone front suspension layout (bolted directly to the ladder frame), the G-Class has 270mm of ground clearance and it adds 10mm to its maximum wading depth, pushing it up to 700mm.

It picks up a single degree more ability in some key areas, including the approach (31 degrees), break-over (26 degrees) and departure (30 degrees) angles, while Benz insists it’s stable at a 35-degree tilt angle.

While it picked up a strut-tower brace to stiffen the front-end in the move to an independent front suspension, the G-Class retains its solid rear axle, albeit with trailing arms and a Panhard rod. Benz calculates that should give it 82mm of upward jounce and 142mm of droop, along with 241mm of ground clearance to the bottom of the diff casing.

Its body is a mix of aluminium and a variety of high-strength steels, with most of the aluminium in the body panels. High-strength steel A- and B-pillars have boosted the G-Class’s torsional rigidity from 6537Nm per degree of movement to 10,162Nm/degree.

Just five parts have been carried over from the original 1979 G-Wagen, the most significant of which is the windscreen-washer nozzle and the most obvious of which is the door-handles’ plastic cover.

Benz already has two gigantic SUVs, including the GL, but can’t help feeling threatened by the Bentley Bentayga and the even larger upcoming Falcon, plus the upcoming Lamborghini Urus, Audi Q8, BMW X7, Rolls-Royce Cullinan and long-wheelbase Range Rover.

It reaches its toughest off-road settings when it’s switched into its G-Mode, which it automatically pops into as soon as any of the diff locks or low-range have been engaged, assuming there’s dirty work afoot.

G-Mode is a map that softens off the throttle response and moves the adjustable damping and steering to more off-road friendly settings and avoids gearshifts.

While there’s a standard steel spring, Benz believes the majority of V8-powered G 500s will ride atop the optional adaptive damping system. It’s a system that delivers five driving modes, including Desert, Comfort, Eco, Sport, the customisable Individual and an off-road mode.

Those abilities should be helped by an electronic architecture that finally brings the car into line with contemporary norms, delivering Benz’s full array of current driver-assistance systems.

Its new electromechanical rack-and-pinion steering system should be a huge step forward over the ancient recirculating-ball system fitted to the outgoing car and will even allow Benz to give it Parking Assist to self-steer into both parallel and 90-degree parks.

It also has three in-built steering feel-and-feedback programs, much like most premium-car powertrain systems, and will switch on demand between Comfort, Sport and Off-Road parameters.

Another off-road trick will be its use of its 360-degree surround cameras, which have been tightened up and boosted in resolution to turn them into off-road cameras for tricky conditions.

Benz will slot a wide range of powertrains beneath the G-Class’s nose -- including V8 and V12 twin-turbo power from AMG, plus an electrified version -- but it will start out with the G 500. The smallest engine planned is a 2.9-litre six-cylinder, with Benz admitting it has no plans to fit it with a four-cylinder engine of any kind.

The G 500 will bring a 4.0-litre, biturbo, cylinder-on-demand V8, complete with 310kW of power and 610Nm of torque between 2000 and 4750rpm. The engine is mated to Benz’s 9G-Tronic nine-speed automatic transmission and drives all four wheels constantly.

Mercedes claims it has pulled its emissions down to 11.1L/100km and its CO2 emission figure down to 263g/kilometre.

The G 500 version of the five-seat, five-door wagon will weigh 2435kg, which is down on the almost-2600kg G 500 today, though the new car retains a 3500kg towing capacity.

Even with aluminium replacing many of the steel body panels, it can still carry a 150kg dynamic load (for driving) or a 300kg static load (for camping) on its roof.

Inside, it will carry over much of the S- and E-Class interior electronics and equipment, though it has a lot of its own design language now.

It uses the optional twinned 12.3-inch flat-screen infotainment systems from the limousines, though there will be traditional tubular gauges with a single 12.3-inch infotainment screen for the more diehard traditionalists.

Almost all of the G-Class’s visible buttons are metallic, though there are far fewer of them than in its predecessor as they strove to deliver a cleaner interior. Most obviously, it retains its signature short dash, barely intruding into the cabin.

All of its metal vents are square and will not be seen in any other production Mercedes-Benz until they’re used to link it with the 2019 GLB junior off-roader, but otherwise the links to the top-end of the family limousine business are unmistakable.

Almost every interior dimension has grown, with 150mm more rear legroom, while even the driver and front passengers score a 38mm boost in legroom.

There’s an extra 38mm of shoulder room in the front (27mm in the rear) and 68mm more front elbow room (56mm in the rear). The hip point for the driver rises 10mm, benefitting also from a 40mm stretch to 1500mm between the hip point to the front axle.

While the legroom has been boosted in the back, the G-Class also has a selection of three rake angles for the rear seat’s backrest to maximise either luggage space or comfort. Cargo space has risen, but Benz won’t yet say by how much.

The glovebox grows to 5.2 litres, there is space for one-litre bottles in the front door pockets and there’s 6.2 litres of capacity in the centre console.

The new G will have three trim levels, ranging from SR1 and SR2 up to the AMG line, with hand-stitched seats and steering wheel. There will be clips on the back of the front seats for entertainment tablets, along with a large glass sunroof.

There will be USB connections in the front and the back and the steering wheel will adopt both the controls for the cruise control and the track pads for the instrument cluster.

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