Mercedes G-Class fronts up for duty

Nothing's too good for our troops -- except perhaps the V8-engined Mercedes-Benz G 55 AMG.

The Australian Army is purchasing around 1200 units of the Benz G-Class, but the jungle green offroader is powered solely by the admirable 3.0-litre direct-injection turbodiesel V6.

Only private buyers will be able to lay their hands on the supercharged AMG V8 version, the G 55 AMG -- and while the high-performance model is unlikely to scale the heights of large volume sales success, the importer believes that it will account for a substantial number of G-Class vehicles sold, possibly even the majority.

"In Australia... we know [the G-Class] is a niche model for many reasons, but we also know there is quite a good number of buyers passionate about that car," said Horst von Sanden, MD of the Mercedes passenger car group, welcoming the new model at its launch earlier this week.

Subsequently, von Sanden told the Carsales Network that the G-Class program for Australia was "more than just a toe in the water." Benz has a figure in mind of 150 to 200 units in the first 12 months, but von Sanden expects the company "might be surprised" by the demand -- and it may not be that much of a surprise, in light of the 40 confirmed orders the company is already holding.

The G 55 AMG has the cachet to attract buyers who already own other AMG models. Indeed, according to von Sanden, Benz has already delivered the first G-Class in Australia, a G 55, to a current AMG owner, who was "over the moon" to be in possession of the new model.

It doesn't end with the G-Class selling to Benz and AMG brand zealots necessarily. On that point, von Sanden believes that the G-Class should also attract buyers who are new to the three-pointed star, but aspire to own a vehicle from the importer's product range.

"At the moment, those kind of hard-core offroaders... they can't find a vehicle in our range [to suit]."

It's thanks to the army contract that Benz can offer private buyers the five-door wagon in either form. Once the 32-year old design had been homologated for Australian Design Rules, the way was open for the importer to introduce the G-Class to the private market in Australia -- at a price of $161,680 for the diesel G 350 BlueTEC and $217,230 for the G 55 AMG.

"There are still a few driving around from the 1980s, when we first attempted to bring the car in -- not very successfully back then," explained von Sanden. But we are very sure that this is now the time to bring this vehicle to Australia -- and on the back of the defence force contract we had, we had a second opportunity, which we grabbed. We've already seen passionate customers putting orders in."

Buyers ordering the G 350 will enjoy the following standard features: cruise control, Comand APS multimedia infotainment, Harman Kardon audio, electrically adjustable front seats with position memory, front-seat heating, leather-bound multifunction steering wheel, electric windows/ mirrors with heating for mirrors, climate control, leather upholstery, 18-inch alloy wheels, auto headlights, reverse parking sensors/acoustic guidance and reversing camera.

The G 55 betters that list with the following standard items: AMG instrument cluster, front-seat ventilation, TV tuner, Designo interior trim, AMG badging, 19-inch alloy wheels, steel sunroof and privacy glass.

Safety equipment comprises: four airbags (front and side curtain), ABS, Brake Assist, stability control, 4ETS traction system and active headrests.

Running on a traditional ladder chassis, the G-Class is a bespoke offroader of the old school, boasting three diff locks, recirculating ball steering and live axles front and rear. But the Benz does bring new technology to G-Class buyers. When the driver selects low range for the permanent 4WD system, all the dynamic parameters are remapped to suit offroad operation. Both the turbodiesel V6 and the G 55's V8 are Euro 5-compliant and the former features AdBlue exhaust treatment to reduce nitrogen oxides by 80 per cent.

The diesel V6 produces 155kW of power and 540Nm of torque, driving through the company's 7G-Tronic seven-speed automatic transmission. On the combined cycle, fuel consumption is 11.2L/100km and CO2 emissions are rated at 295g/km -- in accordance with ADR81/02. Producing 373kW of power and 700Nm of torque, the V8 drives through a five-speed automatic and posts respective fuel consumption and CO2 emissions figures of at 15.9L/100km and 372g/km in combined-cycle testing.

The G-Class was previously sold in Australia as the (short-wheelbase) 230GE and (long-wheelbase) 300GD. At the time the utilitarian offroader failed to set the market alight, due to a combination of high purchase price, the imposition of a Luxury Car Tax and relatively lacklustre performance.

Conceived in 1972 and entering production in 1979, at the Steyr-Puch factory in Austria, the G-Class has seen four generations of S-Class come and go, for nothing more than a few cosmetic and technical running changes during the course of its long life.

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