The article was originally produced on December 17, 2018, some facts and prices may have changed since then.

The iconic model Geländewagen is considered by many to be the best all-terrain vehicle ever built. It has also recently become a status symbol that exudes weight. Now the new G-Class has arrived and Enliven has compared and taken a closer look at the G500.

At the end of the 70s, a Mercedes icon was born, the G-Class model then saw the light of day for the first time. Work on developing the model had been going on since the beginning in 1972 together with Steyr-Daimler-Puch. One of the instigators was the Shah of Iran who at the time owned a large stake in Daimler-Benz.

The goal was to produce an all-terrain vehicle, but no one could probably understand what a long-term success and icon this would become. At first, the model did not appeal to the type of people who like to drive around in a G-Class today.

The SUV trend had just been born and the G-Class was seen more as a work tool than a passenger car

A very high price combined with simple detail work also made the car unattractive. But proof of its success right from the start was the number of defense forces that chose Geländewagen, including the Swedish one, and that still use them. It was only when an AMG emblem was put on the car in the mid-90s and especially when the G55 AMG model was launched at the end of the 90s that the wealthy began to realize the value of the car.

What makes the G-Class so special is its solid construction. It is literally built like a safe and when you open, and above all close, the doors you are particularly well reminded of this. There is no other car that has such a solid sound when the door slams shut. And without exaggerating, I would dare to say that no one has managed to close the door completely from the inside the first time you sit in a G-Class because you have to take in a lot more than in other cars.

There is something contradictory in this considering all the luxury and comfort we live in now with self-closing doors and autonomous cars but at the same time exciting as it is a clear sign that people like things to feel mechanical and well built.

At the motor show in Geneva last spring, the new G-Class was shown live. For the most part similar to its predecessor but to a trained eye big differences. To really see what the big and small differences are, Mercedes gave us the opportunity to borrow both an old G350, or yes not an old one but one of the last produced of the first generation, and the new G500.

When the cars stand next to each other, the first thing you see is the new design of the front. The new G500 has softer shapes and now the LED light is not under the headlights but is integrated as two semicircles inside the headlight. Something that clearly identifies the car when you see it on the road.

The windows have become slightly lower on the new ones, which makes the roof look lower, an illusion, however, as the cars have almost the same dimensions. At the back, the lights here have also received an update, but it’s not much more than that. If we move into the car, however, a lot more has happened. Nowadays there are no analogue gauges and instead two wide screens fill the space in front of the steering wheel and a good bit of the upper edge of the dashboard. Below this runs an aluminum strip, which ends at the ends with the stylish fan exhausts.

The entire interior has been redesigned from scratch

Two similar exhausts are also located in the middle under the wide infotainment screen. In the center console between the seats is the control unit for the infotainment system, which is a wheel and a touch pad. Mercedes works hard to create a unique interior environment in its cars and the new G-Class is no exception. They work on combining light, scent, sound and the air conditioning system. The system is called ”Energizing Comfort” and helps you either perk up or unwind if needed.

A lot of work has been done under the car as well. The old slightly bumpy walk is plastered away. Now you slide forward and from the high sitting position you feel unreachable and like a king. The drivetrain in the G500 is a powerful V8 with twin turbos. When you start the car, the four liter V8 blunders with a muffled sound. Unlike the AMG sibling G63, the sound from the G500 is much more sober, no spitting and banging like on the G63.

The power of the G500 is 422 hp and zero to one hundred is accomplished in 5.9 seconds. The top speed is reached when the meter shows 210 kilometers per hour. Figures that may not be super impressive, but then you shouldn’t forget that this is a two-and-a-half ton square piece of shit.

After comparing the old and new G-Class, it can only be concluded that Mercedes has succeeded in renewing an Icon that is guaranteed to keep it alive for quite some time. As nice as the Mercedes V8 may be, we can hope that electrified solutions will also appear in the future so that even that part will make the car live on and not remain a dinosaur. But let me end by saying this, Jeremy Clarkson said the Jaguar XJ was the best excuse to take up ten square meters of road, I’m prepared to contradict him and argue that the G-Class is.

Mercedes G-Class G500

Basic price	SEK 2,213,000
Engine	4-liter transverse biturbo V8, 422 hp. Torque 610 Nm
Transmission	Front engine, 7-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
Acceleration	0-100 in 5.9 seconds
Top speed	210 km/h
Fuel consumption mixed driving according to the manufacturer	1.23 l/mile
Weight	2,973 kg
Guarantees	New car 2 years, carriage damage 3 years, 30 years rust
Web	www.mercedes-benz.se