Many people just don’t get why a boxy, archaic-looking vehicle with exposed steel panels in the cabin (complete with visible weld marks) would have any appeal.
Especially not the types who drive luxurious Mercedes M-Classes or Range Rovers with their plush, leather-lined cockpits and gadgets that do everything but polish your shoes while you drive.
But the types who drive Land Rover Defenders and Mercedes Gelandewagens are a different breed. They are the swashbuckling, velskoen-shod adventurers straight out of Wilbur Smith novels, hairy of chest and steely of disposition, ready to win any pub brawl and seduce the fairest maidens.
They make their own biltong from game they’ve hunted themselves (a single kill-shot, of course), and are unfazed by any kind of physical discomfort.
It’s with such characters in mind that I stepped aboard the G300 CDI Professional, the entry-level version of the iconic Gelandewagen range (G-Wagen for short) that Mercedes has just launched in South Africa in three versions. Buyers get to choose between two V6 turbodiesels: the 135kW/400Nm G300 CDI Professional and the 155kW/540Nm G350 BlueTec, or the brutal 5.5-litre supercharged petrol V8 G55 AMG with 373kW/700Nm.
This base G300 CDI Professional model tested here is primarily aimed at commercial customers who need a durable, tough off-roader. The interior trim, Mercedes admits, is a tad basic, but this allows for easy conversion to commercial applications such as game-drive vehicles, ski-boat towing and launching, and emergency response vehicles.
And by basic I mean the aforementioned exposed steel panels in the cabin, thin rubber mats on the floors instead of carpets, windows that have to be wound up and down manually and exterior mirrors that also have to be adjusted by hand. There’s also no sound system (it wouldn’t be fitting for Wilbur Smith’s heroes to hum along to Lady Gaga), and though there’s aircon the prehistoric sliding-lever ventilation system is straight out of Fred Flintstone’s car. At night you also have to feel your way around the ventilation controls as they aren’t illuminated.
There are just four seats, but the leg- and head-room is cavernous and so’s the boot. The G-Wagen’s boxy body is from the origami school of sharp-edged design and the G300 wears 16-inch steel rims (the mags on the pictured vehicle are optional).
Like I said, rudimentary, which makes the R773 990 pricetag quite an eye opener - and that does not include R23 750 for an optional five-year or 120 000km service plan (it’s standard in the other two models). At least safety’s not compromised; the G300 comes with ABS brakes and a driver’s airbag.
Power comes from a three-litre V6 turbodiesel that has a fuel filter with water separator for protection against contaminated fuel. A 96-litre fuel tank and claimed 11.7l/100km consumption ensures long distances between pit-stops.
The driving experience is rather unrefined; the engine’s loud and there are all manner of strange noises from the drivetrain, but it pulls with reasonable gusto and the 160km/h top speed is useful. The throttle is heavy, however, like old-school Mercs, making you work harder to extract the performance and giving the impression it’s less powerful than it is. The five-speed auto transmission does a good job of managing the engine power, however, with smooth shifts.
The G-Wagen’s a big vehicle, especially in height. It towers over a Q7 or M-Class like a bully and just manages to squeeze into a standard garage.
It rides very high too with its boulder-clearing ground clearance, giving it top-heavy handling that requires corners to be taken at a sedate pace. Compared to modern SUVs with their sharp handling the G-Wagen’s a big, bumbling, clumsy behemoth on the road.
But the great uncharted outdoors is what this Benz is built for, and to this end it has has a bag full of traction-enhancing toys to make any hard-core off-roader go weak at the knees: solid axles front and rear with long springs to ensure mega suspension travel, permament four wheel-drive, no less than three locking differentials (centre, front and rear), and a low-range transfer case.
It’s all electronically selectable by pushing buttons instead of having to manhandle mechanical levers, and switching modes can be done on the move. More bundu-bashing abilities include a generous ground clearance of 213mm and an air intake snorkel that allows a 600mm wading depth. I took the G-Wagen through its paces on a challenging off-road course and it lived up to all the hype, casually ho-humming its way through steep and rocky terrain without losing traction or scraping its undersides.
VERDICT
Mercedes’ answer to the Defender is a solid and robust vehicle that will go just about anywhere and makes a great partner to square-jawed, khaki-wearing adventurers with firm handshakes.
I dig the no-nonsense work ethic and I can live with the antiquated styling and rustic charm, while Merc tells us G-Wagens last just about forever; 75 percent of the units sold over the past 32 years are said to still be on the road.
But I’m trying hard to reconcile the nearly-800k price-tag with the archaic ventilation system, the poorly lit dashboard, and the lack of basic features such as electric windows and mirrors. Really hard. - Star Motoring