Photo: Daimler AG
The year was 1979 when Mercedes-Benz started production of the “G-Modell” at Magna Steyr’s plant. Over the years, people began to take the G-Wagen beyond face value. This brings us to the present, an era where the G is up there at the top of the game.
Regardless of how popular this thing is with rappers and the socialites we read about in glossy magazines, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class is much more than meets the eye. Take the ladder frame and galvanized steel body as prime examples of why the G is unlike any other SUV: those things are welded by hand, not robots. In total, the Magna Steyr plant in Graz, Austria, needs 40 hours or thereabout to craft a single example of the lowliest G-Class.
Then there’s the three lockable differentials, which give drivers more confidence in the G’s off-road prowess. Heck, a guy called Gunther Holtorf drove his 300 GD 890,000 kilometers (approximately 523,000 miles) in 26 years, visiting 215 countries. It’s rather clear, then, why even the most utilitarian grade-engine combo of the G-Class is priced to reflect the awesomeness of the G-Class. More to the point, these are but some of the many reasons why lots of people are buying so many Gs these days.
Speaking of which, 2016 marks the G-Class’ height of popularity. From the beginning of the year to December 1, 2016, Magna Steyr produced 20,000 units of the peerless G-Class on behalf of Mercedes-Benz. Yes, that’s a production record for the G-Class, and yes, the 20,000th 2016 model is a white-painted G63 chock-full of designo manufaktur bits and bobs.
According to the three-pointed star, “more than a quarter of a million vehicles have been delivered to customers since the first model of the G-Class was introduced [in 1979].” The story won’t be ending here, though. In due time, the W463 generation will be replaced by the brand new W464 G-Class.
Due to be revealed next year just in time for the 2018 model year, the new kid on the block won’t change the tried-and-tested recipe of the G-Class, but improve the breed. An all-new G63 is also in the pipeline for the 2019 MY.
Then there’s the three lockable differentials, which give drivers more confidence in the G’s off-road prowess. Heck, a guy called Gunther Holtorf drove his 300 GD 890,000 kilometers (approximately 523,000 miles) in 26 years, visiting 215 countries. It’s rather clear, then, why even the most utilitarian grade-engine combo of the G-Class is priced to reflect the awesomeness of the G-Class. More to the point, these are but some of the many reasons why lots of people are buying so many Gs these days.
Speaking of which, 2016 marks the G-Class’ height of popularity. From the beginning of the year to December 1, 2016, Magna Steyr produced 20,000 units of the peerless G-Class on behalf of Mercedes-Benz. Yes, that’s a production record for the G-Class, and yes, the 20,000th 2016 model is a white-painted G63 chock-full of designo manufaktur bits and bobs.
According to the three-pointed star, “more than a quarter of a million vehicles have been delivered to customers since the first model of the G-Class was introduced [in 1979].” The story won’t be ending here, though. In due time, the W463 generation will be replaced by the brand new W464 G-Class.
Due to be revealed next year just in time for the 2018 model year, the new kid on the block won’t change the tried-and-tested recipe of the G-Class, but improve the breed. An all-new G63 is also in the pipeline for the 2019 MY.
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