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The 2017 Mercedes-Benz G 350d Professional Was Not Made For Kardashians

Two and a half years ago, we were sadly reporting that the most old-school type of G-Class was going out of production, with hundreds if not thousand of fans making the longest faces upon hearing the news.
2016 Mercedes-Benz G 350d Professional 17 photos
Photo: Daimler AG
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As it turns out, Mercedes-Benz has listened to all the moaning and has decided to reintroduce the G-Class for off-road purists in the shape of the all-new G 350d Professional. “Back to basics” doesn't even begin to cover how much stuff has been taken out of the regular G-Class W463 to make it fit for the needs of those weird fellows that actually want to take them off-road.

Speaking of which, unlike its predecessor, the new model is no longer based on the military W461 version, but on the civilian W463. This comes with ups and downs, but the main disadvantage only revolves around price.

Thanks to a redesigned suspension, the new G Professional has a higher ground clearance (245 mm instead of 235 mm, or 9.6 in instead of 9.2 in), which also improves its angle of approach/departure and gives it a greater fording depth (600 mm or 23.6 in).

The model's slope climbing ability sits at 100 percent, depending on the surface and ground conditions, which means that you can technically drive it pretty much everywhere.

Just like a true purist off-roader, the G 350d Professional disposes of the donor car's infotainment system, electrically operated windows and seats, and even the carpets. Instead, you get manual winding windows and a floor that you can hose down since it has drains near each seat. The best part about the manual windows is that this feature also gives you more elbow room.

Since the model is based on the civilian W463, it comes as standard with a multifunction steering wheel, electrically adjustable steering column and partially power-adjustable front seats, which are engulfed in sturdy cloth instead of leather.

Those who want to benefit from all the off-road options can also choose a steel front bumper with an electric winch, side running boards, a fixed trailer coupling, a roof rack with ladder and the old-school-looking protective grilles for the indicators.

As expected from the model's name, the only powertrain options consists of a 3.0-liter, turbocharged diesel that outputs 245 hp and 600 Nm (443 lb-ft) of torque. You can order the Mercedes-Benz G 350d Professional starting from June 1st, but the market launch is expected to happen in September 2016, with prices in Germany starting at 79,968 euros (approx. $89,000).
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About the author: Alex Oagana
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Alex handled his first real steering wheel at the age of five (on a field) and started practicing "Scandinavian Flicks" at 14 (on non-public gravel roads). Following his time at the University of Journalism, he landed his first real job at the local franchise of Top Gear magazine a few years before Mircea (Panait). Not long after, Alex entered the New Media realm with the autoevolution.com project.
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