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2018 Mercedes-Benz G-Class Shows Slightly Rounder Shapes, Full Set of LED Lights

You used to be able to put the certainty over the G-Class' boxiness right up there with death and tax, but this next generation appears to change that a little.
2018 Mercedes-Benz G-Class 15 photos
Photo: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
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It's not exactly its shape that gets a redo, but more the edginess of its lines. It looks like the creases that you could previously use to slice a tomato are now duller and less suitable for any type of kitchen activity.

That being said, the mighty G-Wagen is still the mighty G-Wagen. It's not like you will ever mistake it for anything else, and Mercedes-Benz would be mad if they ever did anything so severe to its design that it would stop looking like the SUV we all know and love.

No, Daimler did nothing of the sort, but it did build the new G-Class from scratch. Gorden Wagener, the chief design officer of Daimler AG, said the 2018 Gelandewagen retains only one exterior part from the current model, and that's a small piece of plastic trim that goes on the C-pillar. Mercedes could have changed that as well, but having one thing that carries over makes for a better story than if the vehicle were entirely new.

Since the G-Class was all about the go and less about the looks, the new platform is going to present the most important change. The G is going to be both wider (and significantly so) and lighter. That means we should expect even better rough terrain performance from the king of off-road, which isn't something a lot of G-Class owners do, but it does help sell the car.

The refreshing of the powertrains that's going on across the Mercedes-Benz range is going to hit the G-Wagen as well, meaning it will receive the inline six-cylinder units under its redesigned hood. Don't worry, V8 options will still be available, as will the G63 version. Another good news for both performance and efficiency is the introduction of the nine-speed 9G-TRONIC transmission.

Inside, the new G-Class will be virtually unrecognizable. It will be interesting to see how Mercedes-Benz manages to adapt its classy interior design to a vehicle of this nature, but see it we will. The extra width should help make the cockpit feel even roomier, even though the boxy shape meant there was no shortage of air inside the cabin.

But it's not just the interior that will make the 2018 G-Class a more elegant machine: the SUV will also receive a lot of safety updates, bringing it closer than ever to the rest of the brand's 4x4s in terms of convenience. Expect most of the features shown on the E-Class to make the transition, meaning the G-Class should be just as enjoyable on the highway as it is in the mud.

We're also curious to see the vehicle's LED lighting signature, which appears to be a ring the size of the round headlamps themselves. The camouflage won't allow a clear view, but it's what the gaps in the wrap would suggest. The test vehicle shows the tiny taillights make use of LEDs as well.

The 2018 Mercedes-Benz G-Class is expected to have its official debut sometime during the next five months, with production starting early 2018 in Graz, Austria. The Frankfurt Motor Show in September appears the most likely candidate, but there's no official info on the release date yet.
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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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