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The 2017 Mercedes-Benz G 300 CDI Professional Cab Chassis Isn’t Made for Posing

It’s impossible not to associate the Mercedes-Benz G-Class with the rich and famous that cruise the high streets in their hand-built 4x4s. But while the G-Class Professional is made by hand in Austria by Manga Steyr just like its more lavish brother, this cab chassis-style workhorse is a whole lot more capable off-road.
2017 Mercedes-Benz G 300 CDI Professional Cab Chassis 26 photos
Photo: Mercedes-Benz
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Essentially unchanged from the W461 generation that made its debut in the early 1990s, the G-Class Professional Cab Chassis is the cross-country vehicle to have if you want to explore the South American rainforest. Or the Australian outback, as the license plates of the pictured vehicle suggests.

“But wait, wasn’t the W461 Professional discontinued some years ago?”

It was, but now it’s back again in select markets such as the Land Down Under. “Wait a sec! What about the 2017 Mercedes-Benz G350d Professional?” A fair question indeed, but that model is based on the civilian W463, not the military version (W461) that spawned the G 300 CDI Professional Cab Chassis here. Capable of wading through 650 mm of water, the starting price of such a capable, no-nonsense pickup is AUD 119,900 before taxes. If you insist, that'll be $90,000 at current exchange rates.

For that rather substantial amount of hard-earned cash, customers get a 3.0-liter six-cylinder turbo diesel with 135 kW (184 PS / 181 bhp) on tap, 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque, a 5-speed automatic, permanent all-wheel-drive, three differential locks with low range, a bull bar, a snorkel, 16-inch wheels, and that’s about it. Wind-up windows, pre-installed wiring for the radio unit, and a basic air conditioning system are also included. In a nutshell, it's spartan.

There are a couple of options available for the AU-spec G-Pro, including a “walk-on bonnet.” As the name implies, Mercedes reinforced the hood to support a load limit of 100 kilograms (220 pounds). Other cool names I’ve found in the options list for the G 300 CDI Professional Cab Chassis include “Cyclone air filter” and “Body Building Enhancement Package.” Seriously.

At the end of the day, what Mercedes is trying to pull off with the W461-based G-Pro for the Australian market is simple: give the 2017 Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series a run for its money. Be that as it may, Mercedes-Benz Australia and New Zealand expects to sell only 20 units per year.
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 Download: 2017 Mercedes-Benz G 300 CDI Professional Cab Chassis brochure (PDF)

About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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