Mercedes-Benz Unveils All-New Bricktastic G-Class SUV With Redesigned Suspension, Sumptuous Interior

One of the most iconic off-road vehicles ever made is the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. The vehicle has been crushing just about any off-road terrain for decades. Most owners of these high-end SUVs will never take them off-road, but they could if they wanted. The all-new G-Class premiered at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit and will roll into dealerships in late 2018.

"The new G-Class continues to set the bar higher in all relevant areas – in terms of performance both on and off the road as well as with regard to comfort and telematics. Our 'longest-serving' model series is therefore ideally equipped to continue its success story. In short, the new 'G' is still a 'G', only better," stresses Ola Källenius, Member of the Board of Daimler AG responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development.

The new G-class comes standard with LED headlamps, advanced driver assistance systems, a luxurious and high-end leather interior, and new suspension. Buyers can opt for an even fancier interior with options like the Exclusive Interior Plus package with diamond-stitched leather.

"Enhancing an icon such as the G-Class in technological terms was both a challenge and an opportunity at the same time. Each part and every bolt came under close scrutiny," explains Dr. Gunnar Güthenke, Head of the Off-Road Product Group at Mercedes-Benz. "With the body, our main focus was on increasing the vehicle rigidity and the connections between the suspension and drivetrain with the ladder-type frame."

The new G-Class is 2.1-inches longer and 4.8-inches wider than the outgoing model. The interior also gets a completely redesigned instrument panel with tube-look analog gauges as standard. A digital instrument cluster is optional, the same found in the E-Class and S-Class with digital instruments and a central display above the center console. The two 12.3-inch displays and gauge style can be chosen by the driver in Classic, Sport, or Progressive layouts.

The longer and wider body means more space inside the new G-Class. Front legroom is 1.5-inches longer and rear legroom grows by 5.9-inches. Buyers get 1.5-inches more shoulder room in front and 1.1-inches in the rear. Front elbow room has grown by 2.7-inches and rear elbow room is 2.2-inches more.

The new G-class might be more luxurious, but it still has plenty of off-road chops despite the fact that it has ditched it solid front axle for an independent suspension design. Its slope climbing ability is 100% improved according to Mercedes and it has up to 9.5-inches of ground clearance. The vehicle can ford water up to 27.6-inches deep, has a breakover angle of 26-degrees, departure angle of 30-degrees, and approach angle of 31-degrees. Power comes from a 4.0-liter V8 in the G 550 making 416hp and 450 lb-ft of torque thanks to twin-turbos. The power goes to the ground via a 9G-Tronic 9-speed automatic transmission.