HamburgO
03-04-2011, 08:35 PM
I think it deserves its own thread in this sub-forum. Surprised that it has not been mentioned very much so far. Wikipedia does a very good job of the history and technical specs HERE (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_G-Class). Excerpt:
The Mercedes-Benz G-Class or G-Wagen, short for Geländewagen (or cross-country vehicle), is a four-wheel drive (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four-wheel_drive) vehicle / sport utility vehicle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_utility_vehicle) (SUV) produced by German automaker Mercedes-Benz (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz). Designed to be a durable, reliable, and rugged off-roader, the G-wagen is characterized by its boxy styling and body-on-frame (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body-on-frame)locking differentials (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locking_differential), one of the few vehicles to have such a feature. construction. It utilizes three fully
I've admired this model since first becoming aware of it in the early 80's, just a few years after Mercedes launched their first civilian version in 1979. I recall standing at a major Hamburg intersection in my own Mercedes 280E 4x2 sedan, one very hard winter. It had just snowed heavily, and traffic was carefully, barely crawling along. Ahead of me at the light, a black G-class. Light turns green. Me and the rest of the general population shift into low gear and proceed to carefully inch across the intersection. The G-Class engine roars, it kinda hunkers down and just plows through a couple of feet of snow as though it were on rails. I was so impressed I didn't even get mad about the amount of snow it sprayed onto my windshield :boggled:...
Couple of years later, friend of mine got one, took me off-roading and demonstrated low gear and the three diff-locks in action. I couldn't believe a car could do the shit we did that day - up the hill, down the hill, traversing the hill and a creek and a bunch of rock without rolling over or getting stuck. Impressed yet again.
Fast forward to just a few years ago when I could finally afford a new car outright. Still couldn't get the G-Class how I wanted it. Settled for the more "urbane" GL, great on the freeway, far more anemic in the back-country, and one really doesn't want to scratch it up too much :nervous:...
So now I'm in Costa Rica, where city streets and a lot of highway stretches are in a state that we would call off-road in the US. Never mind the actual off-road stretches into the jungle, along the coast, or up into volcano country. Have been thinking for a while on what best to get here, for business and pleasure. Seriously considered the Jeep, the Landrover Defender and the (old-school) Landcruiser. Finally decided that I would be best served by the Geländewagen - classy interior, some helpful tech like ABS and ESP, really RUGGED off-road capability, a relatively low center of gravity due to the immense weight of the steel axles (very hard to flip this f***er), easy to up-armor, and a wide choice of engines.
I generally lean towards diesels for torque and reliability, however; diesel engines on newer cars (post '02/'04) don't like the "dirty", high sulfur content fuel very much any more, which is what you get anywhere outside of Europe and the US. They'll still run, but not as well, and with a lot more potential for various issues. (Stellar exception: The Landrover Defender diesel - will drink anything you fill it with!) Based on local availability, I did consider a few G400-CDI's, but there was always one thing or the other wrong with them. I looked at a G270-CDI, newer engine than the 400, which was quite impressive in its performance ratio, and did make it to the "possible" list. A G320 gas engine didn't make the cut - WAY too underpowered to efficiently move 3 tons of steel. A G500 gas engine model was powerful enough, but otherwise, the car it came in looked and felt like the automotive equivalent of an abused woman - beaten down and terribly neglected.
Finally, the right one came along. A G500 in racing green, tan leather interior, 2004 with extremely low miles (43,000!!!), impeccably taken care of by a German who knows what he's doing and talking about. Soon as I had sat down inside and started pushing it up the hill, I knew this was it. Pictures HERE... (http://gallery.me.com/oliverwhisonant#100059&bgcolor=black&view=grid)
I took possession today, and put it through the paces of chaotic traffic jams and open freeways (two conditions alternating quickly here!). Safe, secure, solid, good handling, and an engine with 300hp and about 340 ft.lbs. of torque putting some serious rubber down and moving 3tons forward as if they were nothing. Oh, and the brakes work okay too...
One happy camper here! Next week, getting an expert lesson in off-road usage, diff-locks and all. Report to follow...
The Mercedes-Benz G-Class or G-Wagen, short for Geländewagen (or cross-country vehicle), is a four-wheel drive (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four-wheel_drive) vehicle / sport utility vehicle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_utility_vehicle) (SUV) produced by German automaker Mercedes-Benz (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz). Designed to be a durable, reliable, and rugged off-roader, the G-wagen is characterized by its boxy styling and body-on-frame (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body-on-frame)locking differentials (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locking_differential), one of the few vehicles to have such a feature. construction. It utilizes three fully
I've admired this model since first becoming aware of it in the early 80's, just a few years after Mercedes launched their first civilian version in 1979. I recall standing at a major Hamburg intersection in my own Mercedes 280E 4x2 sedan, one very hard winter. It had just snowed heavily, and traffic was carefully, barely crawling along. Ahead of me at the light, a black G-class. Light turns green. Me and the rest of the general population shift into low gear and proceed to carefully inch across the intersection. The G-Class engine roars, it kinda hunkers down and just plows through a couple of feet of snow as though it were on rails. I was so impressed I didn't even get mad about the amount of snow it sprayed onto my windshield :boggled:...
Couple of years later, friend of mine got one, took me off-roading and demonstrated low gear and the three diff-locks in action. I couldn't believe a car could do the shit we did that day - up the hill, down the hill, traversing the hill and a creek and a bunch of rock without rolling over or getting stuck. Impressed yet again.
Fast forward to just a few years ago when I could finally afford a new car outright. Still couldn't get the G-Class how I wanted it. Settled for the more "urbane" GL, great on the freeway, far more anemic in the back-country, and one really doesn't want to scratch it up too much :nervous:...
So now I'm in Costa Rica, where city streets and a lot of highway stretches are in a state that we would call off-road in the US. Never mind the actual off-road stretches into the jungle, along the coast, or up into volcano country. Have been thinking for a while on what best to get here, for business and pleasure. Seriously considered the Jeep, the Landrover Defender and the (old-school) Landcruiser. Finally decided that I would be best served by the Geländewagen - classy interior, some helpful tech like ABS and ESP, really RUGGED off-road capability, a relatively low center of gravity due to the immense weight of the steel axles (very hard to flip this f***er), easy to up-armor, and a wide choice of engines.
I generally lean towards diesels for torque and reliability, however; diesel engines on newer cars (post '02/'04) don't like the "dirty", high sulfur content fuel very much any more, which is what you get anywhere outside of Europe and the US. They'll still run, but not as well, and with a lot more potential for various issues. (Stellar exception: The Landrover Defender diesel - will drink anything you fill it with!) Based on local availability, I did consider a few G400-CDI's, but there was always one thing or the other wrong with them. I looked at a G270-CDI, newer engine than the 400, which was quite impressive in its performance ratio, and did make it to the "possible" list. A G320 gas engine didn't make the cut - WAY too underpowered to efficiently move 3 tons of steel. A G500 gas engine model was powerful enough, but otherwise, the car it came in looked and felt like the automotive equivalent of an abused woman - beaten down and terribly neglected.
Finally, the right one came along. A G500 in racing green, tan leather interior, 2004 with extremely low miles (43,000!!!), impeccably taken care of by a German who knows what he's doing and talking about. Soon as I had sat down inside and started pushing it up the hill, I knew this was it. Pictures HERE... (http://gallery.me.com/oliverwhisonant#100059&bgcolor=black&view=grid)
I took possession today, and put it through the paces of chaotic traffic jams and open freeways (two conditions alternating quickly here!). Safe, secure, solid, good handling, and an engine with 300hp and about 340 ft.lbs. of torque putting some serious rubber down and moving 3tons forward as if they were nothing. Oh, and the brakes work okay too...
One happy camper here! Next week, getting an expert lesson in off-road usage, diff-locks and all. Report to follow...