The Mercedes-Benz G-Class is a tricky previous broad, in a position to make fast work of Schöckl and sand dune alike. But for each one Geländewagen you may discover dwelling it up in a mud lavatory, there are most likely 20 parked at some posh procuring heart in Miami or Southern California. These days, the G is as a lot (if no more of) a luxurious life-style icon as it’s a formidable off-road brute.Thankfully, the 2019 G550 brings enhancements that strengthen its enchantment at each ends of that spectrum.Modern basicFirst, let’s begin with what hasn’t modified: dat curb enchantment. Viewed from the facet or rear three-quarter, you can be forgiven for mistaking the 2019 G550 for its predecessor, particularly within the unimaginative shade of Iridium Silver pictured right here. (Fun reality: The G550 is on the market in your alternative of 24 totally different exterior paint choices, giving it some of the various coloration palettes of any Mercedes-Benz mannequin — second solely to the AMG G63, natch.)
The G’s visible modifications are extra apparent up entrance, the place the spherical headlamps are outlined by LED daytime operating lights. Brush guards can be found for both the higher or decrease fascias. They are available chrome or, in the event you spec the $5,370 Night Package with AMG Line, black. The G550 rolls on both 19- or 20-inch wheels, the previous of that are seen on this check automobile, wrapped in Detroit-in-January-friendly Pirelli Scorpion winter tires.
Yet regardless of casting a putting resemblance to its forebear, all however two components of the outside are literally new. Only the door handles and spare tire cowl carry over unchanged from the last-generation G. And in the event you’ve ever had the pleasure of opening or closing the door of a G-Wagen, you recognize that the very particular click on of the chunky door handles are paramount to a correct G-Class expertise.A pair of 12.3-inch screens, quilted leather-based seats and high-quality trim convey correct Mercedes-spec luxurious to the go-anywhere G-Class.
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An enormous luxurious improveThe G’s exterior could also be an train in anachronistic restraint, however the inside is something however. Fully up to date and full of fashionable luxurious and tech, the G550’s cabin is one among Mercedes’ best.Everything right here is new, save the passenger-side dashboard seize deal with and the three differential lock buttons within the heart stack (extra traditionally correct G-Wagen stuff). Every touchable floor is lined with the best supplies, and the seats are comfortable and supportive, providing a commanding view out the upright windshield and down the flat hood. Two aluminum tweeters flank both facet of the shallow dashboard and are supposed to mimic the position of the flip indicators on the finish of the bonnet. More metallic outlines the stylized air vents, properly complementing the carbon-fiber trim on the middle console. I am going to admit I am not the largest fan of vibrant crimson leather-based, however I believe it completely works in opposition to the silver exterior of this G550 check automobile. (“The mantra was that an ordinary exterior must have a sexy interior,” a former Mercedes rep advised me.)Because the 2019 G550 is nearly 5 inches wider than its predecessor, entrance and rear passengers take pleasure in extra shoulder and elbow room than earlier than. Headroom, in the meantime, stays plentiful, and the G550’s sunroof is lastly a glass piece with a sunshade, reasonably than the one-piece roof panel from the earlier era. Thanks to the G’s 2.1 inches of further size and a bench that is positioned additional again, rear passengers take pleasure in an additional 6 inches of legroom within the 2019 G550 — a welcome enchancment. The extra beneficiant back-seat lodging impedes barely on cargo area however there’s nonetheless a wealth of capability behind the tailgate, even when its side-hinged design is hard to make use of if you’re backed right into a storage or tightly parallel parked.You cannot get Mercedes’ newest MBUX tech, however I haven’t got many complaints concerning the COMAND infotainment interface.
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Old tech is sweet techThe G-Class will get an enormous tech replace for 2019, although it does not profit from the newest MBUX infotainment system that you’re going to discover within the A-Class sedan. Instead, you get the latest iteration of COMAND, housed on a 12.3-inch display within the heart of the sprint. You can function the infotainment system both by way of the big touchpad on the middle console or the rotary knob discovered beneath, or with the thumbpad on the fitting facet of the steering wheel. COMAND works as nicely right here because it has in each different current Mercedes — the menus are just a little robust to handle at first, however there is a wealth of customization choices inside. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and a Wi-Fi hotspot are additionally alongside for the trip.
Tick the $850 digital instrument cluster choice field and also you get a second 12.3-inch show that serves because the gauge cluster. Leave this feature off, and a fixed-dial setup is customary. Seeing as you are already spending no less than $124,500 on a G550, I am unable to think about needing to scrimp on this comparatively inexpensive choice. But however, with its six-figure price ticket, I am unsure why Mercedes does not simply provide the dual-screen setup as customary tools.The new G-Class will get a ton of superior driving aids, too, and fortunately, they are not elective extras. Every G550 comes with Mercedes’ Distronic adaptive cruise management, lane-keeping help, blind-spot help, energetic brake help, visitors signal recognition, parking help, rear cross-traffic alert and extra.Even in sedate silver and on its smallest 19-inch wheels, the G550 is a boxy-beautiful factor.
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Just as succesful, however nicer to driveDriving aids apart, the largest enchancment to the G’s behind-the-wheel demeanor is its extra fashionable steering system and suspension geometry. Yes, the archaic, recirculating-ball steering of the previous G is gone, with a brand new, electromechanical setup as a substitute. It does not provide any kind of uncharacteristically sharp turn-in or wealth of sports activities car-like suggestions — the G550 nonetheless steers like a G550 — however mixed with the impartial entrance suspension, the G feels extra secure from behind the wheel. There’s so much much less play within the steering wheel and a greater sense of what is taking place at highway degree. More than something, the G550 simply feels simpler to manage.
There’s actually no scarcity of obtainable energy, in any case, the G550 makes use of the identical 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 engine you may discover beneath the hood of many Mercedes-AMG automobiles. Here, the stunning V8 places out 416 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque, the latter of which comes on sturdy at 2,000 rpm. There’s the slightest little bit of lag simply earlier than you dig into the meat of the engine’s energy band, however if you do, you may really feel a punch of thrust and an intoxicating growl — a reminder that whereas the G550 itself is not a product of AMG, its engine absolutely is. Impressively, Mercedes says this 5,551-pound, box-shaped G550 can speed up to 60 miles per hour in simply 5.6 seconds. That’s solely 0.3 seconds slower than the 516-horsepower AMG G63.The nine-speed automated transmission will fortunately preserve the V8 on boil if you’re digging into the throttle, and can simply as eagerly leap into its prime gear if you’re cruising in an effort to eke out most gas financial system. Of course, with EPA-estimated rankings of 13 miles per gallon metropolis, 17 mpg freeway and 14 mpg mixed, you will not be successful any eco awards on this large boy.Should you enterprise off highway — and in a G-Class, you actually must — you may discover the G550 can deal with absolutely anything you’ll be able to throw at it. The 2019 mannequin can ford 27.6 inches of water and may deal with a 45-degree incline, all whereas the massaging, heated seats put your again and butt relaxed. For a full take of the G’s unimaginable off-road prowess, I like to recommend studying my earlier account from the hills of France, or evaluations editor Emme Hall’s take within the sand dunes outdoors of San Diego.The black brush guard comes as a part of the $5,570 Night Package with AMG Line.
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How I might spec itEven in the event you by no means tick a single choice field, at $124,500, not together with $995 for vacation spot, the G550 is properly geared up. The majority of the accessible choices concern exterior and inside styling, and simply how plush you need the cabin to be.Since I am utilizing hypothetical right here, and since I am fancy as hell, I am spending $6,500 for the darkish inexperienced “Designo Olive Metallic” paint, and including the $5,370 Night Package with AMG Line styling, which will get me 20-inch wheels, a sport exhaust (roar!) and black exterior accents, together with the comb guard. Inside, I need Designo Espresso Brown leather-based and metallic accents, must-haves if I am checking the $12,200 Exclusive Interior Package Plus that additionally consists of Nappa upholstery, rapid-heating entrance seats, cooled seats and extra. The $250 heated steering wheel is a should, the no-cost black seat belts exchange the cheesy crimson ones of the aforementioned AMG pack and I need the $850 digital instrument cluster as a result of analog gauges are so final millennium. I may choice the $1,400 adaptive suspension, however actually, in an SUV like this, it does not make a lot of a distinction.All in, I am taking a look at $151,815 for my perfect, Beverly Hills-spec G550. Actually, wait, a correctly SoCal spec could be the AMG G63. Back to the configurator…Totally fashionable however nonetheless true to its roots, there’s nothing else fairly just like the Mercedes-Benz G-Class.
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Nuthin’ however a G thangThe 2019 Mercedes-Benz G550 is an costly proposition, and it is not for everybody. It’s not essentially the most spacious SUV at this value, and whereas the brand new model has made nice strides in on-road dealing with, it is nonetheless extra truck-like than absolutely anything else within the luxurious area (besides, possibly, a Lexus LX 570).But admit it, you need one. I need one. There’s nothing else available on the market fairly just like the G-Class, and whether or not you are shopping for it to cruise boulevards or climb mountains, it will deal with something you’ll be able to throw at it — after which some — with unimaginable consolation and functionality.
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