New G, Like the old G
How do you reinvent a hero like the Mercedes, G-Wagen? By making it look exactly like the old one. No suprises there, because despite being close to its 40th birthday, sales have improved year on year of late There are new LED lights, but all the hailmarks are there exposed spare wheel, prominent indicator lights, protective exterior strips, aerodynamics of a cube. Merc has even kept the endearingly old fashioned " characteristic closing sound" of the doors
The G is 170kg lighter than before, but bigger – 53mm longer and 121mm wider. Inside, the passenger’s dashboard grabhandle stays, as does the driving position that puts your face right in the windscreen. The dials are all digital, while the media system gives haptic and audio feedback as you twiddle its controls.
It launches with a 416bhp twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 and a new 9spd auto gearbox and will cost from around £95,000, but still uses a traditional ladder-frame chassis, three differential locks and low-range gear reduction. A change doesn’t always do you good. TH