Great in the bush, not so great in city
While the competition has evolved, Mercedes-Benz G550 is a throwback
Every now and again, automakers come out with single-purpose vehicles that so spectacularly fulfil what they are intended to do that it makes your jaw drop. An example is Mercedes-Benz’s massive brick-on-wheels, the G550.
It initially arrived decades ago, when utility vehicles were only meant to get you through anything, comfort and handling be damned. But while other SUVs evolved and added good on-road performance to their portfolios, the G550 remains a dinosaur from another era.
Originally designed as the military-style Geländewagen back in 1979, it’s an incredible off-roader, thanks to three locking differentials that can essentially turn it into a tank. But virtually every G-Class today spends its life on city streets, where the luxurious interior is at odds with ancient driving dynamics that just don’t cut it anymore. And that’s really an odd thing to have to say about my tester, the G550, which starts at $127,200. It’s the entry model; there are also two AMG-tuned versions that go as high as 621 horsepower.
There are no complaints about the fabulous new engine the G550 gets for 2016, a twinturbo 4.0-litre V8 that churns out 416 hp (versus 382 ponies in last year’s version), along with 450 pound-feet of torque. The seven-speed automatic, the only transmission choice, is beautifully smooth. And that’s pretty much where the goodness ends.
You can all but fit a Smart Fortwo into the huge cargo compartment, but the front seats don’t go far enough back for anyone beyond a 29-inch inseam to sit comfortably and drive it, and rear-seat space is equally tight. There aren’t many cubbies to stow stuff where you can easily reach it, and the single front-seat cupholder is a miniature basketball net clipped to the side of the transmission hump — but you do still get a cigarette lighter.
Should you want to carry two Smarts, the rear seats fold and tumble for extra cargo space, but even that’s a chore because the releases are on the bottoms of the seatbacks. If you’re short enough to fit behind the wheel, you’re not tall enough to reach across the cargo compartment to pull the levers.
Tumbling the rear seats also requires removing their head restraints; unless you’re carrying passengers, you’ll want to do that anyway, since between the tall headrests and the gate-mounted spare tire, you can’t see anything out the back. The standard rear-view camera is a welcome feature, but like all Mercedes systems, it requires the stereo to be on for the screen to work. Other manufacturers can override the “music off ” button whenever the vehicle is put in Reverse, so why not here?
That magnificent engine really scoots this heavy vehicle along, but nothing else on the G550 keeps up with it. You have to manhandle the steering wheel, wrenching it around corners and then hauling it back to straighten it out. The tall, narrow design makes it feel tippy on bends. My tester had adjustable damping, an $1,850 option, which didn’t really help matters. In Comfort mode, it felt as if I were driving a plastic bag full of water, while in Sport mode, the shocks are kidney-knockers on rough pavement.
While its roughstuff ability is amazing, even getting it all set up can be tricky, because the G550 has to be rolling in neutral before you can switch the permanent four-wheel system into or out of low range. Once the centre differential is locked, you can further lock the front or rear axle, or both. All four wheels can turn at the same speed for go-anywhere power, but it’s strictly for soft-surface off-roading with no sharp turns.
So why do people still buy these things? Because it’s big and in your face, you definitely get noticed and you’re probably the only one on your block who owns one. If I was spending the cash on an off-road-capable machine, I’d get a Range Rover, which drives so much better on the street. Or, for almost the same price, three Jeep Wranglers. If you just want the attention, then go for it. But if you want to enjoy the drive, you really can do better.