MERCEDES-BENZ G-CLASS

Officially this is the G-Class now, but to us it’ll always be the G-Wagen. There’s no reason for this car to exist in the Mercedes portfolio any more: if you want a five-seat 4x4 with a big boot you can have a GLE.

The G-Wagen only continues to exist because it’s built such a cult following as it’s morphed from utilitarian army surplus to Chelsea school run chariot, Mercedes has deemed it worthy of a ground-up redesign that’s modern underneath, but still looks reassuringly boxy.

The aerodynamics are atrocious, the windows archaically flat, the door locks still sound like a firing squad cocking their weapons and inside, amid the multi-colour ambient lighting, hi-def widescreens and quilted leather, the dashboard centrepiece is three (beautifully knurled) buttons for locking the G’s front, centre and rear differentials.

Oddly for what is Mercedes’ least sporting car, it’s become synonymous with AMG – 577bhp G63 AMGs complete with twin side-exit exhausts seem to outnumber black cabs in the capital. But there is another way to G-Wagen... this: the G400d. The bumpers are – believe it or not – softer looking and more rounded than the square-jawed 63.

It’s the entry-level model, replacing the discontinued G350d but using an uprated version of the same 3.0 twin-turbo straight six. No tri-turbo or V8, but a useful power hike of 43bhp and 74lb ft, for totals of 325bhp and 516lb ft, the latter delivered at a mere 1,200rpm.

And that’s what matters. Having that much thump available so low down offers performance commensurate with your expectations. It does 0–62mph in 6.4secs, which is swift enough – quicker than a Range Rover D350 (7.1secs). And by plumping for turbodiesel power, the sacrifice of two seconds from the G’s 0–62mph time is repaid with a £55,000 price cut – down to £108,815. It’s still a phenomenally expensive machine, but at least this one might crack 20 to the gallon.