Mercedes-Benz introduced the G Class in 1979 after a seven year development cycle in collaboration with Steyr-Daimler-Puch. The vehicles was offered as a fully capable off-road vehicle with all the safety and comfort features one would expect from a Mercedes. The vehicle has been pretty popular with enthusiasts. It was also used as the official vehicle of the Pope John Paul II from 1980 onward.
Mercedes has now produced the 400,000th version of the car in a red colour. Incidentally, the car has been bought by an old loyal customer who has another 20 G Class in his garage. The G Class is the grand father of all Mercedes SUVs and that is the reason why Mercedes uses the “G” prefix, GLA, GLC, GLE and GLS to all its other SUVs.
The G class started with a modest engine producing 72 BHP of power. The new V12 powered G Class now produce 476 BHP and 700 N-m of torque. There are even more potent AMG versions of the car available.
The G 500 4X4 2 offered a massive 450 mm ground clearance. Enough to overcome any hurdles that an off-road drive may offer.
Since the present model’s manufacturing started on 1 September 2020, the standard equipment for the iconic off-road vehicle has become even more extensive. Merecedes also offers personalisation options through the “G manufaktur” programme. This programme is so popular that at present, around 60 percent of all G-Class buyers opt for one of these types. New exterior colours and equipment packages as well as the widescreen cockpit, which now comes as standard, round off the model’s offering.
The latest iteration of the car was manufactured at the Graz facility in Austria.
The Transport Journal 