Most exclusive Mercedes to be available from your MBZ dealer,
the G-Class arrives this fall
By Michael Binstock
Acorn Automotive Editor

Mercedes-Benz USA has finally announced that, perhaps, the most exclusive Mercedes-Benz available in the U.S. will be imported directly by the manufacturer. Since the mid 80’s the G-Class, known throughout the motoring world as the Gelaendewagen or G Wagen, has been brought into the country by a small distributor in Santa Fe, NM , in very small numbers, making the vehicle one of the most sort after SUVs on the planet.

At the New York Auto Show, last month, Mercedes-Benz finally announced that it would launch the rugged yet luxurious G500 sport utility vehicle in the U.S. this fall. At a press conference company officials disclosed that the 2002-model G500 will be priced at $72,500. The V8-powered G-Class is an exclusive, limited-production vehicle, and only 1000 to 2000 will be sold in the U.S each year.

A compact SUV that’s about four inches longer than the popular Mercedes-Benz M-Class sport utility, the G-Class is handbuilt at a special manufacturing facility in Graz, Austria. Called the Gelaendewagen in Europe, the G-Class is a no-compromise off-roader with a cliff-climbing, stump-pulling personality. It can climb grades up to 80 percent, and it’s even stable on lateral slopes up to 54 percent!

Building on the success of the M-Class, the U.S. launch of the fashionable G500 addresses a strong market trend favoring high-end luxury SUVs. Its primary competition includes the Range Rover 4.6 HSE and Lexus LX470, while secondary competitors range from the V8 BMW X5 to the AM Hummer. G-Class buyers are likely to be people who can afford to buy a vehicle just for recreation but require that it be practical as well. They’re also likely to be very self-confident and proud of their individuality,

With a simple, classic design – plus many technological innovations for safety and convenience borrowed from Mercedes cars – the go-anywhere G-Class balances its proven off-road credentials with a liberal dose of sumptuous on-road comfort.

Standard equipment on the gutsy G500 includes a full leather interior with burl walnut trim and a wood-leather steering wheel. The G500 also comes with power windows, 10-way electrically adjustable front seats with memory, front and rear-heated seats, cruise control, central door locks, and automatic climate control.

Additionally, the new sport utility is equipped with a standard GPS navigation system featuring a large, integrated display on the center console. The display also controls a nine-speaker audio system (including a six-disc CD changer) as well as an optional integrated Motorola Timeport phone that can be operated hands-free through the in-dash display. The phone comes with an electronic voice recognition feature that allows both the phone and the audio system to be controlled by simple voice commands.

The exterior features body-color bumpers, rub strips, rocker panels and mirror housings as well as 18-inch alloy wheels and a stainless-steel spare tire cover mounted at the back.

Proof of its military roots, the durable G-Class suspension makes use of super-strong rigid axles at the front and rear as well as longitudinal and transverse links with coil springs and gas shocks at all four corners. The G500 uses a power-assisted recirculating-ball steering system, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, and 7.5 x 18-inch alloy wheels with 265/60R18 tires.

The G500 sport utility is powered by the same 5.0-liter V8 as the S-Class sedan and SL roadster. This technologically advanced, all-aluminum engine develops about 300 horsepower while operating at remarkably clean emissions levels. This strong engine provides smooth, seamless power that belies the rocks-and-stumps heritage of the G-Class.

The G500 engine uses a twin-spark/three-valve-per-cylinder arrangement that produces excellent power with low emissions. Two intake valves are accompanied by one exhaust valve per cylinder, which makes room for two spark plugs per cylinder. A dual-path intake manifold boosts torque at low engine speeds for remarkable acceleration and quicker response at all engine speeds.

The G500 harnesses its power through an electronic five-speed adaptive automatic transmission with Touch Shift and a sturdy full-time four-wheel-drive system, which includes a transfer case with electronically controlled high and low ranges. Its fully synchronized low range can even be engaged on the fly, at speeds up to about 15 miles per hour.

The G500 is the only vehicle on the road with three differential locks that distribute torque artfully through front, center and rear differentials and is the only production vehicle that features mechanical locks for all three differentials. To reduce wheelspin in extremely low-traction situations, the center and rear differential locks can be engaged anytime that the G-Class is off-pavement. In the unlikely event the vehicle gets stuck, the front differential can be engaged momentarily for maximum traction.

While differential locks are much appreciated by experienced off-road enthusiasts, the G-Class also comes with four-wheel electronic traction control that will help less experienced drivers through most conditions.

Traction control is integrated with another Mercedes-Benz invention: ESP stability control. Standard on all new Mercedes-Benz models, ESP detects an impending spin or slide and applies the brakes on one wheel – front or rear, left or right – to keep the car on track!

The safety of Mercedes-Benz vehicles is most meaningful in one way – real life. All new developments are put into production based on careful analysis of actual traffic conditions and accident histories. The technical safety aspects of the G-Class don’t just meet government standards, but also reflect in-house Mercedes-Benz accident research. Based on Mercedes-Benz’ own stringent guidelines, the G-Class is designed for the greatest possible impact safety and features a tough body-on-frame design with a torsionally rigid chassis.

With less than 2000 vehicles destined for these shores each year the G-Class is going to be in short supply, something that aficionadoes have been used to. With over 300 dealers clamoring for the G500, a dealer took over 25 orders at the New York show alone.

If this king of the SUVs is your vehicle of choice, get to your dealer now, and take your checkbook!