W460 (1979–1992)
The W460 was introduced at a press event held at the off-road proving ground in Toulon, France and went on sale in September 1979 with three engine choices and five body variants. Over the next decade, the engine and transmission choices were expanded or updated along with optional creature comforts (air conditioning, automatic transmission, power windows, etc.) at additional cost.
The G-Wagen gained global fame in 1980 when Mercedes-Benz built a Popemobile based on 230 G cabriolet during the first visit of Pope John Paul II in Germany.
Mercedes-Benz never officially exported the G-Wagen to the United States because it was considered more of a utilitarian vehicle and didn't fit the American perception of what Mercedes-Benz represented. During the 1980s, grey import specialists brought the W460 to the United States and modified them to meet U.S. regulations. In 1988, a new federal law, the Motor Vehicle Safety Compliance Act, closed the loopholes and tightened up the regulations for grey imports, making it more difficult and more expensive for the registered importers to federalize the W460. Another issue was severely underpowered engines in the 230 GE, 280 GE, and 300 GD models that might not have appealed to the American market, as was the case with the Mercedes-Benz 380 SEL in the early 1980s.
The 200 GE was built specifically for Italian markets and other markets where a heavy tax penalty was incurred for engines larger than 2.0 liters. The 300 GD engine was the most popular model while the 280 GE was the most powerful. Despite the availability of turbocharged diesel engines in other Mercedes-Benz vehicles, one was never fitted to the W460 models.
The rarest W460 variants were the 230 GE 2.6 Brabus (1989–91), the 280 GE AMG (specific years not given), and the 560 GE (1993). Brabus increased the engine displacement of the 2.3-litre four-cylinder inline engine to 2.6 litres, increasing the power to 114 kW (155 PS; 153 bhp). AMG modified the 2.8-litre six-cylinder inline petrol engine for more power, 134 kW (182 PS; 180 bhp). Only two units of the 560 GE were built in 1993 as part of a feasibility study that resulted in a limited series of the W463 500 GE for 1993–1994 and the W463 G 500 from 1998 onward.
Derivations
ELBO
This version was assembled from CDK by ELBO, formerly a Steyr-Daimler-Puch branch division, in Thessaloniki, Greece for the Greek Army. Additionally, the CDK was also assembled at Mercedes-Benz's Aksaray plant in Turkey. The engine options were a 2.3-litre four-cylinder inline petrol and later a 2.9-litre five-cylinder inline diesel.
The W460 was assembled in France under licence by Peugeot for the French Army with Peugeot engine and transmission from the 504 and 604 respectively as well as its own seats and wiring system. The front differential gear lock was omitted because Peugeot used its own axles. They are easily identified by rectangular headlamps.
PUCH G
An agreement between Daimler-Benz AG and Steyr-Daimler-Puch stipulated that G-Wagens sold in Austria, Switzerland, Yugoslavia (and its successor states: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia), Mongolia, and Eastern European COMECON countries were called Puch G and elsewhere as Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen/G-Class. The reason for the different branding was due to Puch's reputation for its all-terrain vehicles, the Haflinger and Pinzgauer. Since the agreement expired in 2000, consumers could order a retrofit kit from Magna's Puch Competence Centre to replace the Mercedes-Benz brands with Puch emblems.
W461 (1992–present)
After the new W463 was introduced in 1989 with an extensively updated chassis and a revised front end, the production of the W460 ended in 1991 and was replaced by the W461. The W461 has essentially the same chassis as the W460 but with the powertrain of the W463 and the body of the W460. While the W463 is aimed at consumers who seek more creature comforts and better driving dynamics, the W461 is built specifically for military, public authorities, and non-governmental organisations. The W461 included a 24-voltage electrical system.
During the 1990s, the W461 was offered with a 2.3-litre four inline petrol engine and a 2.9-litre five inline diesel engine from 1992 to 2001. From 2001 to 2014, the W461 model for military and public authorities was offered with a 2.7-litre five inline turbodiesel engine and later with a 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel engine. They were called G 270 CDI Worker (2001–2006) and G 280 CDI Worker (2007-2009) respectively.
Over the years, Mercedes-Benz has introduced the civilian version of the W461, built in limited numbers and for a limited period of time. They targeted primarily the consumers who desired a "stripped down" G Wagen version and did not need the creature comforts. The engine choice was often limited to one type, namely a diesel engine, per series. Those editions were named as PUR or Professional.
In 2009, Mercedes-Benz, celebrating the 30-year anniversary of the G-Class, introduced the G 280 CDI EDITION.30 PUR as a five-door long wheelbase station wagon. The consumers could order theirs with "Off-Road Package 1" or "Off-Road Package 2". The passenger compartment had four seats upholstered in hard-wearing fabric or vinyl, rubber floor coverings, spray-protected/water-resistant controls, drainage apertures in the footwells, and a wood floor in the load compartment with load lashing lugs and rails. The dashboard received a new instrument cluster from the W463 and dual air bags and the climate control remained manually operated as did the window winders and locks. The exterior received flexible wheel arch flaring, protective grilles for headlamps, taillamps, front turn signal indicators, a walk-on hood/bonnet for easy access to the optional roof rack, a towing lug attached to the front bumper and two-section barn doors at the rear.
The success of the limited series "EDITION.30 PUR" led to the G 280 CDI Professional in 2009 and its successor, the G 300 CDI Professional, in 2010. Initially, the 280 CDI Professional was limited to a five-door long wheelbase station wagon design before the body variants were expanded to five different body variations: a three-door long wheelbase panel van (Kastenwagen in German), a five-door long wheelbase station wagon, a two-door cabriolet and a two or four-door cab chassis truck (Pritschenwagen in German) for the G 300 CDI Professional.[11] The production of the civilian variant continued until 2014. Moreover, the military variants continue to this day.
G-Class W463, first generation (1990–2018)
For 1990, the W460 was extensively revised, and a new chassis number, W463, was assigned. The W463 moved the G-Class from spartan and utilitarian to a luxury model on par with the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the luxurious Range Rover. Thus, no three-door panel vans in short and long wheelbase lengths or barn doors in the rear were offered for the W463: those features are exclusive to the W461. The W461 continued in production as military and utilitarian vehicles for the government agencies and non-government organizations.
The exterior was revised to smoothen out the front end and the front fenders/wings were vertically flattened out at the front underneath the headlamps. The fender flares and front end (cooling grille and headlamp bezels) were painted in the body color. The headlamps have square and slightly recessed bezels whilst the grille is narrower to give space for the front numberplate attached to the top of the bumper. The front bumpers are form-fitted and have integrated fog lamps while the rear bumpers have the integrated red rear fog lamp and white reversing lamp. The fuel filler is now covered by a panel. The side running boards were given a standard fitment. The external rear view mirrors have a new housing that pivots on anchors attached to the front doors. New revised tail lamps without white reversing lamps were fitted in the rear.
The interior was significantly updated with wood trim and leather upholstery for the first time. The centre console is smoother and better integrated with the dashboard and the lower part of the dashboard is covered with rubber pads for better knee protection in the event of a frontal collision. The electric differential lock switches are placed prominently in the middle of the dashboard with other electric switches and the instrument cluster has a smoother and more curved housing. The gauges are integrated into one panel rather than a few separate gauges attached to the instrument cluster. The climate control panel was revised to include the temperature and fan speed dials and the door panels are fully trimmed with ruffled leather paneling and soft paddings. The seats are more plush and have several defined cushions along with lumbar support.
The new features included ABS and full-time four-wheel-drive with electrically locking differentials. The engines were carried over from the W460/W461, including the 200 GE, 230 GE, and 300 GE models for petrol engines along with the 250 GD and 300 GD for diesel engines. In 1994, the Geländewagen was renamed as the G-Class when model names were revised to reflect the new corporate nomenclature.
When Mercedes-Benz didn't consider selling the G-Class in the United States, a small registered importer based in New Mexico, Europa International, Inc., began the expensive process of certifying and modifying the G-Class for the US market and started selling them in 1993. When the new G 500 was introduced in 1998, Europa International sought and received the "small-volume manufacturer status", allowing the company to be the exclusive importer and distributor of the G 500 in the United States. The sales success of the G 500 was attributed to Europa International's clever marketing toward high-end luxury clientele and led Mercedes-Benz to the decision of purchasing the distribution rights and including the G-Class in it's official US model ranges.[14]
The first generation W463 had the widest range of engines ever fitted to a Mercedes-Benz vehicle during its entire 28-year model run: from four to twelve cylinders; and from natural aspiration to supercharger, turbo, and twin turbo. Towards the end of the first-generation model run the W463 had the highest number of paint colour options at 22, including the bright and intense colours of the Crazy Color Edition.
G-Class W463, second generation (2018–present)
The second generation G-Class (W463) was launched on 14 January 2018 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
In contrast to its predecessor, the new G-Class has grown 121 millimeters in width and 53 millimeters in length. The ground clearance has increased by 6 millimeters. The increase in width is for more driving stability, sturdier side impact protection, and more seating comfort. The increased length, especially in the front end, is due to the new 2019 EU pedestrian impact safety regulations: the previous generation did not have enough open space between the car's front end and the rigid components beneath for the crumple zone as to mitigate the injury to a pedestrian's body.
A major change was with the steering system which was switched from a recirculating ball system to variable-ratio rack-and-pinion with adaptive electric power assistance. The new steering system allows safety and convenience equipment such as active lane-keeping assist, Pre-Safe collision avoidance systems and self-parking capability. The rack-and-pinion steering system does not work with solid front suspension so a change was made to use independent front suspension.
The extensive, ground-up redesign allowed engineers to incorporate more lightweight materials such as high-strength and ultra-high-strength steels and aluminums. In addition, the redesign led to an improved manufacturing process which increased structural rigidity. The gap between the doors and body shell is much narrower than the previous generation. Despite the increased dimensions, the weight has been reduced by about 170 kilograms.
The second generation W463 is similar visually to the first generation, and the chassis code, W463, is still retained rather than W464 as some media outlets erroneously reported. However, only three parts from the previous generation were carried over to the new generation: the headlamp washers, the push-button door handles and the spare wheel cover bolted to the rear tailgate.The new G 500 (renamed to G 550 for 2020 onwards) is powered by the 4.0-liter M176 V8 twin-turbo engine, producing 416 hp and 450 lb⋅ft of torque. It is mated to a nine-speed automatic 9G-Tronic transmission with torque-converter.
For the new diesel variant, the G 350d was initially released for the 2019 model year, powered by the 2.9-liter OM656 inline-6 turbocharged diesel engine, producing 282 hp and 443 lb⋅ft of torque. The G 400d was later introduced for the 2020 model year onwards. The G 400d features the same OM656 engine as the G 350d, but output has been increased to 326 hp and 516 lb⋅ft of torque. Both models are still produced by Mercedes-Benz, however certain markets only sell one of the two.
The redesign also allowed newer safety and collision avoidance equipment from the W222 S-Class to be fitted to the G-Class for the first time. In addition, the updated interior has a new instrument cluster and infotainment system from other Mercedes-Benz models (A-Class (W177) and E-Class (W213)), air vents, steering column-mounted gear selector, multimedia system and control panel on the tunnel console, a higher level of luxury trimming and 64-color ambient lighting. A Burmester surround sound system and a larger dual 12-inch LCD display with smartphone integration (Apple CarPlay and Android Auto) were offered as optional equipment. One design element carried over to the new generation was the front passenger's grab bar on the dashboard.
The new G 550 and AMG G 63 have gone on sale in the United States with a starting price of $125,495 and $144,695 respectively. The 2019 G-Class for the US market has the widest range of exterior colors available, totaling 24, of any Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicle.
In September 2020, the G 350 was introduced for the Chinese market to circumvent the heavy taxation on larger engine displacement. It is powered by the 2.0-liter M264 turbocharged inline-4, producing 255 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque.The G 350 is the first G-Class with a four-cylinder inline engine since the previous model, the G 230, was dropped in 1995.