Friday 6th March 2015

G-Wagen vs Defender: PH Blog

Why the Land Rover Defender won the fight against the G-Wagen but has ultimately lost the war

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Outrageously blinged up G-Wagens are a Geneva motor show staple but, somewhat belatedly, it seems Land Rover Defender tuners are also catering to a demand for taste/money no object 4x4s.

Dependably daft G-Wagens a Geneva staple

As the G-Wagen thrives the Defender is in its final year of production though, the Mercedes seemingly finally victorious in a rivalry that stretches back to the late 70s when the Gelandewagen first appeared. Geneva traffic isn't good for many things but when I hopped into the back of an XJ and found myself alongside Roger Crathorne - aka 'Mr Land Rover' - he seemed like a good chap to discuss this with. And so it proved. We weren't short of time...

Roger's history with Land Rover goes all the way back. Indeed, he was born round the corner from the factory and spent his entire career there - you can read his story here in a press release issued by Land Rover on his retirement last year.

Anyway, his years working in PR meant he was tactful on the topic of the Flying Huntsman and its ilk but his tales of evaluating the early G-Wagens against Land Rover product were fascinating.

Compromised off-road? Not exactly...

"If they'd sold a proper utilitarian short-wheelbase they'd have murdered us," he admits. Instead of going against the Defender Mercedes made the fatal error of pitching the G against the Range Rover. And here it struggled. Roger explains that the Range Rover's light aluminium body meant they could get away without anti-roll bars, improving comfort and - crucially - axle articulation for off-road use. This combination of road manners and proper mud-plugging cred remain there to this day of course.

The G-Wagen, meanwhile, had a heavy steel body and to match the Range Rover's roadholding needed anti-roll bars. This, says Roger, limited axle articulation meaning Mercedes had to fit switchable diff locks to maintain off-road traction, originally operated by 'organ stop' controls and later electrically with dash-mounted switches. Effective but, Roger says, "it cost them a fortune" and made the G too expensive to compete with workhorse Defenders. Yet too utilitarian to rival the Range Rover.

1983 Land Rover got coil springs

Which isn't to say Roger is dismissive of the G-Wagen. When it first appeared and he got a chance to drive military spec ones with the Dutch army in the late 70s. And its coil sprung suspension was much more up to date than the then leaf-sprung Landie. "It was an impressive vehicle. We were evaluating coil springs for the Land Rover at this time," says Roger, this experience no doubt informing the boys from Solihull and inspiring them to follow suit with the heavily modernised 1983 Land Rover 90/110/130.

A pity then that, as Mercedes continues to support the G with up to date engines and mad special editions of its own, the Defender has gone beyond the point where this would be economically viable. There will probably still be some outrageous special edition Landies soldiering on at future Geneva shows. But the chance to see both grow old disgracefully together has been denied to us. And that's a damned shame!

Dan

[Sources: Land Rover, Mercedes Archive]

[MrTappets]

Do we actually know what Landie is bringing out to replace the Defender with? Strikes me that if it's not essentially the same, but with thoroughly updated underpinnings, they'll have missed the point. If you wouldn't feel comfortable literally turning a hose on the interior to clean it, it's not utilitarian enough in my books.

Give me something that looks identical, costs about the same, but doesn't have the NVH and safety credentials of a WW2 submarine and I'll be happy.