G Class 350 Bluetec- Advice?
Discussion
I've always loved and admired the G Class- the unique look, massive road presence, military heritage, ultimate off roader, the fact it has barely changed visually in 30+ years, it's a car with a personality and an odd sort of quirky charm to it that is so rare to find in a world of mass produced, soulless, joyless cars. They are stunning looking cars IMHO.
Last year I ticked the (somewhat) practical supercar box with a Porsche 997.2 Turbo S which I absolutely love, and am hopefully keeping very long term.
I am considering the G350 as a daily driver car. I don't do that many miles so the daily would not do more than 6000-7000 per year max.
I started reading up on it recently and that's were the problem started- I am yet to find a positive review. Everyone seems to suggest it is too expensive/luxurious to use off road and far too compromised as a road car? Every review ends with a statement saying how bad it is to drive, but that they still want one
Has anyone owned or driven one? I would love some feedback on it from people with practical experience.
The list of down sides listed regularly are the poor fuel economy (25 mpg), shocking handling, excessive cabin noise, very sensitive suspension, very intrusive esp, cramped inside despite size, etc. etc.
It has a odd 'boxy' shape of course, it's actually a very short car considering it's weight, very tall and very heavy, which makes it really un-aerodynamic and apparently taking any sort of turn is severely compromised to a point which makes the car a pain to drive?
I will drive one myself of course, but would also like to hear from anyone with experience.
Any happy owners out there?
Last year I ticked the (somewhat) practical supercar box with a Porsche 997.2 Turbo S which I absolutely love, and am hopefully keeping very long term.
I am considering the G350 as a daily driver car. I don't do that many miles so the daily would not do more than 6000-7000 per year max.
I started reading up on it recently and that's were the problem started- I am yet to find a positive review. Everyone seems to suggest it is too expensive/luxurious to use off road and far too compromised as a road car? Every review ends with a statement saying how bad it is to drive, but that they still want one
Has anyone owned or driven one? I would love some feedback on it from people with practical experience.
The list of down sides listed regularly are the poor fuel economy (25 mpg), shocking handling, excessive cabin noise, very sensitive suspension, very intrusive esp, cramped inside despite size, etc. etc.
It has a odd 'boxy' shape of course, it's actually a very short car considering it's weight, very tall and very heavy, which makes it really un-aerodynamic and apparently taking any sort of turn is severely compromised to a point which makes the car a pain to drive?
I will drive one myself of course, but would also like to hear from anyone with experience.
Any happy owners out there?
I can't comment on the G350 specifically but I can give you my views on the G-Class in general having bought one as my daily driver around 6 months ago.
I first saw the Geländewagen in my local Mercedes-Benz showroom when I was just a boy. I was attracted by the military heritage and the all conquering off-road ability. Almost 30 years later I was fed up with modern cars all looking the same and having no character. The G on the other hand has been continuously developed and refined over the years and has reached iconic status. Like you I read the reviews that said the Range Rover is better in every way but you see one on every journey and they blend into obscurity. The G has character that few other cars can match. So I ignored all those boring reviews and feel proud to be an owner of one of the best cars Mercedes-Benz has ever produced.
Being a design conceived in the 1970s, dimensionally it is more compact than you might think which actually makes it okay to drive around town or up narrow tracks. The height may cause issues with some car parks and a standard up and over garage door though. The space inside won't match a more modern design such as the GLS or Range Rover but that doesn't bother me. The high quality makes the interior a very nice place to be.
Performance wise the handling was never going to be great on road around the corners due to the weight and the off-road suspension set-up. Despite this I find it perfectly acceptable and a great cruising vehicle. Huge amounts of torque make driving a joy. The gearbox is rather slow to react sometimes but that is really my only criticism. The straight line performance of my G is incredible. Off-road it has few rivals, one of the all time greats. Economy is what you'd expect from a heavy vehicle with poor aerodynamics. My average for the first 4k is 15mpg (petrol engine), the diesel ought to be a bit better. I've found the suspension and ride to be fine too, no complaints at all. Noise is not overly intrusive, again no negative comments. The G models also seem to hold their value well.
Overall I can't think what else I'd have instead (well I'd be tempted by a Lamborghini LM002!). To summarise, I've absolutely no regrets, the G is the best car I've ever owned by far! I look forward to driving it every day and now my weekend car (Dodge Viper GTS) actually feels boring!
I first saw the Geländewagen in my local Mercedes-Benz showroom when I was just a boy. I was attracted by the military heritage and the all conquering off-road ability. Almost 30 years later I was fed up with modern cars all looking the same and having no character. The G on the other hand has been continuously developed and refined over the years and has reached iconic status. Like you I read the reviews that said the Range Rover is better in every way but you see one on every journey and they blend into obscurity. The G has character that few other cars can match. So I ignored all those boring reviews and feel proud to be an owner of one of the best cars Mercedes-Benz has ever produced.
Being a design conceived in the 1970s, dimensionally it is more compact than you might think which actually makes it okay to drive around town or up narrow tracks. The height may cause issues with some car parks and a standard up and over garage door though. The space inside won't match a more modern design such as the GLS or Range Rover but that doesn't bother me. The high quality makes the interior a very nice place to be.
Performance wise the handling was never going to be great on road around the corners due to the weight and the off-road suspension set-up. Despite this I find it perfectly acceptable and a great cruising vehicle. Huge amounts of torque make driving a joy. The gearbox is rather slow to react sometimes but that is really my only criticism. The straight line performance of my G is incredible. Off-road it has few rivals, one of the all time greats. Economy is what you'd expect from a heavy vehicle with poor aerodynamics. My average for the first 4k is 15mpg (petrol engine), the diesel ought to be a bit better. I've found the suspension and ride to be fine too, no complaints at all. Noise is not overly intrusive, again no negative comments. The G models also seem to hold their value well.
Overall I can't think what else I'd have instead (well I'd be tempted by a Lamborghini LM002!). To summarise, I've absolutely no regrets, the G is the best car I've ever owned by far! I look forward to driving it every day and now my weekend car (Dodge Viper GTS) actually feels boring!
Thanks for the feedback- I see you have a G63 Brabus..wow, must be quite a beast
I think one of my concerns with the G Class 350 was that it's of course not as fun as the G63 but also not much more practical or usable making it hard to justify as potentially it does't tick either box.
Good to know it is fine on road. The 350 gets just 25 mpg combined which is really poor for a diesel 4x4, on a motorway run I think it's over 30 mpg, not sure of the exact figure but again it's pretty bad. The height in some car parks is an issue as you say, the rear space being limited not for me as I don't have any kids.
They do hold their value exceptionally well. I have seen 90's examples selling for amounts in the 30's so a 2010-2012 G Class looks very good value considering list price in the UK was £86,000 extras another £10,000 approx on top. The 2010-2012 examples seem to be at the very bottom of their depreciation curve as they were close to 100k cars here so a good one will not lose money if not many miles are added. They are also very rare, and will always have their niche so again a nice example with lower miles will always hold value very well.
The road presence of the G Class to me is second to none, it's up there with whatever super car,..there's just something about it that's hard to put into words or describe. It has so much character. I would never compare one to a Range Rover which to me is so boring and bland, of no appeal at all, see tens of them a day.
I'll drive one as soon as possible, hopefully I enjoy the experience. I think I saw a review from Chris Harris where he said something along the lines of 'just being in a G class is a nice experience',..so hopefully I like it.
Any G 350 owners/drivers out there?
I think one of my concerns with the G Class 350 was that it's of course not as fun as the G63 but also not much more practical or usable making it hard to justify as potentially it does't tick either box.
Good to know it is fine on road. The 350 gets just 25 mpg combined which is really poor for a diesel 4x4, on a motorway run I think it's over 30 mpg, not sure of the exact figure but again it's pretty bad. The height in some car parks is an issue as you say, the rear space being limited not for me as I don't have any kids.
They do hold their value exceptionally well. I have seen 90's examples selling for amounts in the 30's so a 2010-2012 G Class looks very good value considering list price in the UK was £86,000 extras another £10,000 approx on top. The 2010-2012 examples seem to be at the very bottom of their depreciation curve as they were close to 100k cars here so a good one will not lose money if not many miles are added. They are also very rare, and will always have their niche so again a nice example with lower miles will always hold value very well.
The road presence of the G Class to me is second to none, it's up there with whatever super car,..there's just something about it that's hard to put into words or describe. It has so much character. I would never compare one to a Range Rover which to me is so boring and bland, of no appeal at all, see tens of them a day.
I'll drive one as soon as possible, hopefully I enjoy the experience. I think I saw a review from Chris Harris where he said something along the lines of 'just being in a G class is a nice experience',..so hopefully I like it.
Any G 350 owners/drivers out there?
Edited by Chad_Hugo on Thursday 10th March 20:48
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