RE: Mercedes launches new G-Wagen

RE: Mercedes launches new G-Wagen

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easytiger123

2,591 posts

208 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
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andyxxx said:
A helpful response, thanks
I have a RR and keep toying with a change of Marque to a G63.

The motorway aspect you mention (and I assumed this may be the case) may well put me off.

Can I ask you if you have had any reliability issues/ niggles with the vehicle? - I vowed never to purchase another Mercedes (twenty years ago) when the quality and dealer network were dire. (for 20 years have owned JLR products with largely positive experiences)
No reliability issues whatsoever. As I said, I've never bounced the thing around off-road but we do use it most days and everything works as it did on day 1 and nothing has fallen off.

Hayek

8,969 posts

207 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
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GTEYE said:
Let this be a lesson for Land Rover with the new Defender.

As remakes go, this is absolutely first class. Top marks Mercedes!
This is what I thought, shame Land Rover couldn't continue to produce the proper defender and sell incrementally refined versions.

nickod

397 posts

159 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
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BlackPrince said:
sleepera6 said:
Sounds like the G is the car everyone loves, even though I don’t.

Mums love them.

Single women get their panties wet.

Non-PH men think it’s cool.

Gangsters and noveau rich men think it’s a status symbol for drugs, money and turf power (if applicable).

“Old money”/upper class people think it’s classy, the lower classes aspire for one.

Sounds like it’s an everymans car!
Do Mums really love them though? Perhaps the demographic is different in the UK but here in Canada, its mostly young guys who give off a similar impression as Youtuber Yiannimize (and even he hates it, as seen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf0CcAy9Ofs).

And most of my wealthy relatives in the UK (all in London), and my dad, who drives a W222 S500, think that the G-Wagen is crap, a leathered up truck that only a trollop or someone lacking breeding would drive.

I think they're awesome, though they are fairly crap to drive on road compared with RR or similar - though better on-road than a Wrangler (as it should be for >3x the price). I do hate the drug-dealer/council estate image though I suppose a lot of performance-type cars have that these days
I've never seen one on a council estate although I also don't feel the love from mums either. Most people outside Central London ( where 80% of them must live) don't know what it is.
IMO the larger alloys and blacked out windows etc do spoil the looks and make it look a bit '
' Russian' . The mid period ones look better I think and attract less SUV/4x4 opprobrium.
In the UK the S Class is perceived as an airport taxi.

DonkeyApple

54,921 posts

168 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
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Hayek said:
This is what I thought, shame Land Rover couldn't continue to produce the proper defender and sell incrementally refined versions.
It was too small for powerful directors. If you have a $14bn watch you don’t want to hang it outside of the car because your enormous manhood is taking up all the interior space. It’s essential that the cabin is wide enough for both the champion’s manhood and to have the consumer display shelf on which to rest the watch for everyone to see but with the window up to stop another champion from taking it.

Plug Life

978 posts

90 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
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DonkeyApple said:
It was too small for powerful directors. If you have a $14bn watch you don’t want to hang it outside of the car because your enormous manhood is taking up all the interior space. It’s essential that the cabin is wide enough for both the champion’s manhood and to have the consumer display shelf on which to rest the watch for everyone to see but with the window up to stop another champion from taking it.
Plus the water ingress in the Defender cabin can ruin the whale penis leather strap on your $14bn watch.

FerrariHub

531 posts

245 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
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numtumfutunch said:
Mind if I ask how it rates as a family car?

Our old RR Sport was ace in this respect:
- boot big enough for luggage plus dog
- enough comfort front and rear for trips to south of France with minimal stops
- bearable tank range to enable the above
- and other stuff like all weather/snow ability

How is life with a G wagon on a daily basis please?
As much as I love the idea of one they just look a bit cramped in the back seats and boot space

Cheers
Firstly they will drive very differently, and you will find that the RR Sport will drive better. Saying that, I much prefer the drive of the G, mainly because it drives what it looks like, and I love that about it. We use ours all the time, including school runs etc.

At actually very easy around town because it is not very big. Its not wide, and not long either. Its easy to park or get around in traffic. The fun comes though when you open it up, and the noise is just intoxicating! I remember when they were selling the SLR at Brooklands, they had an open day with drive for owners and potential buyers. The owners of the SLR actually complained that pace car (G55 AMG) sounded better than the SLR.

My wife loves it too, and she wont let me sell it. I wanted to let it go to buy a Ferrari FF, but se wont let me sell it. Part of the reason why is because it is so practical. The rear seats are good for adults for sure. The ones in the boot are also suitable for adults, but more for shorter journeys. but with them it means you can fit 9 adults in, which means often we get away with 1 car instead of two when we have a group of people round.

To answer some of your other questions:
Definitely can do south of France, but a Bentley will be a smoother drive.
Drinks a lot of fuel, so factor in stops every 250 miles. Nowadays that will cost £120!
I have 20" AMG alloys and we have been offroad in them. Never had any problems. In a previous car we had 18" AMGs and my wife drove it up a mud slope in North Wales. It was raining hard all day and although it struggled, it made it. A Land Cruiser on the same trail was embarrassed because he didnt make it.

You asked about practicality. Here are a few pics from last year. Camping in the wilderness.





FerrariHub

531 posts

245 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
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Another


andyxxx

1,164 posts

226 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
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I wish there was a two door ‘van’ version

soxboy

6,060 posts

218 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
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If I lived anywhere warm I’d love one of the Peugeot or Puch army versions - canvas roof, cut down doors.




Edited by soxboy on Tuesday 16th January 20:41

DonkeyApple

54,921 posts

168 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
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andyxxx said:
I wish there was a two door ‘van’ version
You can get the ex UN ones for about £12k. The UK dealer usually has a couple of dozen a year. I think they’re two door?

BugLebowski

1,033 posts

115 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
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Which leaves the mighty Suzuki Jimny and the Jeep Wrangler as the only new vehicles with solid front and rear axles....

The Wookie

13,909 posts

227 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
quotequote all
numtumfutunch said:
Mind if I ask how it rates as a family car?

Our old RR Sport was ace in this respect:
- boot big enough for luggage plus dog
- enough comfort front and rear for trips to south of France with minimal stops
- bearable tank range to enable the above
- and other stuff like all weather/snow ability

How is life with a G wagon on a daily basis please?
As much as I love the idea of one they just look a bit cramped in the back seats and boot space

Cheers
Having driven my old man’s G55 down to Antibes for him a few times I can tell you that by the time you reach Lyon you’d swerve off and plow it through the Armco at 130kmh if your right arm weren’t so tired from filling the poxy thing up with fuel.

PhantomPH

4,043 posts

224 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
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I must (sadly) admit that I am a big fan of the G Class 6x6 that they did a couple of years ago.

Can't seem to find one for sale atm, but this would fill that gap - what's not to like? smile

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...


DonkeyApple

54,921 posts

168 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
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BugLebowski said:
Which leaves the mighty Suzuki Jimny and the Jeep Wrangler as the only new vehicles with solid front and rear axles....
Playing Devil’s Ad, why does that matter? The entire world is now covered in roads, extreme off-roading for people with the money to buy brand new cars is purely a leisure pursuit. It’s not a requirement for anyone in reality.

stuckmojo

2,955 posts

187 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
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PhantomPH said:
I must (sadly) admit that I am a big fan of the G Class 6x6 that they did a couple of years ago.

Can't seem to find one for sale atm, but this would fill that gap - what's not to like? smile

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

I like it, but £180k for 122 horsepower seem a little bit expensive. Just.

GTEYE

2,092 posts

209 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
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A lot of love for the new G - when was the last time that happened on PH??

The Wookie

13,909 posts

227 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
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GTEYE said:
A lot of love for the new G - when was the last time that happened on PH??
Say what you like about the old model or the interior of the new one, it’s nice to see a manufacturer building what car enthusiasts and its customer base actually want rather than pandering to regulation and wider public perception

The G isn’t the same as something like a Morgan or a Caterham but the desire to stick to a loved design and not change it for the sake of it just appeals, I think

Richards 7

124 posts

213 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
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Curious vehicle. As good off road (easily) as Defender but 3 times more expensive (I know Defender not made any more). As expensive as a proper Range Rover but not as opulent. I don't 'get it' being superb off road but the interior is crap for that. Just imagine hosing that lot down, the silly little buttons or working a touch screen with gloves on. Yet for luxury I think the RR beats it. I think the early ones would be the ones to go for, properly built and simple inside. You're not going to go to a shoot and be able to clean it down inside easily. Great car in simple form, pointless city trinket in opulent (or should I say expensive) form

jhonn

1,556 posts

148 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
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Sensei Rob said:
I feel like the appeal was that it was a brutish vehicle that was built strong. Now, arguably, it's not as strong as it was before.
Not sure that I agree - there are lots of strong, capable 4x4's with similar independent suspension set-ups that 100% meet users needs (Shogun, Landcruiser. Jeep GC, Discovery).

If your thing is extreme off-roading (like rock-crawling) then there may be some advantage in having solid axles front and rear - however I can't see anyone spending the best part of 100k on a vehicle like the G-Wagen and doing that with it.

I take your point however that it does seem like an erosion of the ethos of the original utilitarian vehicle, however I suspect most buyers won't care and will instead enjoy the improved vehicle dynamics.
Kudos to Jeep for keeping the traditional axle set-up with the new Wrangler - that vehicle is aimed at a different market though. If money was no object I'd still take the new Wrangler (Rubicon) over the G-Wagen.

JohnoVR6

690 posts

211 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
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PhantomPH said:
what's not to like?

Chelsea Truck = Kahn, right? If so, plenty not to like...and, if it's anything like the 'show car' they had at Geneva, includes it being a 6x4, not a 6x6.