RE: Mercedes launches new G-Wagen
Discussion
They always seem very blingy/showy these days which is at odds with the original utilitarian vibe they had going, bought more as a statement than the off road capability, its like Fred Dibnah getting his teeth done and a wig and doing reality TV somehow. The drivers always seem a little bit geezerish, see the odd one round here and they seem to try to play it a bit gangster.
Sure its an epic piece of kit and Mercedes know their market, I like it but there is something that i find a bit iffy about the image.
Sure its an epic piece of kit and Mercedes know their market, I like it but there is something that i find a bit iffy about the image.
It would be nice if LR could do the same with the Defender, also similar to how Jeep has done with the Wrangler.
I guess the problem LR have is that the G Wagen stopped being utilitarian for the retail market years ago so Merc can afford to make it upmarket and price it accordingly. Despite the efforts of some third party modifiers, the Defender was never a £50k+ vehicle so LR are going to have to keep it good value if they are going to regain sales lost whilst it’s out of production.
Their best option is to do as they did 70 years ago and copy Jeep, with a Defender at the same price point and similar set up as the Wrangler.
I guess the problem LR have is that the G Wagen stopped being utilitarian for the retail market years ago so Merc can afford to make it upmarket and price it accordingly. Despite the efforts of some third party modifiers, the Defender was never a £50k+ vehicle so LR are going to have to keep it good value if they are going to regain sales lost whilst it’s out of production.
Their best option is to do as they did 70 years ago and copy Jeep, with a Defender at the same price point and similar set up as the Wrangler.
DonkeyApple said:
The key is to not have one in a gangsta/scrote monochrome colour and to not have shiny bling glued all over it.
A G in a deep maroon or green, even blue without the jangly jangly so beloved by the acolytes of J Saville is remarkably understated for a large wardrobe shaped object.
I think you're missing the target audience of the new G. A G in a deep maroon or green, even blue without the jangly jangly so beloved by the acolytes of J Saville is remarkably understated for a large wardrobe shaped object.
Article said:
There's little talk of engines though, with the only power unit specifically mentioned in the press release being the 4.0-litre V8 petrol of the G500, which is still not available in the UK. Currently on sale here are the 210hp 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel and the 570hp 5.5-litre AMG V8 petrol, so expect to see a similar line up announced in time.
Engines will probably be:- M256 3.0 I6 turbocharged petrol;
- M178 4.0 V8 turbocharged petrol;
- M277 6.0 V12 turbocharged petrol; and
- OM656 2.9 I6 turbocharged diesel.
huckster6 said:
Vile looking thing. Making it easier to drive, makes it more likely to be used by busy mums-in-a-hurry. 4WD essential round our way for dropping off tiny children at nursery or prep school. LOL.
How does this look vile? I get that your post indicates you're slightly bitter that this will be bought by the well healed Chelsea types more than Dave the farmer but it doesnt come across anymore blingy than a JLR product and Dave never was considering these before the update so he still wont care.
lost in espace said:
I think there is a 99.9% chance the new Defender won't look anything like the old one.
What I meant was, with the Merc, they managed to make it look modern whilst still retaining what was unique about the original, whereas the Defender I can see being a smaller Discovery. lost in espace said:
I think there is a 99.9% chance the new Defender won't look anything like the old one.
Seems daft doesn’t it. All the G Wagon shows is that it’s worth keeping the styling, or that rather in the modern world of these cars being used as SUVs and not off-road vehicles that the styling is exactly what creates the demand and probably the only thing. I think the world accepts that any new Defender will have the underpinnings of one of the current models but I’m pretty sure most people would want the body panels to pretty much be a reworking of the classic shape and to hell with MPG.
soxboy said:
I guess the problem LR have is that the G Wagen stopped being utilitarian for the retail market years ago so Merc can afford to make it upmarket and price it accordingly. Despite the efforts of some third party modifiers, the Defender was never a £50k+ vehicle so LR are going to have to keep it good value if they are going to regain sales lost whilst it’s out of production.
LR's real problem is that Toyota have utterly destroyed them in the 'rugged / utilitarian' segment of the market, making volume LR Defender sales unlikely and (therefore) the price of a new Defender will end up being too high for its 'core' market.I expect it will become another lifestyle trinket.
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