Deliveries of the box-shaped car tripled in the past five years to 12000 vehicles in 2013. The top-of-the-range G65 with a V12 engine is the most expensive model in the entire Mercedes lineup. As the manufacturers restyles the rest of its luxury sport-utility vehicles, executives say the G-Class's angular form will stay the same.
"It has to continue as it looks today" Daimler Chief Executive Officer Dieter Zetsche said last month. "It's not a vehicle that pretends. The G-Class is the original".
Stands out in a sea of streamlined cars, the $137,150 off roader is a lesson in how ignoring trends can pay dividends. after the planned demise next year of the Land Rover Defender, the G-Class will be among the last old-school SUVs in production derived from a military vehicle.
By combining a rugged exterior with interior that includes a dashboard screen, the size of a tablet and heated leather seats, Mercedes has made Nigeria the natural habitat of the G-Class rather than the forest-coated Alpine countryside where its made. Topping the list of its drivers are the elites of the cities of Abuja and Lagos , who draw the attention of other road users with its roaring exhaust system,
"It has no purpose in life other than annoying us poor people with its noise" Hussaini Audu said, lamenting on the hearty exhaust snort.
Rising Sales
The future of the G-Class is playing out against a backdrop of change at Mercedes. the Stuttgart-based company is fighting a stodgy reputation as it tries to regain its former position atop the luxury car market.
" When it comes to the combination of the off road capabilities and luxury, there's no alternative" said Akin Apoola, a G Class owner and luxury car lover.In an interview in his office, he added that he doesn't consider his Range Rover and others to be competitors because of the car's proven backwoods abilities.
"The G-Class provides the genes for all Mercedes-Benz SUVs" he opined.
Fuel Gulping
None of these boxy, fuel- gulping cars make sense purely as transport in a country of tightening petroleum supply,
"you don't need them if we want to get from point A to B"
Still Mercedes is building ever more exotic variants of the G-Class, including a 6x6 three-axle model with a pick-up load area behind a cabin that houses four electrically adjustable, heated and ventilated individual seats. Other changes would repel fans.
Goes Anywhere
During a test drive up in the up hill of Jos, Plateau State , the vehicle climbed up slippery rocks you couldn't master on foot, the right front wheel hanging in midair while the rear left wheel barely touched the ground.
" G stands for 'goes anywhere' said Mustapha Samaroo, a test driver familiar with the tricks of nearly two-mile defensive course, which include shutting off the G-Class parking aid sensors while driving through bushes.
Let’s go with that last one; knowing you’re able to give
more than you get is a wonderful feeling. Hard to articulate perhaps, as everyone
just describes it as “Awesome!” So be it. And that’s just
around town. The dirt is a much better story.
I know. Believe you me, I know. I know that 99.9% of
Mercedes-Benz G Wagon owners — if not more — will never, ever, no matter what,
even in the event of the Zombie Apocalypse, take their bling-mobiles off
pavement. I know that, I get that, I feel you. But we did. And dude, is this
sucker sweet in the dirt! Still, even on rubber band-like meats, the
Mercedes-Benz G Wagon is an absolute mountain goat on the off-road course.
True, it does not have any sort of Land Rover-style computerized off-road
settings and electronic torque vectoring or adjustable air suspension.
The Mercedes-Benz G Wagon does however feature low-range
crawling gears and those locking diffs. As far as production vehicles go, there
ain’t many better. The takeaway is that even though it’s mostly driven by wealthy
people, the Mercedes-Benz G Wagon is the real, dirty deal in the dirt.
One more point, think about just how iconic the G-Wagon is.
Porsche just launched the sixth generation 911. Ford’s about to drop the sixth
generation Mustang. Chevy’s on the seventh Corvette. There’s even been three
Volkswagen Beetles (kinda). Yet there’s only been one Mercedes-Benz G Wagon SUV
from 1979 till date Because, why would you mess with a winning formula?
Sometimes the anti-social choice is the right one.
The 2015 G63 AMG SUV
MSRP $137,150*
Passenger capacity
5 adults
Trunk capacity
75.1 cu ft
Transmission type
7-speed AMG SPEEDSHIFT® PLUS
Engine
5.5L AMG biturbo V-8
Power
536 hp @ 5,500 rpm
Acceleration, 0 - 60 mph
5.3 sec
City fuel economy
12 mpg
Highway fuel economy
14 mpg
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