Mercedes-Benz does not build many cars like the Mercedes-Benz G-Class with diesel engine, built from 1979 as the oil crises and the first emissions rules rewired the industry.
The story
The Mercedes-Benz G-Class, colloquially known as the G-Wagon or G-Wagen (as an abbreviation of Geländewagen), is a four-wheel drive luxury SUV sold by Mercedes-Benz. Originally developed as a military off-roader, later more luxurious models were added to the line. In certain markets, it was sold under the Puch name as Puch G until 2000. The G-Class is characterised by its boxy styling and body-on-frame construction. It uses three fully locking differentials, making it one of the few passenger vehicles to have such a feature.
Despite the introduction of an intended replacement, the unibody SUV Mercedes-Benz GL-Class in 2006, the G-Class is still in production and is one of the longest-produced vehicles in Daimler's history, with a span of 47 years; only the Unimog surpasses it. In 2018, Mercedes-Benz introduced the second-generation W463 with heavily revised chassis, powertrain, body, and interior. In 2023, Mercedes-Benz announced plans to launch a smaller version of the G-Class, named "little G"—though no definitive date was given for the launch. The 400,000th unit was built on 4 December 2020. The success of the second-generation W463 led to the 500,000th unit milestone three years later in April 2023. The 500,000th model was a special one-off model with agave green paintwork, black front end, and amber turn signal indicators in tribute to the iconic 1979 press release photo of a jumping W460 240 GD.
What is underneath
Under the skin sits diesel engine. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
Where it sits in Mercedes-Benz's history is not in doubt: it was built at Graz. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Lancia Delta, the GM (General Motors) Saab 900, the Audi Quattro. Nearby in the Mercedes-Benz catalogue sit the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL and the Mercedes-Benz C124.
The money
EPA combined economy is 30 mpg, about $2,550 a year in fuel at the EPA's assumptions. Condition, mileage and specification move any single car a long way from a headline figure.