Everyone knows the origins of the Mercedes-Benz Geländewagen (cross-country car) as a military vehicle developed in the early 1970’s, and they are becoming more common as a recent phenomenon for the rich and famous. The earlier civilian models are a pretty rare sight though, and I have seen two recently!
After civilian production started in 1979 (above) and RHD exports commenced in 1981, the G-wagen was first introduced in Australia in 1983, with 100 300GD 4-speed automatic 5-door wagons imported, priced at $39,500 which was well above the Range Rover at the time. Reportedly the head of Mercedes-Benz Australia drove one of the first to land, coming back to say something along the lines of “you better fix this one, there is something very wrong with it”, only to be horrified when he was told it was fine and they were all like that! It took several years to sell the vehicles. Despite having standard diff locks, it was quite low-geared, with at top speed of just 120 km/h (75 mph) from the 65 kW/88 hp 5-cylinder diesel.
Mercedes-Benz had submitted a tender for the Australian Army’s Project Perentie with a long-wheelbase soft top version (ultimately Jaguar Rover Australia was awarded the contract, also over the Jeep J10), but this project in addition to the emerging recreational off-road market may have been the reason for bringing the G-wagen to Australia.
In 1985 the range was expanded with a 230GE variant, manual transmission, SWB 3-door wagon and convertible bodies (the latter only available as a 230) added in 1986. The short wheelbase was 2400 mm (94.5”) compared with the 5-door’s 2850 mm (112.2”) which is on the long side for serious off-roading. I’m not sure whether either of these rigs are 230 or 300’s, as I don’t think there are any indications other than the model badges that I didn’t see in either case.
Still sales were not great, apparently just 56 more were sold by the time the range was dropped in 1988. The floating of the Australian dollar at the end of 1983 contributed to the price rising to over $80,000 by the end, which was obviously not going to fly in a post-stockmarket crash world. Note this was still $20k cheaper than a 300E sedan! It was actually the 463-series revisions in 1990 that put the nail in the coffin for the G-wagen in Australia. While there was now leather and wood trim, it was the new exhaust that exited at the side of the vehicle ahead of the rear wheels that did not comply with Australian Design Rules. There was an attempt to resolve this, but I suspect it was just too hard for the number of sales that could be anticipated.
Although there have been some privately imported over the years, it wasn’t until 2010 that the G-wagen would return to Australia in G350 Bluetec diesel and G55 (and subsequent G63) forms, starting at $161k. Meanwhile the USA finally received the G-wagen in 2002.
Of course this did not go completely smoothly, with a promotional trip up the extremely rugged (to say the least!) Canning Stock Route in Western Australia seeing a posse of G-wagens suffering from blown shock absorbers due to the endless corrugations half-way through the 1100-mile trip. As seen in the photo above, they are not supposed to be in two pieces! There are really only two ways to deal with corrugations; either go fast and skip across the top of them with your tyres only touching the road maybe 10% of the time (and your shock absorbers seeing a huge heat load that will eventually destroy them), or go slowly.
Photo from www.motoring.com.au
With new shock absorbers flown in, the convoy made it to its destination, although there was other damage along the way like spare tyre and AdBlue tank brackets breaking off due to the relentless pounding.
Photo from www.motoring.com.au
There are worse things that could happen though… this photo was taken on that Mercedes-Benz press trip of a Jeep Grand Cherokee (I think!).
And almost 30 years later the Australian Army finally got the G-wagen, to replace the ageing Land Rover fleet. The vehicles are upfitted with required equipment in Newcastle NSW before being delivered to the Army, and their trailers are built in Brisbane.
Australia has made one contribution to the G-wagen however, with the 6×6 variant being developed for the Australian Army for heavier duty use, to replace the legendary Perentie Land Rovers.
Photo from www.motoring.com.au
And the G-wagen is still available as a “proper” off-roader in the civilian world too, with the G Professional that shares a lot with the military version including a detuned 3.0 V6 turbodiesel and a 5-speed automatic gearbox instead of the ‘normal’ 7-speed, as well as strengthened everything and proper all-terrain tyres. The Victorian government recently purchased some to use as light fire fighters in national parks.
Photo from www.agoa.org.au
As with the military model, it is the off-road prowess that is the reason why people have more than a faddish interest in the G-wagen; long may it continue!
Further Reading:
CC Outtake: Mercedes G280 – Pre-Bling Era
I saw one of these the other day and decided to look up what they sold for. They start at $120k. Start, not top out at.
That’s more than the starting price of an S-class! No. Effing. Way.
Made and designed by Puch here in Austria, actually. Those have a cult status here and keep their value well. And no, there were never cheap even in their home country.
Actually not. It was a joint project between DB and Puch. And actually, MBZ in Germany was responsible for the design and testing, while Puch contributed with its AWD experience and was responsible for the production planning. The project was initiated by DB, and mostly paid for it by them, and it rightfully gets the primary responsibility.
Puch would not have had the capital and the engineering resources to do the G Klasse by themselves. They were quite a small firm then.
Your version of the story is more popular in Austria, though. 🙂
Initiated at the suggestion of DB shareholder the Shah of Iran, IIRC.
Hmmm… Strictly speaking it was a 50:50 joint venture but I’d say the lion’s share of the work was done in Graz, not Stuttgart; MB at that time did not have any experience with lighter 4×4 vehicles (the previous ones, built before and during WWII, were no great success), so:)
From Wikipedia:
“1975 wurde die Serienproduktion beschlossen und als Fertigungsstandort Graz gewählt, wo auch der Großteil der Entwicklungsarbeit geleistet wurde. Dort wird die G-Klasse bis heute mit einem erheblichen Anteil an manueller Arbeit hergestellt. Neben der Produktion ist seit 1992 auch die Weiterentwicklung der G-Klasse in Graz beheimatet.”
Ah, the G Wagon. A great, durable, timeless offroad symbol that will still putter along in the end of days. Y’know, before it became a vapid, blinged out, mcmansion mobile for status hungry, equally vapid, noveau riche morons whose only offroad experience will be the grass that’s near the mall and whose starting price is more expensive than a Maserati Quattroporte.
For a few years, Mercedes-Benz offered the limited edition of the military version of 461 for civilian market under the Professional and Pur labels. They proved to be well-received, and Professional is still listed in the sales catalogue since 2012.
The latest version is still offered, which is mixture of 461 and facelifted 463:
http://www.mercedes-benz.de/content/germany/mpc/mpc_germany_website/de/home_mpc/passengercars/home/new_cars/models/g-class/_w463_crosscountry/facts_/specialeditions/g350dprofessional.html
Yes the fire truck above is one of those. It has a 620L tank for fighting forest fires. I also came across a tour company that does trips in outback Western Australia using a fleet of 4×4 and 6×6 G Professionals. I gather that M-B will do fleet orders of these in Australia, but they are not on sale at a retail level.
I have always liked these G-Wagen’s and Unimog. Sadly, given my income bracket, it might as well be a Bugatti Veyron….sigh
Now and then I see one. And if a do it’s an AMG, with the side pipes.
The Dutch Army, or what’s left of it, replaced the G-wagen by the VW Amarok. Old and new sitting next to each other:
Yep, AMG city over here. Either white or black.
That is interesting, no doubt a reduction in utility and offroad ability but cheaper and probably some other advantages of a more modern design.
The fire truck above replaced a Toyota Landcruiser 70-series, and it appears they cost about 50% more.
And since it’s Peugeot Fest, here’s the Peugeot P4.
More info: http://mercedesgwagen.galeon.com/enlaces680588.html
I was hoping that would get worked in. I was actually thinking of a P4 post, but this is good enough.
I was aware of that, but didn’t want to expand the scope of the article too much. Likewise I didn’t mention Jacky Ickz winning the 1983 Paris-Dakar in one.
Every afternoon here in Santa Monica a convoy of black G-wagons and Range Rovers lines up outside of Calthorp School (tuition $26,275+) on San Vicente Boulevard to pick up the little princes and princesses of privilege.
Sad to say, but that tuition doesn’t even sound that expensive relative to what I’ve been accustomed to being originally from Minnesota.. $44,180 is the going rate for this school year at St. Olaf, the school my dad swore I would attend like he did. He was pissed when I said fuck that at the time, but now I don’t think he feels the same way, lol…
I was a little surprised when I looked it up as I expected it to be higher – still seems alien to me as I attended public institutions, from elementary on, right up through graduate school at UCLA.
Scary, isn’t it? Mortgaging one’s future is dicey, at best…
If you guys see Kim Kardashian over there ask if she likes her ride.
My first introduction to the Gelandewagen was the diecast Matchbox version. The first real one I saw was in 2004, which was an AMG version. An aesthetically-interesting vehicle – the proportions shouldn’t work, yet somehow it manages to look quite reasonable. I’d liken it to a cross between a Land Rover Defender and a Range Rover, less utilitarian than the former and less luxurious than the later. I’d go a Rangie any day though!
Esci did a 1/24 plastic kit of one way back in the eighties. I didn’t exactly pimp this one…..
A few weeks ago I was at the dealer getting the GL washed (for free, yay!) and had my 13yo daughter with me. We walk toward the showroom and she says “hey, that’s a G-Wagen, right?” and pointed at a pearl white AMG version with a sticker of over $160k. I was quite surprised (and inwardly delighted) that she recognized it but then she told me that Kim Kardashian had one and that was where she knew it from which I wasn’t so thrilled about…She fixed things a little bit by telling me she didn’t really like them (and wouldn’t want one -thank goodness!)
Hehehe. A small moment of exquisite insight into fatherhood.
Never driven or ridden one. It’s been said Mercedes used to be cars for smart people, then they switched to being cars for rich people. I’ve heard the originals were quite capable off-roaders, but by the time they came to the US, they had been pimped & priced to give millionaires something to brag about at cocktail parties. I’d buy an old Isuzu Trooper first!
Happy Motoring, Mark
It’s not even the cost, it’s the style! It’s the sort of thing the nouveau riche guy in khaki shorts, tennies, and a t shirt drives to the symphony-and then proceeds to talk loudly about professional sports. So ungodly gauche I’m embarrassed just describing the imaginary scene.
If the thing was a $50k Jeep, it would make more sense. As something that looks like, on the outside, what peasants and soldiers drive, $100k + is just silly to ask and even sillier to buy.
Incidentally, the G-Wagen was also considered in Israel by the IDF but ultimately rejected in favor of the Israeli-assembled and considerably modified Jeep CJ (the “Sufa” – see below next to a standard Wrangler). Apparently there were also political considerations involved. It was thought a bit insensitive in light of certain past history for the IDF to use a MB. To me this always sounded like an excuse not to buy what is the most expensive vehicle of its type and one which not have been eligible for US military aid (only provided if the vehicle is produced in the US or has sufficient US-made content), given the thousands of MB 4X2 trucks the IDF had.