Walking around Denver the other morning I spotted this delightful positioning of two vehicles that both started their original production careers as military vehicles. Both have since become much more than that in the hearts and minds of their fans. While both are still extremely capable off-road, their primary mission is obviously urban warfare these days on the mean streets of America’s cities (and suburbs).
Mercedes’ G-Wagen was first developed as a military vehicle following a suggestion by the Shah of Iran in the 1970’s and in the years since has even counted the United States Marine Corps as a customer. Obviously this is a civilian version which like all G-Wagen was built in Graz, Austria by Magna-Steyr for Mercedes. The Jeep is the relatively new four-door version of the Wrangler which has been wildly successful since being introduced and like all Jeep Wranglers is built in Toledo, Ohio.
I know the current Wrangler DOES have a military version still in use, and Im pretty sure the G-Wagen does too. Really wish the Jeep J8 with its CRD engine, and 2 door lwb bodystyle was available to civilians. Easiest way to a Scrambler going.
I didn’t mean to imply otherwise, sorry if it was ambiguous.
I didn’t think you were…but many people don’t realize that Wranglers have returned to military service in one form or another. G-wagen…Im sure someone knows for certain.
I didn’t know the Wrangler was back in service. The G-Wagon should still be in production for military; I know Canada has quite a few in the military.
It is in Israel as the Sufa (Storm) 4. Assembled in Upper Nazareth by AIL (http://ail.co.il/) with many modifications it is in current service with the IDF – see below. Notice the height and other differences.
That snorkel I see on Australian outback vehicles too.
According to Allpar.com, the military version of the Jeep Wranglers called the Oscar Mike (OM) abd only 200 were built.
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\http://www.allpar.com/SUVs/jeep/wrangler-2011.html
A wonderful palette cleanser after having to see all of those soft 90s designs this week 🙂
This picture makes me expect Bruce Willis to come crashing through the building’s windows in a blaze of machine gun fire any second. 🙂
I expect a millennial who was distracted while texting crashing through in a flood of spilled pumpkin spice latte.
The G-Wagen has gone on a rather incredible journey, from a SWB 2-door pure off-roader to a LWB 4-door AMG-modified blinged-out transport for the wealthy and famous.
The Wrangler, on the other hand, has remained remarkably true to its original intentions, even if most of the 4-door versions probably never leave the pavement.
I blew my top when the 4 door Wrangler debuted, I was already resentful of the decline of the 2 door in general circa 2007, then even the damn Wrangler dawns two more doors? What’s next? The Miata? I’m still uneasy about it, how long before some beancounter looking to cut production cost decides to please out the 2 door version of that too?
I digress. The Wrangler has a better chance of going off road an owner or two from now, the G wagon will be transporting it’s owners to Botox clinics for the foreseeable future.
Im sorta with you here. It’s not the 4-door’s existence that bothers me…its that the 2-door looks a bit wonky and like an afterthought compared to it. The classic 2 door open top 4×4 IS Jeep. It should always be the most pure and elemental vehicle in the lineup, which it arguably still is. The TJ, being the rockstar that it is, still represents the pinnacle of the Wrangler. The 4-dr JK has done a LOT for Chrysler as a whole and has made a ‘real’ Jeep a practical choice for families. I just wish that it would have turned out more like the Rescue concept. Keep the 4-dr JK body more or less as is with the top options, add an SUT and fit it to a Ram 1500 frame with solid axles. Tahoe, yukon, expedition? WHO? Then the 2-door could have kept the TJ aesthetic and evolved from there…with a Hemi!
“I digress. The Wrangler has a better chance of going off road an owner or two from now, the G wagon will be transporting it’s owners to Botox clinics for the foreseeable future.”
You win the Internet for the day!
Hard to believe people pay over four times the starting price of a Wrangler Unlimited for one of those G-Wagens. Even if I had that kind of stupid money, I just don’t know how I’d have fun forking over that kind of cash.
Some things I will never understand.
I recall seeing that the 2-door and 4-door JK Wranglers sell in near-equal numbers.
Actually, according to Allpar, the 4-door Unlimited has outsold the 2-door model every year since its introduction in 2007, and as of 2012 makes up over 60% of Wrangler sales.
http://www.allpar.com/cars/production/wrangler.html
Looks like the XJ Cherokee has been vindicated again! The 2-door Wrangler, like the Willys MB, has very restricted rear space.
Never driven, but have sat in the G-Class. Don’t get me wrong, it IS a very empowering vehicle, one which I would very much like to drive for a little bit, especially the AMG G65 with 621 hp and 738 lb-ft torque. But for the price of a small house, I can think of a dozen vehicles I’d rather buy first.
I mean really, the interior looks like a Wrangler’s with a M-B center console, steering wheel, and seats. The GLS is a far better vehicle for the money, and far less money at that. The G-Class is definitely the Cadillac Brougham of Mercedes-Benz’s lineup.
The Wrangler is equally a questionable choice. Like the G-Class people primarily buy it purely for the looks, as other Jeeps like the Grand Cherokee offer a far better value for one’s money. It’s insane how the Wranglers hold their value though, as they appeal to all demographics from teenage girls to old men.
I don’t disagree with you but it’s marketed towards people that live in neighborhoods where there are no small houses at similar prices 🙂 i.e. money is not a consideration. You must see the same thing to a slightly lesser degree with people that buy an X6M. Talk about defying rational explanation!
The G-Wagon is vastly more capable off-road than a GLS, not that either of them will go very far if at all offroad, at least not in the form they are sold to the public over here. At least it (the G) IS still available in a stripped down version for military and public works purposes. Incremental sales to the public are pure gravy, especially when they take up production at an outside supplier at a presumably pre-negotiated cost of manufacture, i.e. how does Mercedes lose?
I had to look up the price of a G-class. It reminded me of what I’ve heard old timers say when discussing the prices of new cars. “That’s as much as I payed for my (first) house”. It made me think about that because it is what I payed for my second house.
Right now in my county there is exactly one house for sale at or under that price and it is a major fixer in a less than desirable location.
The Wrangler is in a unique position as being the only truly off road capable vehicle with a removable top you can get now a days, The Bronco, Blazer and Scout and original FJ all abandoned that concept long ago. Hell you can still even take the doors off the Wrangler. Let me tell you, being in a completely open Jeep on the open road is a blast that no enclosed luxury isolation chamber could dream of matching, you’ll stop questioning when you do, you’ll start to see the absurdity of the mainstream S/CUVs when you do.
Ah yes, the G-Wagen. Astronomically expensive even in its country of origin as Puch G. However, for those who know of its off-road capabilities (far better than the Jeep’s or, in fact most other 4X4s) it’s worth it. So what we have here are two types of owners, one corresponding with its US equivalent (very wealthy, living in a posh part of the country and never takes the vehicle off-road), the other more like the guy who has an older 4×4 pick up in the US (and who, in many cases purchased the vehicle at an Army or fire fighting service surplus sale – see the vehicle below).
… and another one, complete with an anti EU sticker.
I don’t understand why folks put stickers on rear windows where they obstruct visibility (which here is already hindered by the spare tire).
I even remove the rear headrest in my Civic if no one needs it.