The Mercedes-Benz G-Class or G-Wagen, short for Geländewagen (or cross-country vehicle), is a four-wheel drive vehicle / sport utility vehicle (SUV) produced by German automaker Mercedes-Benz. It was borne by proposals for a military vehicle in the early 1970s by the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran, a major Daimler-Benz shareholder. Developed in co-operation with the Austrian car manufacturer Steyr-Daimler-Puch, production of the G-Class began in 1979 with the 460 Series models. The G-Class has been sold under the Puch name in certain markets, and the Peugeot P4 is a variant made under license, with a Peugeot engine and other equipment. It an expensive and the largest SUV produced by Mercedes-Benz.
Mercedes-Benz secured military contracts for the vehicle in the late 1970s and offered a civilian version to the public in 1979. Designed to be a durable, reliable, and rugged off-roader, the G-wagen utilizes three fully locking differentials (one of the few vehicles sold in the U.S. to have such, along with the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, Toyota 80-series Land Cruiser, Pinzgauer High Mobility All-Terrain Vehicle, and Mercedes-Benz Unimog). Among the engines offered in the G-Class for the 2004 model year is a 5.5-litre V8.
Marking its 25th anniversary, the 2005 Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG was relaunched as the G55 Kompressor or G55K and received a boost in power, thanks to a 5.5-liter, supercharged V8 developing 469 hp (350 kW) and 516 lb•ft (700 N•m). of torque.
W460/W461
The original W460 G-Wagen went on sale for civilian buyers in the model year 1979. It was offered with two wheelbases, a short wheel base (SWB) of 2400 mm and a long one (LWB) of 2850 mm. One could choose between three body styles: A 2-door SWB convertible, a 2-door SWB wagon and a LWB 4-door wagon. The two wagons were also available as windowless 2-door Van (or 'Kastenwagen' in German).
During the G-wagens impressive life span many a different body style was made for army and public-service clients, like the Popemobile, the pickup or the chassis/cab with a wheel base of 2850, 3120 or 3400 mm, the chassis/cab being the base vehicle for army-ambulances or communication vehicles. Please note that, because of the sheer variety of military versions, this article is mainly about the somewhat more standardized civilian G-Wagen.
The W460 was popular with military and off-road enthusiasts, with more than 50,000 built in the first decade. The vehicle was not offered in the United States officially, but by means of "casual importation" grey-market in the mid-1980s, importers were successful in selling some G-Wagens (mostly W463s) that had been modified to meet US DOT specifications for around $135,000.
The production of the W460 ended August 1991. It was replaced by the all but identical W461. Initially, engine choices were limited to the four cylinder 230GE petrol- and five cylinder 290GD diesel engine. The W460 'cabrio' version was skipped. From 1997 the W461 sported a slightly updated interior with better seats, changed door panels and an updated dash. From this time, the W461 was only available as 290GD Turbo Diesel with 4-speed automatic transmission. The petrol engine was dropped. Disc brakes all around became standard and the bell-housing of the front axle was changed to accommodate larger reduction-gears. The exterior and other mechanics changed little, not even the model badge which kept indicating 290GD.
W463 / X164 (2006 and beyond)
It was rumored that, with military contracts for the G-Class completed, production of the old G-wagen in Graz, Austria would cease as of 2006. However, reports state that production of the current G-wagen will continue for the foreseeable future, alongside its once-intended replacement, the GL-Class (X164). An outcry among enthusiasts who admired the G-Class for its tremendous off-road potential (for example, the only SUV in the North American market with 3 locking differentials) showed that a market still existed for such a vehicle. Mercedes-Benz elected to continue G-Class production for the hardcore off-road market, while the larger 3-row GL-Class would be marketed as a competitor for the likes of the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator.
As of July 2006, Mercedes-Benz announced a late-availability 2006 model year G-Class on its website. The company also showed a facelifted 2007 model at the Paris Auto Show in September 2006 and increased the power of the G 55 K AMG version from 476 to 500 hp (370 kW).
It is also possible that a compact off-roader called G-Class will be built, both as a 3-door and as a 5-door, besides the GLK-Class compact crossover SUV.
The new G-Wagen will use the company's updated 4-valve V6 and V8 engines and will have an updated interior and exterior.
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