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The Mercedes Benz G class' original claim to fame was for its off road capabilities, being able to scurry up sand dunes, crawl over rocks, trudge through mud, and splash through deep water.
But then somewhere along the way during its 40 years of existence, the box on wheels also became a status symbol to roam the streets of cities like Miami and Los Angeles.
And now a new G class generation has debuted for 2019.
It of course still features formal off-road chops but now also packs a slew of improvements to make it a more competent and comfortable on road cruiser to be seen in At first glance, the new G515 may not look at all that different from its predecessors, still being its boxy beautiful self.
I wasn't high on the $6,500 desert sand paint job seen here at first, but it's growing on me and contrasts nicely with the black bull bar.
Mirror housings, various trim bits and accents on the 20 inch wheels that are part of an optional night package.
There is however, an easy way to tell a new g from the old and that's up front where the round headlights get outlined by LED daytime running lights.
But before you go off dismissing the sheet metal and simply carry over know that everything is actually new.
With the exception of the spare tire cover and door handles to retain the GS trademark click when opening and closing the doors.>>I like the outside the inside of the new g sports big upgrades the passenger grab handle and trio a differential lock buttons remain but everything else is Very different.
For starters, it's roomier with the front and back seats enjoying more shoulder and elbow room thanks to the car been nearly five inches wider than its predecessor.
receipts are also moved further back helping to open up an extra six inches of leg room, which is a much welcome site.
Small design changes also improve matters the shifter boosters center council to the steering column to open up real estate for proper cupholders And electric parking brake allows for the installation of a large center armrest compartment.
And with a $12,0000 exclusive interior package installed, there's stitched natural leather everywhere.
As well as cushy and massaging front seats that make everything Thing inside feel first class on the tech front.
It's the latest command interface overseeing infotainment with a 12.3 inch center screen with controls handled by a center counsel touchpad rotary dial or steering wheel thumb pads.
Controls are easy to pick up to work the bird muster sound setup navigation and both Apple car play and Android Auto.
If you don't care for command.
A second 12.3 inch display is also available if traditional gauges aren't fancy enough for you.
And driver's aids, like adaptive cruise, break assist, blind spot monitoring, and lane keep assist com standard.
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For power, there's a four liter twin turbocharge VH churning away under the hood delivering 416 horsepower and 450 pound feet of torque that works with a nine speed automatic transmission that helps her turn a not so great 13 miles per gallon in the city and 17 miles per gallon on the highway.
[UNKNOWN] some [UNKNOWN] there's a lot of thrust to get things to 60 miles per hour in 5 point Point six seconds and that's accompanied by ear pleasing pops and grounds from the optional sport exhaust system.
When you have the current sport mode, answer is transmission it always delivers smooth and quick shifts and can rev match your downshifts which is cool to see in a big SUV.
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But the biggest improvement is how the G drives on a road.
The recirculating ball steering and sound front axle are gone and electro mechanical steering, independent front suspension are in.
This car also has adapted dampers to feel so much better behind the wheel.
Now, well, I like sport mode for the engine, I'm not a fan of it for the chassis.
Steering is just overly heavy, and ride quality is too crashy.
Instead, I've kept things in comfort most of the time for reasonable steering response, and a nice compliant ride on these 20 inch Pearly tires.
It's not sloppy around terms in comfort either.
At the first day I had this jeep approaching corners quick, doubts would pop into my head sitting so high looking down on people's roofs and also remember how the old car behaved, but then I'd enter the corner, it'd turn in fine, roll would be controlled and it'd get through much better than expected so on the exit I'd be like didn't really need to worry about that A better handling G is just now the norm.
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Now a lot has changed on the 2019 Mercedes Benz G550 for the better, like cabin comfort, tech and handling.
It's kept important hallmark attributes too, like exterior styling and off-road capabilities.
Another thing that hasn't changed is that it ain't cheap.
It's $124,500 vehicle to start for an SUV that isn't the most practical or spacious at its price point.
This one here will beat up the old bank account even more, stickering for $153,000 with options.
But really there is nothing else like it out there that offers a mixture of presence capability and now comfort quite like the G wagon.
Do I want one?
Heck yeah I do.
Unfortunately for that to happen is gonna involve me coming into a lot of money.
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