After more than 3 decades, Mercedes-Benz is going to change the G-Wagen

Let's hope they don't **** this up.





Mercedes plans new G-class for 2017 launch

The Mercedes-Benz G-class will undergo extensive changes in the coming years, with a facelift to the 35-year-old model so major that Mercedes says it will in effect be a new car when it goes on sale in 2017.

The big push is to increase the car’s width for greater stability, to accommodate new front suspension and to liberate greater interior space for new, broader seats front and rear, while maintaining the character and iconic look of the current model.

“We have to be careful with our heritage,” says Mercedes SUV boss, Andreas Zygan. “We offer something really special. Last year - the 34th - was the best ever for G-class sales. It’s amazing, and one of our idols.”

The codename for the G-class remains W463, but the structure is being extensively reworked. More aluminium is being added and it is being made around 100mm wider, taking the width of the car to around 1860mm.

The change to the structure is also being made with a view to slashing the kerb weight; a reduction of more than 200kg is being touted by insiders. The current G350 weighs in at a hefty 2570kg.

The G-class’s new front suspension will use a three or four-link set-up, while a more modern electro-mechanical steering system is also being fitted.

The exterior design will retain the right-angled looks of today’s car with a near-vertical windscreen. Some inspiration could also be taken from the futuristic Ener-G-Force concept car from the 2012 Los Angeles motor show. Insiders said it not only previewed the new GL but possibly also the next G-class.

The interior overhaul will focus not only on increasing space but also comfort and quality, with interior fittings from the C-class set to make it into the venerable off-roader.

Technology levels will also be increased, with features such as LED lights and more driver assistance and safety systems set to be fitted.

The engine range will include the new 3.0-litre, in-line six-cylinder petrol (codenamed M256) and diesel (OM656) motors that Mercedes is working on ahead of their debut in the 2016 E-class.

In the G-class, a petrol unit with more than 360bhp and a diesel producing over 300bhp are being touted. The engines will be paired with Mercedes’ new nine-speed 9G-Tronic automatic gearbox as standard, resulting in vastly improved economy.

Range-topping AMG variants, which account for half of all G-class sales, are set to follow the launch of the standard models.

Luxury focus for next GL-class

The next-generation Mercedes GL-class, previewed by 2012’s Ener-G-Force concept, is set to morph into a full Range Rover rival in 2018, with a big push on luxury and refinement and the addition of a long-wheelbase variant.

Mercedes has noted the trend for super-luxury SUVs like the latest Range Rover and upcoming Bentley Falcon and intends to pitch the next GL right into the heart of this growing segment.

The bigger and even more luxurious long-wheelbase GL could take the Pullman name to represent its premium positioning. The badge is also set to be used on longer, plusher versions of the Mercedes S-class to replace the axed Maybach range.

The next GL could also form the basis of a new Aston Martin Lagonda SUV as part of the deal between Mercedes and Aston.


http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/mercedes-plans-new-g-class-2017-launch
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That thing is horrible. Car design in general is in a terrible place; ridiculously high beltlines, massive vision blocking pillars, and bunker style greenhouses.

 

LOL at that.....thing.

 

By change you mean ruin. That's what they'll do. The only reason the G still looks good today is because it looks like a Mercedes Benz is supposed to. Timeless styling, elegant (even considering it's a truck), classy, and it works offroad. I'm sure whatever they do to it will just ruin it completely. Much like the rest of their current product line. Every new MB product looks like a *** ****** Korean pice of ****. Booo on you Mercedes, booo on you. What a shame. Well, at least there are going to be some used G's for the times to come.

 

Whatever it looks like it will be a hit as most are bought for status

 

If it's effectively a new car, then DO THAT!!!. Just add yet another model.

Someone is justifying their design job, someone in management fell for it, and yes, they will royally effup what's been good for decades.

Idiots.

 

Mercedes can't keep on producing the G as its design and construction collides with a variety of regulations.

 

This is what the Kia Soul Chipmunks will drive after their band takes off.

 

That concept looks like it is ready to compete in the Paris to Dakar! I like the G-Wagen but I also realize its ancient chassis is in need of serious updating.

 

That is what makes it an icon.
A cult car.

Update the chassis, suspension and drive train if you must but keep it a box.

I would buy a G-Wagon if the fuel milage didnt suck.

 

Yes I also really dig the 'box'.

 

+1000

 

About time, but sadly any offroad prowess will be long gone. The only bumps these things see are curbs and speed bumps.

 

That is disgusting. Merc needs to think of the G wagen in the same terms as the Land rover Defender. Every one that comes off the production line is a classic by the time it's had its tank filled with fuel.

 

Ugly.


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Don't worry about that concept. LOL! You can expect something more along these lines. This is by far more scary.
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Oh dear.

 

Great, vomit all over my computer screen again.
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Most car designers today are more like cartoonists. Their "work product" makes me either want to laugh or cry. Nobody, not even Pininfarina, produces what could be considered real beauty. It's either some kind of 'roid rage aggression or ironic inside comment on the state of car design itself. Mostly, though, just blatant riffs on other designs...there are many brands that cannot be identified once their badges are remove so similar are they in design to other makes.

 

I arranged a tour of the Brabus US facility for F-Chatters yesterday . These are some pics of some "G" machines that have been modified into Brabus B63 beasts for customers....
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More pics including a stretch limo G that has been armor plated and getting a complete new interior for a foreign client.
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That prototype car looks like absolute dogsh*t. If I wanted to by a car that looks like an FJ cruiser or a rav4 then I would buy an FJ cruiser or a rav4. Merc. has had issues in the SUV market because of that ML320 that they came out with way back was just complete trash. Awful car. G wagen is nails. Why not just create another class of SUV, get rid of the GL or whatever, and make it compete with the range rover. Keep the G wagen the same, or just stick with the same look and make it wider or whatever. This is a terrible idea.

 

More pics of the Barbus touch...
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I for one, think the proto is a home run.
The current series needs a revamp.
Any car with a straight axle up front
Is destined for the dump.
I would imagine its harder to put independent suspension in the current range than make a new car.
Something tells me they threatened to cease production before
And popular demand kept it alive
I am sure this will be the case again.

Love the new prospect car

 

I sort of like the concept one. That other thing, what it'll probably looks like is stomach turning. Hideous.

The blacked out one is incredible. So mean.