G Class / Wagons, are they all dodgy?
Discussion
Wife expressed an interest in a G Class / Wagon (probably because she spends too much time looking at youtwitface or whatever socials are on trend now) so i had a look in the classifieds.
I have never seen so many properly shady, run a mile from it yet very expensive cars of a single marque and model.
when i check MOT history, they all seem to have a litany of faults, and milage all over the shop suggesting an almost ritualistic annual milage re-adjustment.
Then there is all the left hand drive ones on the UK market, that curiously all seem to have arrived on our shores in the last 2 or 3 years ago (are these Russian Cars that have been slipped out of the country before the embargo's? )
Anyway, not a car that is to my taste, but will probably have to go through the motions of a test drive at least before i can move her off to something more sensible, like an SVO Range Rover perhaps .... it might at least be more reliable, and have a less chequered past ... just.
Anyone here actually own one (a modern LWB rather than an ex farmer / Austrian army one) and can explain their virtues?
edit to add i will caveat that i have been looking at the Sub £50k onesm which sounds insane to me, but does seem to be the "budget / entry" level
I have never seen so many properly shady, run a mile from it yet very expensive cars of a single marque and model.
when i check MOT history, they all seem to have a litany of faults, and milage all over the shop suggesting an almost ritualistic annual milage re-adjustment.
Then there is all the left hand drive ones on the UK market, that curiously all seem to have arrived on our shores in the last 2 or 3 years ago (are these Russian Cars that have been slipped out of the country before the embargo's? )
Anyway, not a car that is to my taste, but will probably have to go through the motions of a test drive at least before i can move her off to something more sensible, like an SVO Range Rover perhaps .... it might at least be more reliable, and have a less chequered past ... just.
Anyone here actually own one (a modern LWB rather than an ex farmer / Austrian army one) and can explain their virtues?
edit to add i will caveat that i have been looking at the Sub £50k onesm which sounds insane to me, but does seem to be the "budget / entry" level
Edited by XJSJohn on Thursday 1st May 09:44
To add to all your good points above, the pre-2018 facelift cars with a steering box also don't drive very well 
so maybe this isn't going to go too far for you!
Good points about G-Class is they have a solid build quality feel to them, incredible off road ability (not that anyone uses this), good towing capacity and probably best of all, if you clean one and look after it they really hold their money. Im sure in the future clean cars without loads of spammy modifications will do well
so maybe this isn't going to go too far for you! Good points about G-Class is they have a solid build quality feel to them, incredible off road ability (not that anyone uses this), good towing capacity and probably best of all, if you clean one and look after it they really hold their money. Im sure in the future clean cars without loads of spammy modifications will do well
I had a G63 for a year and to be honest it was terrible. My ex-wife really wanted it and we chopped in our absolutely brilliant Cayenne Hybrid for it. It was a terrible mistake. The thing was fast and was quite hilarious to drive in a straight line but the boat-like handling and desire to understeer off the road was somewhat interesting. The steering was awful. It felt like twice the amount of steering input was needed just to navigate a roundabout.
Add to that the heavy doors and extremely heavy rear door especially on those with a spare wheel and then the overall fuel consumption (average 8mpg) it really felt like a bad choice versus what else was out there. We chopped it (thankfully for exactly what we paid almost year prior) against a TDV8 L405 RR.
Add to that the heavy doors and extremely heavy rear door especially on those with a spare wheel and then the overall fuel consumption (average 8mpg) it really felt like a bad choice versus what else was out there. We chopped it (thankfully for exactly what we paid almost year prior) against a TDV8 L405 RR.
I've owned a G350d for four years now. Only wanted to have it a year to scratch an itch...
Yes, there's a lot of crap. Lots and lots dressed up to look newer. Service history is seen as somewhat of in inconvenience. Find a good UK model thats been looked after, and they're not that bad to run. I get about 25mpg with moxed driving.
Yes, there's a lot of crap. Lots and lots dressed up to look newer. Service history is seen as somewhat of in inconvenience. Find a good UK model thats been looked after, and they're not that bad to run. I get about 25mpg with moxed driving.
I never got the whole G thang until I drove a new (2019) one. That really was a game changer. I recently tried the facelift one and that takes things even further! Heated doortops is a fantastic touch!!
Personally Id go for a 400d, the AMG models are far too polarising for my liking...
One thing that always amazed me when selling a G class was the number of people who would inquire without ANY idea of how much they were going to cost. Many "get the look" customers, complete with all the branded clothing (often clearly fake) and a few you knew you just dont ask too many questions of.
You would occationally get a classic old money sort who didnt realise there was any hype and just wanted an uber well built Mercedes SUV to pull a horsebox. Those were rare, but very welcome, days.
To be honest, I would slightly dread when we had a G in, you just knew you would be inundated with "interesting"customers...
And yet, Id still love a 400d...
Personally Id go for a 400d, the AMG models are far too polarising for my liking...
One thing that always amazed me when selling a G class was the number of people who would inquire without ANY idea of how much they were going to cost. Many "get the look" customers, complete with all the branded clothing (often clearly fake) and a few you knew you just dont ask too many questions of.
You would occationally get a classic old money sort who didnt realise there was any hype and just wanted an uber well built Mercedes SUV to pull a horsebox. Those were rare, but very welcome, days.
To be honest, I would slightly dread when we had a G in, you just knew you would be inundated with "interesting"customers...
And yet, Id still love a 400d... OP - you didn't mention if you're looking at a <2018 car or a >2018 to current car. As mentioned above they are two very different cars to be in and drive.
I drove 2017 G350d years ago and it was a case of 'dont meet your heros'. Its steering was horrific, inside was smaller than the C63 i had at the time, and generally it was very agricultural. Engine and drivetrain were fine but nothing to shout about and generally im glad i didnt chop the 63 in for it.
Fast forward to now, i currently have a '21 G400d. It is a superior car in everyway to previous cars - it drives ten times better, steers and handles like a proper modern SUV and has the interior of an S Class with slightly more room.
It is still cramped in the back, the boot is an odd size and it although its great at wafting - its no Range Rover as you're still sitting on top of a ladder chassis car. But nothing else on the road compares to a G - it feels special everytime you're in it and the 400d is perfect for it as the bags of torque make it feel surprisingly quick for such a big and heavy car. Its not a car that encourages you to drive fast which is why i didnt go for a G63.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
owners thread is there if you want to have a look.
I drove 2017 G350d years ago and it was a case of 'dont meet your heros'. Its steering was horrific, inside was smaller than the C63 i had at the time, and generally it was very agricultural. Engine and drivetrain were fine but nothing to shout about and generally im glad i didnt chop the 63 in for it.
Fast forward to now, i currently have a '21 G400d. It is a superior car in everyway to previous cars - it drives ten times better, steers and handles like a proper modern SUV and has the interior of an S Class with slightly more room.
It is still cramped in the back, the boot is an odd size and it although its great at wafting - its no Range Rover as you're still sitting on top of a ladder chassis car. But nothing else on the road compares to a G - it feels special everytime you're in it and the 400d is perfect for it as the bags of torque make it feel surprisingly quick for such a big and heavy car. Its not a car that encourages you to drive fast which is why i didnt go for a G63.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
owners thread is there if you want to have a look.
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