The engine is located in front under the hood longitudinally, the torque is driven to all wheels. The main competitors of Gelendvagen are cars Audi Q7, BMW X6, Chevrolet Tahoe, Infiniti QX56, Cadillac Escalade, Hummer H2, Land Rover Discovery, Lexus LX, Mitsubishi Pajero, Nissan Patrol, Porsche Cayenne, Toyota Land Cruiser and UAZ Hunter.
The initiator of the production of the SUV was the Iranian Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, who in the 1970s was a shareholder of Mercedes-Benz (about 18% of shares). He needed military vehicles for his army and placed an order for 20,000 units. The development of the car began in 1972, the goal of the developers was off-road patency, as well as comfort and safety. Mercedes-Benz engineers were responsible for the project and design, while Steyr-Daimler-Puch (Magna Steyr today) developed production plans. The first wooden model was built in 1973, and in 1974 the prototypes were tested in different climatic conditions.
First generation (W460, W461, 1979−1990)
W460
In 1975, the first Gelendvagen was assembled by hand. In 1977, construction began on a factory in Gratz (Austria), and in 1979 the production of a civilian model began and sales began in the same year. It was offered with a short wheelbase (SWB) 2400 mm and long (LWB) 2850 mm. It was possible to choose one of three body styles - a 2-door short-wheelbase convertible, a 3-door short-wheelbase station wagon and a 4-door long-wheelbase station wagon. The car was popular among the military and dirt lovers.
Range of petrol engines «W460» included the following models - 2.0 liters «200 GE» (M102, I4, 113 and 116 hp), 2.3 liters «230 G» (M115, I4, 90 and 102 hp), 2.3 liters «230 GE» (M102, I4, 122 and 125 hp) and 2.8 liters «280 GE» (M110, I6, 150 and 156 hp). Diesel engines were represented by the following volumes - 2.4 liters «240 GD» (OM616, I4, 72 hp), 2.5 liters «250 GD» (OM602, I4, 84 hp) and 3.0 liters «300 GD» (OM617, I4, 88 hp). The engine was located longitudinally in front, all-wheel drive, and rear-wheel drive models also existed. Transmission 4 or 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic.
W461
Model «W460» produced until 1990, after its completion, production of a military model began «W461», which was produced until 2001. This car is still in service in 20 countries. The body was produced with a short and long wheelbase. The car is visually different from the second generation of civilian «W463», which has also been produced since 1990.
Petrol engine per model «W461» installed one with a volume of 2.3 liters «230 GE» / «G 230» (M102, I4, 126 hp). There were six modifications of diesel engines - 2.7 liters «G 270 CDI Worker» (OM612, I5, turbo, 158 hp), 2.9 liters «290 GD» / «G 290 DIESEL» (OM602, I5, 95 hp), 2.9 liters «290 GD T» / «G 290 TURBODIESEL» (OM602, I5, turbo, 120 hp) and 3.0 liters «G 280 CDI» (OM642, V6, turbo, 184 hp).
Second generation (W463, 1990−2018)
The chassis of the car was heavily redesigned and in 1990 the G-Class was introduced with the code «W463». The car is equipped with an anti-lock brake system (ABS), permanent all-wheel drive with three electronically lockable differentials. The interior was also seriously redesigned, with wood inserts and leather, which improved the look of the cabin and increased comfort. The engine was located in front longitudinally. The dimensions of the car increased slightly during the long life of the generation. The length was 4661-4714 mm, width 1760-1824 mm, height 1836-1976. The curb weight was from 1955 to 2600 kg. Body Drag Coefficient (C x) was equal to 0.54.
The range of gasoline engines throughout history looked like this:
- 2.0 liters «200GE» (1997 cm3, M102 E20, I4, 118 hp, from 1990 to 1994)
- 2.3 liters «230GE» (2299 cm3, M102 E23, I4, 126 hp, from 1990 to 1995)
- 3.0 liters «300GE» (2960 cm3, M103 E30, I6, 170 hp, from 1990 to 1994)
- 3.2 liters «G320» (3199 cm3, M104 E32, I6, 210 hp, from 1994 to 1997)
- 3.2 liters «G320 V6» (3199 cm3, M112 E32, V6, 210 hp, from 1997 to 2005)
- 5.0 liters «500GE V8» (4973 cm3, M117 E50, V8, 241 hp, from 1993 to 1994)
- 5.0 liters «G500» (4966 cm3, M113 E50, V8, 296 hp, from 1999 to 2007)
- 5.5 liters «G500» (5461 cm3, M273 E55, V8, 388 hp, from 2007 to 2015)
- 4.0 liters «G500 4x4 2» (3982 cm3, M176 DE40AL, V8, 422 hp, from 2015 to 2018)
Diesel engines are the following models:
- 2.5 liters «250GD» (2497 cm3, OM602 D25, I5, 94 hp, from 1990 to 1992)
- 2.7 liters «G270 CDI» (2685 cm3, OM612 DE27LA, I5, 156 hp, from 2002 to 2006)
- 3.0 liters «300GD» / «G300 Diesel» (2996 cm3, OM603, I6, 113 hp, from 1990 to 1994)
- 3.0 liters «G300 Turbodiesel» (2996 cm3, OM606 DE30LA, I6, 177 hp, from 1997 to 2001)
- 3.0 liters «G320 CDI» 2987 (see3, OM642 DE30LA, V6, 224 HP, 2006 to 2009)
- 3.5 liters «350GD Turbo» / «G350 Turbodiesel» (3449 cm3, OM603 DE35LA, I6, 136 hp, from 1992 to 1996)
- 3.0 liters «G350 BlueTEC» (2987 cm3, OM642 DE30LA, V6, 208 hp, from 2010 to 2015)
- 3.0 liters «G350 CDI» (2987 cm3, OM642 DE30LA, V6, 224 hp, from 2009 to 2010)
- 3.0 liters «G350 d» (2987 cm3, OM642 DE30LA, V6, 245 hp, from 2015 to 2018)
- 3.0 liters «G300 CDI» (2987 cm3, OM642 DE30LA red., V6, 180 hp, from 2012 to 2018)
- 4.0 liters «G400 CDI» (3996 cm3, OM628 DE40LA, V8, 250 hp, from 2001 to 2005)
Gearboxes were installed only automatic 5 or 7-speed.
During the production of the W463, improvements were constantly made to the car. The first update happened in 1994. They updated the line of engines, made a central lock, installed an immobilizer, equipped the front wheels with ventilated disc brakes. In 1996, a 2-door soft-top convertible was introduced. Inflatable airbags were included in the basic package. In 1997, new engines were added and obsolete ones were removed.
In 1999 modification «G500» received a new steering wheel with buttons and an information display, as well as changed the location of the buttons on the instrument panel. In 2000, the interior of the car was updated. Added media block «Command», new door trim, slightly changed the location of the lock switches and a 4-liter diesel engine with a fuel supply system appeared «Common Rail». In 2001, the dashboard was changed, they began to install a multifunctional steering wheel, climate control, a rain sensor, an automatic transmission became with the function «Tiptronic». Changes also affected the external lighting.
In 2006, they began to install bi-xenon headlights, changed the design of the front and rear optics, multimedia unit «Command» and dashboard. A rear-view camera appeared, showing an image on the screen when reversing, and a tire pressure monitoring system also appeared. 2008 saw the introduction of a Bluetooth hands-free system, six-disc CD changer and Harman Kardon Logic7 surround sound system. In 2009, the radiator grille and rims were refreshed. The front and rear seats have been upgraded. The salon was also updated, new multimedia features were added.
The next restyling of the model was carried out in 2012. Daytime running lights were installed outside, external mirrors became with direction indicators. There are more changes inside - a new control panel, a center console and a large color display. Added a lot of driver assistance systems.
Third generation (W463, 2018-present)
The third generation was shown at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit (USA) January 14, 2018. The design of the car has retained its uniqueness, and the external dimensions have grown a little and have a length of 4725 mm, a width of 1931 mm and a height of 1969 mm. The curb weight is 2354-2485 kg. Since the company representatives reported that the new generation is a deep restyling of the previous one, the code «W463» decided to keep.
While the car is equipped only with a 4.0-liter gasoline engine «G 500» (3982 cm3, M176 DE40LA, V8, twin-turbo, 416 hp). Transmission automatic 9-speed «9G-Tronic».