[kj7687]

This beast really has me salivating with envy. Definitely my new favorite car, by far! Portal axles! Locking differentials! Twin turbo v8! Plenty of ground clearance! Awesome (looking - I haven't read any numbers) approach, break-over, and departure angles! This absolutely looks to be the real deal - the most legit showroom stock, street legal (and even great on the street!) four wheeled off road vehicle money can buy! Damn how I wish I could have one! If I won the lottery...


The G-Class Squared.

Better looking, faster, more capable, way "nicer" (more luxurious and technologically advanced) and way more interesting than a Jeep Wrangler. That's saying a whole lot, since I'm a big fan of the LWB Wrangler.

 

[ShaggyAnt]

For five times the price it better be! I'd still rather have a LandCruiser.

 

[kj7687]

For five times the price it better be! I'd still rather have a LandCruiser.

LOL completely agreed on the price. That being said, I just really like it because no one else builds anything like it, for any price (other than going custom - and even then, it's got portal axles!!! But I love the fact that an OEM has been this ballsy with a production vehicle).

EDIT: Whoops, nevermind; I was thinking of the Range Rover lol. I do quite like the TLC. I just really really like this car a lot. It is pretty much exactly what I'd have done if I were the big bad Merc boss. It's rare when a vehicle comes along that is pretty much designed precisely how you'd have designed it yourself if you could have. To me, this is one of those times.

I would say this is pretty much the Bugatti Veyron of the 4x4 world.

 

[Borneo]

Gelandwagens are gorgeous classical machines. That cost an arm and a leg. You need a kind of two stage wealthy. First wealthy enough to buy one. Then wealthy enough to actually be comfortable off roading the damb thing.

 

[Xracer]

Throw me enough money and I'd design something pretty wild too. Customers would just have to like the built in cycle rack with tool room and tire changer.

 

[Fred]

I hope you win the lottery KJ and can get the beast of your dreams and put it to it's intended good use.
I imagine few will make it beyond cruising the malls and Hollywood Blvd in the states. Some will see off-road in the middle east but for most it will likely be an asphalt bound 6 figure status symbol that has a very steep depreciation curve. Premium fuel, premium service costs and premium insurance rates might get old quickly. Certainly has innovative technology but beware M-B's marketing hype, no short wheelbases body on frame portal axled 2+ meter tall 3 ton 35 year old chassis is going to handle like a sports car. Please excuse my cynacism but I have had a couple of Mercedes SUVs and luxury sedans only to be terribly disappointed.
I test drove an early 80's G-wagon when they first came to the states and thought it inferior at more than twice the price to my stock company Bronco. However it was a crude barely ex-military vehicle at the time and I grant that a lot of progress has been made since.

 

[kj7687]

Fred, I see your points. I agree that many if not most owners will be filthy rich TV personalities using them as just another tool to get more hits on their stupid reality shows... ;D For sure I agree that there will be some rich men in the UAE using them as intended (simultaneously as both flashy showoff cars AND real-deal hardcore off roaders). I definitely hold no illusion that it will truly handle "like a sports car". I imagine it will probably handle decently well compared to the average 4x4 SUV, but that's about all I'd expect from it. Also I couldn't comment on reliability. Of course if, as Borneo suggested, you could afford to buy AND drive one, I don't think that would be too much of a concern.

 

[Fred]

KJ, maybe you can win two lotteries and drive that thing as intended and still afford the subsequent upkeep, like partially re-painting the "exquisitely partially painted carbon fiber wheel arches" after throwing sand on them from those mighty 37 inch tires. Sorry for my cynicism, a guy deserves a good dream car and the G-500 4x4 squared is a good one. Why not get the 6x6 version too, then you could toss your Suzuki in the back with a couple of coolers of refreshments and still have plenty of room in front for pretty girls?

 

[kj7687]

KJ, maybe you can win two lotteries and drive that thing as intended and still afford the subsequent upkeep, like partially re-painting the "exquisitely partially painted carbon fiber wheel arches" after throwing sand on them from those mighty 37 inch tires. Sorry for my cynicism, a guy deserves a good dream car and the G-500 4x4 squared is a good one. Why not get the 6x6 version too, then you could toss your Suzuki in the back with a couple of coolers of refreshments and still have plenty of room in front for pretty girls?

Oh hell Fred, I'll tell you what: if I win the lotto I'll buy one of these, find some pretty girls (shouldn't be difficult with that kind of bling haha), and then we'll swing by and pick you up and go for a ride lol!

In all seriousness, cynicism is a good thing. It will save you from a lot of unnecessary heartache!

 

[Fred]

Yeah! Come pick me up, just don't tell the missus about the pretty girls. I can look but she says I can't touch.

 

[dabsdog]

I bet my sons wouldn't mind giving up their inheritance and co-singing for a BIG loan so I can drive off into the sunset in one of those!

 

[Mud Dog]

Awesomely capable vehicles - as you say, great approach / departure and break-over angles, and now with portal axles even better. The Unimog was a much better machine, more rugged, but had one serious downfall. COG was too high and they rolled too easily.

However, for sheer rugged reliability you would be very hard pressed to find a street legal vehicle that could stand up to a Land Cruiser or the SFA Hilux.

But I digress .... we're talking about Merc's, so feast your peepers on this concept unit .....

 

[Ricklesss]

Most every summer I get to go with a friend to a local Uni-Mog festival here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. It's a week long
campout and rally for Mogs and other misc German machinery. Primarily mogs though. My buddy has 2 of them.
Anyway, there's a tank trap that's there with different gradients to get in and out to play in. The vehicals that drive in and out, with the
most ease (roll overs are common) are the Volvo 4X4 vans (WOW!!! are they cool!!!) and the Mercedes G wagons.
Other stuff comes close, the Mogs come close, but the two I just mentioned are ALMOST unstoppable. Seriously impressive. They negotiate obstacles that I would only take my trials bike on, nothing else.
They go up and down stuff, that most sane folks wouldn't try and walk on.
RicklesssS in Oregon

 

[kj7687]

Mud Dog: I absolutely love the Unimog too. Unfortunately, as far as I'm aware, those are not available in the U.S. In fact, it has just dawned on me that the Four Square might not be available here, either! Sigh... I agree that in terms of reliability and durability the TLC would probably beat the crap out of a G500 (maybe not, but probably).

 

[kj7687]

Rickless: maybe some day I could join you. That sounds like absolute boatloads of fun! Do they use dirt bikes and UTV's much there too? Or is it pretty much all automobiles?

 

[plumbstraight]

I was brought up and was my first learning experience with a 1942 ford military jeep. 75hp that would lug down till you could hear each cylinder fire. That little limber, no shocks, billy goat took us anywhere we pointed it. When it got bad we would hang a set of truck chains cut down to fit on the front. Dad put many a elk on the hood of it to hold it down coming out of holes that Mercedes would still be in.

 

[Fred]

Those old Volvo C303s had portal axles..Volvo appearantly also makes some pretty cool camper vans too

 

[GaryL]

I always love the looks and styling of these high end rides. Where they all fall short and I mean seriously short is in their resale values. I like to watch the Jackson Barrett auto auctions and it amazes me that a car like a Rolls Silver Cloud that costs around $150 grand new rolls of the auction block with 60,000 miles and in real nice condition for around $30,000. WTF? I guess second buyers are frightened by the high cost of maintaining these beasts.

I bought the wife a real nice Cadillac Seville once and thought I made a great score on a lightly used car. Then I learned the hard lesson that every time something broke or needed replacing it costs twice or three times as much. The power window motor on the drivers side quit. $700 later it was back and repaired and then the same went bad on the passengers side. Had that one repaired along with a new exhaust system and dumped another $1800. When the power locks went bad I dumped that POS and will never own another Caddy or any other high end ride.

Come and take me for a ride when and if you ever get one of these fancy money pits.

GaryL

 

[Bosshoff]

My neighbor has the AMG Gelanderwagon model with the big street rims and Brembo calipers. So jealous.