History & character

Born in 1979 as a military and utility vehicle, the G-Class became, with the W463 series launched in 1990, a luxury off-roader without equivalent: ladder-frame chassis, permanent four-wheel drive and three differential locks, hand-assembled at Magna Steyr in Graz. The 2015 facelift gave the G 500 an all-new powertrain: the 4.0-litre biturbo V8 M176 with 422bhp and 610Nm, its very first application — turbos nestled within the V of the engine, marrying V8 character with a finally reasonable thirst.

A 2017 G 500 belongs to the final years of the original W463: from 2018, the W463A started afresh, wider, with independent front suspension. The 2017 model year thus represents the culmination of the 'classic' G — solid front and rear axles, a silhouette barely altered since 1979 — fitted with the most modern powertrain it ever received. A sought-after combination: the last of the historic Gs, without the mechanical compromises of the earlier series.