@wheelsaustralia 45
(^48) MAZDA CX-5 (^50) KIA CARNIVAL (^51) PORSCHE 911 T
So, too, is the metallic clack of
its doors as they close, and the
startling cocked-rifle crack as its
central locking auto-arms just
above walking pace. But those
auditory nods to the past conceal a
doppelganger SUV whose abilities
have grown stratospherically.
That the new-gen G-Class looks
so much like the fossil it replaces
says volumes about what people
loved about Mercedes-Benz’s
brick-tastic icon. All the cues are
still there – flat windows, exposed
hinges, frog-eye indicators,
external spare wheel, and barely
a curved edge in sight. And
some of them are even direct
carry-overs, including the front
headlight washers, spare-wheel
cover, internal sunvisors and the
dashboard’s metallic diff-lock
switches, as well as those door
handles. But all the stuff that
matters has been transformed.
There’s still a ladder-frame
chassis lurking underneath but it’s
all-new, bolted to a body structure
with an aluminium bonnet, front
guards, doors and tailgate, for a
total weight loss of 170kg, and a
55 percent increase in torsional
rigidity. Neither of those improved
numbers are particularly
flattering – in G63 AMG guise,
the G-banger still weighs 2485kg
and its rigidity figure of 10,162
Nm/degree is well below what a
modern monocoque can manage
- yet the new G feels mega-strong
and virtually shock-proof.
It’s the componentry, however,
that’s key to making the new
G drive like something from
this century. Hustling the
previous G55/G63 AMG quickly
was like going 10-pin bowling
with a pumpkin – frustrating,
embarrassingly cumbersome
and, at times, potentially quite
scary. Constant ESC intrusion
was the only way to contain
the waywardness of its non-
independent suspension and
recirculating-ball steering.
But this time around, we have
an aluminium double-wishbone
front end, rack-and-pinion
steering with rack-mounted
electro-mechanical assistance,
and a brand new four-link live rear
axle with a Panhard rod for lateral
location. Not to mention anti-roll
bars and adaptive dampers at both