Now here’s a G-Wagon doing what it was made to.
If, like this writer, you believe that some SUVs should be more than just pseudo-off-road looks without the ability that those looks used to come with, then you’ll love the fact that for the first time, Mercedes-Benz is now offering the G-Class Professional Wagon to civilians, with the very first iterations being made available to our market.
We are the only country in the world to have this option, which says a lot about our buying power and the demand we have for sports-utility vehicles that still prioritise the ‘utility’ part of things. Priced at a whisker under $110,000 (before ORCs), the G300 CDI Professional commands a small fortune thanks to sheer ability where you’d need it most.
There’s no quilted-leather and widescreen infotainment system here, oh no. The whole car gets stripped out, and sees ferment of tougher, more hard-wearing appointments that will stand the test of time regardless if used privately or commercially. The same commitment to robustness is seen under the bonnet, with a 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel employed to provide 135kW and 400Nm. Power is sent through a 5-speed automatic gearbox to a permanent all-wheel drive system, split evenly between the axels.
What it doesn’t bag you in luxury it provides in off-road kit, and the G300 CDI Professional has plenty of it. Bull bars, stone guards for the lights, tough 16-inch alloys, 100% differential locks and a snorkel all get tacked on as standard, along with things like radiator and oil sump guards, tyre-pressure monitoring, a 96-litre fuel tank, and two 12-volt batteries.
If that isn’t enough kit for you, there is an optional ‘Edition PUR’ package you can go for. That’ll bag you niceties like a walk-on bonnet (don’t you hate it when your bonnet isn’t walk-on?), electric door mirrors, tinted rear glass, running boards, a roof-rack, a towbar, heated leather seats (ooh!), a headlight washing system and an audio player for just $9900. You can also opt for a ‘Winch Preparation Package’ for $1700, as well as a wire-mesh partition to separate the cargo and passenger compartments for another $1200. While this all might seem a little over the top, for go-anywhere-anytime ability, the G-Wagon is second to none.
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