2023 Mercedes-Benz G-Class

Few vehicles have as timeless a style as the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. Though the current model dates back to 2018, it wears the same boxy shape as its circa-1979 military-grade forebear. It’s also just as capable, though few owners ever venture off-road. Though the Geländewagen didn’t come stateside until 2002, gray-market imports had been trickling in for years, and Mercedes-Benz wanted in on the action. When it arrived, it came only as an ultra-luxe machine, but one which clearly advertised those fit-for-NATO off-road talents. It was instantly popular with the rich and famous, and still is.

But the original G-Class, heavily updated in 1990, was in its dotage by the 2010s. The current second-generation G-Glass is a quantum leap in ride quality, solidity, performance and luxury versus its ancient predecessor, but Mercedes-Benz left the visuals and image alone when it remade the truck five years ago. Many fans now head straight for the high-performance AMG version with a patently ridiculous 577-horsepower V-8 and an exhaust note as loud as a Blackhawk helicopter. Mercedes hasn’t changed the G much since then, and it gets no major updates for 2023.

This year’s price of entry is $141,050 (including a $1,150 destination fee) for the “base” G550, and the AMG variations run $180,150 (the regular one) and an eye-watering $350,150 for the 4×4² version. This is a whole lot more than competitors like the Cadillac Escalade, although the Range Rover is now in this territory. Nor is the G-Wagen much like the Bentley Bentayga or the BMW X7. This is an off-roader that happens to be plush, with capabilities like a Ford Bronco Raptor, but there aren’t any other factory-issue off-roaders this costly.

With that AMG V8, the AMG G63 can certainly run with the Bronco Raptor, and it can off-road like a Land Rover Defender or Jeep Wrangler. Most owners are happy about that, but never really do those things. The G’s on-road performance is more relevant. While the AMG G63 boasts 577 horsepower and four-second zero-to-60 times, the regular G550 also has 416 and isn’t exactly “slow.” Both feel as tall and tippy as they look on twisty roads, but that’s not the point. You drive these at two miles an hour so everybody sees you. 

For most, buying a G-Wagen is status flex, even if they might be outdoorsy when not trying to keep up with Gucci Mane or Li’l Baby for style points. Fortunately for them, the G-Class’ five-passenger interior is positively bursting with luxury, including flagship-level materials and features, and the looks can be accentuated with various blingy packages. Sadly, the G doesn’t yet include Mercedes’ latest MBUX infotainment, but rather the previous Comand (Cockpit Management and Data) system. Maybe in 2024, we hear.

Of course the price is outrageous, but that’s part of the appeal. The whole vehicle is outrageous. But it’s also built like a bank vault (appropriate, considering how many Benjamins it costs to buy and run) and unerringly safe in almost any situation. Its structure is rock solid and Mercedes-Benz bundles in lots of world-class safety gear that it often makes optional on lesser models. If you absolutely, positively have to conquer the King of the Hammers trails and roll up for dinner at the trendiest place in Venice Beach afterward; accept no substitutes.

Performance: 14/15

While the old G-Wagen was a notorious oaf on the pavement, the new one is all about refinement. True, it’s still tall and leans precipitously in tight, fast curves, but you eventually learn to trust it and the AMG G63’s standard adaptive suspension counters the G’s elephantine heft (it weighs 5,800 pounds or more depending on equipment) with surprisingly decent handling. Plus, it still has the same 4×4 skills it’s always had, and a much more rigid body shell than in days of old. 

All U.S. versions are old-school V8 machines. An all-electric EQG is in the works, but it’s not here yet. 

G550s use a twin-turbo, 4.0-liter V8 making 416 hp and 450 pound-feet of torque, but this is a vehicle that’s all about overkill. The AMG G63 is like a howitzer to the G550’s double-barrelled shotgun, pumping out 577 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque from its hand-built V8. Both engines use a nine-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel drive (4WD) is standard. 

The G63 can blast to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and reach an improbable 174 mph with an optional AMG Driver’s Package, a feat which seems to challenge the laws of physics given the weight and decidedly un-aerodynamic appearance of the G-Class.

That’s paired with AMG wheels, sticky performance tires (as large as 22 inches), and aggressive AMG tuning for the adaptive, driver-selectable sport suspension and nine-speed paddle-shifted transmission. Multiple drive modes noticeably change the G63’s personality, with Sport + conjuring a virtual Mr. Hyde of aggressive attitude. AMG is also responsible for a selectable exhaust system that, cranked to its Sport + setting, blasts an equally murderous soundtrack through four side-mounted pipes.

And should one dare to get down-and-dirty off-road, the G-Class is up for anything, with 9.5 inches of ground clearance and short front and rear overhangs for amazing approach and departure angles. There are also locking front, rear and center differentials. If you are going to off-road with this thing though, we’d advise a second set of wheels. The on-road 22s and similar wheels could be a hindrance on the trial. 

The priciest G is the 4×4², and it’s this one that’s the most off-road capable. 

It has to be ordered and is part of Mercedes-Benz’s G Class special model lineup, but it’s equipped with front and rear portal axles (driveshafts offset from the center of the wheels, allowing a taller ride height) and boasts a ground clearance of 13.8 inches. It can climb a 45-degree grade (the regular Gs can only do 27 degrees) and wade through 35.8 inches of water. It uses huge 22-inch wheels, but the tires are also correspondingly enormous all-terrains.

Fuel Economy: 5/15

Nobody buys a G-Class for fuel economy, so few will be disappointed to learn that it has an appetite for fuel dwarfed only by a Cessna Citation or a Challenger Hellcat. 

According to EPA estimates, the G550 and AMG G63 manage just 14 mpg combined (13 city, 16 highway). At least you don’t pay any fuel price for the more powerful V8? The 4×4 Squared version is much heavier thanks to extra equipment and drops to a pitiful 11 mpg combined (10 city, 12 highway), which makes it one of the least fuel-efficient vehicles you can buy. According to the EPA’s range estimates, you’ll be filling it with premium every 300 miles or so.

There are other SUVs that are this fuel inefficient, but none that are truly comparable. Few buyers will cross-shop the 13-mpg combined Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat and the G. 

Safety & Driver Assistance Tech: 11/15

Neither the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) nor the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have ever tested the G-Class, but the European New Car Assessment Program (EuroNCAP) has. This EU entity performs tests similar to IIHS, and it gave the G-Class a top five-star rating in 2019. Crash test data might be thin on ground over here, but this is a very safe machine.

This being a Benz, and a pricey one at that, the G-Class is stuffed with active and passive safety features. Forward collision warnings, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, active lane-keeping assist, blind spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alerts and reverse automatic emergency braking, a drowsy-driver alert, adaptive headlamps and automatic high beams are all standard kit. 

This is especially nice because Mercedes-Benz often makes some of these features extra cost on lesser models. The only real extra is surround-view monitoring, which comes standard on the G63. As you’d expect, Mercedes-Benz’s systems are world-class in how they operate, even if the G doesn’t have some of the very newest ones like the automaker’s “drive pilot” hands-free system.

Comfort & Room: 13/15

It may look like a military truck, but the G-Wagen’s interior is a boutique gallery of luxury and comfort. Deeply bolstered seats are clad in lovely leather; a sculptural steering wheel is optional (including the knockout flat-bottomed AMG Performance wheel for $500) and there are many different colors, including two-tone treatments. There’s an optional faux-suede headliner, and wood, metal or carbon-fiber trims that rival those in the S-Class sedan.

The ride is surprisingly smooth considering the G’s epic off-road capability. However, while structure feels impervious, aerodynamics can’t entirely be denied. Wind noise becomes an issue at high speeds. The G Manufaktur Interior Package is worth the $8,100 upcharge, slathering the entire dashboard with Nappa leather and adding features such as active multi-contour massaging seats with rapid heating and ventilation and status-conscious AMG badging. But there are even more packages beyond that, ranging up to $13,250 for the G Manufaktur Interior Package Plus.

All this swathes a pretty huge cabin. Even Nikola Jokić will like the front and rear headroom in this cabin. Three passengers can fit across the back row in a pinch, but this is really meant as a plush palace for four. Though Mercedes quotes 39.5 inches of rear legroom—on par with some full-size luxury sedans—in practice, it feels tighter, enough that lanky rear riders will ask front-seat occupants to slide forward a bit.

Infotainment: 12/15

At this price you’d expect the G-Class to feature Mercedes’ latest MBUX infotainment system, but it doesn’t. Instead, buyers must make do with the older Comand system. It’s not so bad, and the 12.3-inch center screen and optional conjoined 12.3-inch digital driver’s display are easy to use. There’s a rotary controller and touchpad too, so there are multiple ways to use it. 

It isn’t as visually dazzling or feature-rich as MBUX though, and it doesn’t feature the nice digital assistant that’s been added to recent Benz models like the EQS SUV.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, happily, along with GPS navigation, Bluetooth streaming and three years of Mercedes Me connected services (such as remote start, traffic alerts and over-the-air map updates). A standard 590-watt Burmester, noise-canceling audio system delivers glorious sound through 15 speakers, as usual, topped with Burmester’s artistically wrought metal grilles.

Cargo Space & Storage: 10/15

Because of its lofty height and boxy shape, the G-Class looks absolutely huge in isolation. In reality, it’s on the small end of the midsize SUV spectrum. The inside is similarly deceptive. You think it’s big from the outside, but cargo space is only so-so by the standards of such SUVs. There are 38.1 cubic-feet of space behind the rear seats (very similar to the Bronco and Bronco Raptor) and 68.6 with the second row folded. That’s well shy of the Bronco or Defender, but still better than the Porsche Cayenne. 

That said, wheel intrusion into the rear cargo area steals potential space, there’s a high and awkward lift over to load gear, and the side-hinged tailgate is a cumbersome load that’s always threatening to whack into some unsuspecting car or object. Inside, door pockets and the glovebox are generously sized, but the clamshell-opening center console is tiny compared with many SUVs.

Style & Design: 10/10

Even people who scoff at SUVs find the G-Wagen’s tall, slab-sided and famously distinctive design hard to resist. In part, that’s because the design is rooted in functionality, not aesthetics, but over time it’s become an aesthetic of its own, just like classic Land Rovers and Jeeps. Rugged simplicity rules, yet details are outstanding: A ribbed grille adorned with a Mercedes star, frosty doe-eyed LED headlamps, a burly brush guard (standard on the G63 AMG) and plenty of optional extras to gild the lily.

It can be colorful, too. The G Manufacktur shades cost $6,500 extra but they make the G even more special, and are seemingly born for envy-sparking cruises on Rodeo Drive. The famously heavy doors with pushbutton handles are like opening and closing a meat locker, but in a good way, even if they don’t always shut fully on the first try. The final authentic touch is a traditional covered spare tire perched on the tailgate.

Is the 2023 Mercedes-Benz G-Class Worth it? Which G-Class is the Best Value? 

Nothing that starts at $140,000 is ever necessarily going be bought on “value,” but the G-Wagon does offer lots of things you can’t get elsewhere. It’s as fast as a Cayenne but as capable as a V8 Land Rover Defender or Range Rover, maybe more. It has more street cred than an Escalade and far more off-road capability than any Bentley or BMW. It’s almost in a class by itself. An expensive class.

The base G500 starts at $141,050 but you can add enough packages and options to move it all the way up to the G63’s entry price of $180,150. 

There are also lots of choices, including 32 exterior colors (11 of them costing $6,500 extra), nine wheel options (up to $1,000 extra) and five exterior design packages ranging from $900 (the “Night Package” with blackout trim) to $23,350 (the new “G Professional package” with a roof rack, black brush guards and cherry wood interior trim in the cargo area). There are a similar number of interior choices, with 32 patterns and colors, seven trim materials (ranging up to $3,700 extra) and five more interior option packages from $2,420 (“Seat Comfort”) to $13,250 (“G Professional Interior Package plus”).

There are only a few other options, however. The G550 can be had with the AMG G63’s adaptive suspension for $1,400 and the G63 can get a “Trail Package” with more modest 20-inch wheels and an off-road optimized suspension for $3,050.

Though expensive to buy and run, the G-Class is something legitimately special. It tends to hold its value in the long term better than Range Rovers, X7s and Escalades.

How Much Does it Cost to Insure the Mercedes-Benz G-Class?

Insurance costs for the G-Class are likely an afterthought for most buyers, but according to our data, the average 30-year-old female driver with a good record can expect an average annual premium of $4,436 for the G550, and you can expect to pay a fat premium for the G63. The competition is slim in this rarefied air, but the Maserati Levante averages $5,052, the Land Rover Range Rover HSE $3,970, the BMW X& M50i $3,617 and Mercedes’ own GLS full-size SUV runs to $2,232. To get a more accurate picture of your potential insurance expenses, see our car insurance calculator.

Editor’s note: Forbes Wheels authors Alex Kwanten and Lawrence Ulrich contributed to this report.