From channel4/4car
Mercedes' Lego-block-styled G-Class sold in tiny numbers (and by special import only) in the UK. With three separate differential locks, four-wheel drive and an indestructible chassis, it was the German answer to the Land Rover Defender when it was launched over 25 years ago, and was also intended for military use. But where the Defender stayed true to its workhorse roots, the G-Class (short for Gelaendewagen) picked up more and more high-tech gadgets and luxury touches - it can still scale mountains, but the current G-Class available in the States and Europe costs from around $75,000 and gets all the latest telecoms kits and full leather-and-wood cabin trim. A convertible version was also sold in some markets and there's even an anniversary-edition Brabus model that'll hit 60mph in 5.3 seconds...
It now seems M-B plans to create a more genteel image for its flagship off-roader - and bring it into striking range of the Range Rover. From these spy shots, the heavily masked G-Class bears little resemblance to its namesake, and now looks like a bulbous version of the upcoming M-Class (see separate Spy Shots, linked). The 2006 G-Class is to receive a monocoque body for the first time, and most industry reports suggest that it will be built alongside the smaller M-Class 4x4 and R-Class crossover at the Tuscaloosa, Alabama factory. (The current G is almost exclusively hand-built in Austria.) It will share its basic platform with those models, as well as many drivetrain components. Likely powerplants include petrol and diesel V8s, with a mighty 5.5-litre V8 fitted to an AMG flagship model. Ride and handling are expected to be geared towards a good on-road experience rather than trail-blazing.
That the G-Class is to be built in America is telling of M-B's plans for bringing it to market: expect the US to take the lion's share of production, with Europe getting limited numbers. You're unlikely to see many around, though; insiders claim around 2000 a year would be built at the US plant (whose capacity is 160,000). A pricetag of around $100,000 has been guessed at for American buyers. Whether the new G-Class will come to the UK is as yet unconfirmed. The official reveal looks set for the Detroit Motor Show next January (2005).