Review Car

2011 Mercedes Benz G Class

The 2011 Mercedes Benz G Class presents a utilitarian appearance with flat glass and flat body panels made of thick steel. It backs that up with its truck-based ladder-frame, permanent four-wheel drive, and a heavy-duty off-road suspension. The G prefix comes from the German word “Gelandewagen,” which roughly translates to off-road car. The U.S. gets the top model, loaded with luxury features and the Mercedes 5.0-liter V8. 2011 Mercedes Benz G Class comes with leather seating, wood-and-leather steering wheel, power windows, seats, locks, heated front and rear seats, automatic climate control, navigation, six-disc CD changer, hands-free phone, and arc-discharge headlamps.

It’s powered by a V8 that generates 292 (DIN) horsepower and has permanent four-wheel drive, a low-range transfer gearbox, traction control and stability control. Equipment for the U.S. model is basically everything that Mercedes is currently putting on all its European top-line models, with the exception of the occasional specially built 5.5-liter hot-rod AMG-built engine.

The instrument panel has been updated in 2011 Mercedes Benz G Class to house the gauges from the latest C-Class sedan and coupe, and the layout of the center console also reflects the C-Class design. These updates carry over to the U.S. models, too. If it weren’t for the flat windshield and tall seating position, you’d feel like you were driving a Mercedes sedan. The front seats are separated by a wide armrest, another clue your eyes translate to tell you it’s a big SUV. Three seating positions in the rear are tight for full-size adults in the shoulder and hip, but headroom is generous. The key to The 2011 Mercedes Benz G Class behavior is its excessive weight. The 2011 2011 Mercedes Benz G Class is heavy for some important reasons: The body sheet metal is 1mm thick compared to the 0.75mm thick metal more common on SUVs today. Suspension components are sized to match those in full-size pickups. In addition, The 2011 Mercedes Benz G Class are practically hand-built in the Magna Steyr plant in Graz, Austria. Wall-to-roof welds are done by hand, as are the thick seam welds that box the robust ladder frame and join most body parts.

The result of the heavy-duty construction is a ride that feels as solid as a state-of-the-art S-class super luxury sedan. A 5.0-liter V8 engine through a five-speed automatic transmission powers all four wheels. Because of the extra weight, acceleration feels casual if you’re accustomed to the relative hot-rod performance of, for example, the much lighter V8-powered Jeep Grand Cherokees. The 2011 2011 Mercedes Benz G Class 5.0-liter V8 is ultra smooth and sounds distant under its flat hood. The four-wheel-drive system is permanently engaged. The driver can lock and open each of the differentials front, center, and rear, by pressing three switches on the top of the center instrument panel. The traction control system works in both high range and low range, similar to the system on a Range Rover. Wheel spin is automatically controlled by individual application of the brake on each wheel.