Just ask Dodge how hard it was to design a new Challenger, or Chevrolet how much is riding on a new Corvette. Better still, ask Porsche about the conflicting goals and considerations that go into every all-new 911. Then you'll have a pretty good idea just how risky it was to build an all-new G-wagen after nearly 40 years of success. But fear not, G fans, for Mercedes-Benz has nailed the formula with the 2019 G550, a vehicle that's as true to the original as it should be and better in every possible way. Opening the door instead unveils a realm of previously unimagined luxury, space, and attention to detail. There's nary a hint of the previous G's gussied-up military-vehicle feel but abundant reminders of Mercedes' contemporary (and excellent) interior design themes. The best part, for those of us standing more than six feet tall, is that there's finally plenty of legroom in both the front and back seats.
Front and center, you'll find the differential lock switches, allowing you to choose from modes that suit everything from highway cruising to rock crawling. But as capable as the G-wagen is off-road, that's not really what it's about, is it? No, the G's bravado says you can do it, but it also says you don't have to. It says you can afford massive overkill. It doesn't apologize for its excess any more than you apologize for your success. In short, it's just about the most American thing Germany has ever made. And this is just the G550. For those who like their excess to be truly over the top, there's the AMG-fettled G63. Not that the G550 lacks for power, even if the G63 has quite a bit more of it. The V-8 under the G550's hood is strong enough to sling the 5,551-pound SUV to 60 mph in just 5.4 seconds. That's quick for a brick. So what makes the G550 an All-Star? All of these things, but also the way all of these things add up to an experience that's more than the quotidian, more than just another nice luxury SUV. There's something about driving the new G that makes you feel special in a way that only the very best cars do. It's something like a cross between a sense of adventure and a sense of occasion鈥攅ven when you're just running errands. It's the feeling of potential, of what you could do. It's like being 20 again, with a whole life ahead of you and the world to discover.
We probably should've realized it before twice yanking it out of a snowbank, but the Mercedes was at a huge tire disadvantage. S-rated Pirelli Scorpion Zero tires got it going well enough, but once that snow started turning into slush and ice, all bets were off. Compared to the G-wagen, the Jeep might as well have been on tank tracks. With so much less weight to shuffle around and power being sent to all four Blizzaks, we actually had to really work at it to get the Jeep loose. You can prod the Jeep into doing some glorious Scandinavian flicks as you try to lose whatever's on your tail, but doing so requires high speeds, where some other Wrangler limitations rear their head. The Land Cruiser was practically a sports car in the powder compared to the other two. The Toyota effortlessly gripped the ice- and slush-covered track, and it was the only vehicle of the three to avoid getting dumped into a snowbank鈥攁nd it's the vehicle that dragged the other two out.
An '80s FEMA map I stumbled across detailed the Soviet Union's likely nuclear first strike targets and confirmed that there'd really only be one escape off-road: Moab, Utah, where we'd test capability where the pavement ends. Given that the Wrangler Rubicon was bred for conditions like this, it was our leader. Evans said. If the Jeep couldn't make it up an obstacle, odds are the G550 and Toyota wouldn't, either. The Wrangler made everything look effortless; locking the diffs and letting the Rubicon Hard Rock scramble up steep rock faces on its own cured any difficulty the Jeep encountered. The Mercedes looked out of place to most folks on the trail, but it's like a Marine in dress blues. They may look formal, but they're capable of anything. Even so, you'll want to take care鈥攖he G has tidy overhangs and respectable approach and departure angles, but its intercoolers are hanging perilously low in the front bumper.
Not what you want off-road鈥攐r while driving over dispatched foes. Low-mounted intercoolers be damned, the G-wagen was still impressive off-road. While off-roading in the Land Cruiser, I repeatedly found myself saying it wasn't going to make it, yet time and time again it proved me wrong. It wasn't that I thought Toyota couldn't make an off-roader; it's just its size and overhangs felt amplified on the trail. The Land Cruiser, however, comes with the tools it needs to hang with the little guys. After escaping our contrived Armageddon, we could envision making it through the real thing in all three of these SUVs. Where it mattered, they were all evenly matched. Lieberman said as we debated during the 1,000-mile drive back to civilization. Although the Mercedes G550 handled everything, we agreed that its poor observed fuel economy, propensity to scrape expensive mechanical bits off-road, and white-knuckle handling characteristics both on the road and in the snow should put this endearing European in third. And as capable as the little Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon Hard Rock is on all difficult surfaces, its on-road manners really let it down. The Toyota Land Cruiser, though, does everything the Jeep and G do.
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