The Mercedes G-Class Coupe Is A Nightmare Come True

The Mercedes G-Class Coupe Is A Nightmare Come True

Don鈥檛 put it past Mercedes to build this. Admit it, you know deep down inside that Mercedes is crazy enough to build something like this. The G-Class SUV is absurd on its own, six-figure status symbol that it has become, but Mercedes has proved time and time again that there鈥檚 no such thing as enough. It took things beyond too far when it debuted the G63 AMG 6x6. Then, it outdid itself again by bringing the G500 4x4 squared into this world. Well, just bite your tongue, because we've seen worse. In fact, the only thing that might be saving this mini G-Class from becoming a real thing is the fact that it鈥檚 based on the second-generation G-Class, which Mercedes has yet to modify. Extensive modifications would be required to make this two-door G-Class a reality given how short the wheelbase is. And while it wouldn鈥檛 be the most comfortable car for more than two passengers, the G-Class Coupe is probably a better off-roader than it鈥檚 four-door counterpart thanks to its shortened wheelbase. Sadly (or perhaps thankfully), this cutesy G-Class Coupe is just a rendering by CarNewsNetwork out of Ontario, Canada. Commenters on the artists鈥?Instagram page were quick to point out that the two-door G-Class looks a lot like a Suzuki Jimny or even a Jeep. Maybe if Mercedes ends up going truly insane on this generation鈥檚 G-Class and building a short-wheelbase version, we can find out if that's true or not by comparing all three side-by-side.

The screen is finally touch-capable, so you can ignore the center console鈥檚 touchpad if it鈥檚 not your speed, but it can also be manipulated using the second thumbpad on the right side of the steering wheel. If you do use the touchscreen, keep a lens cloth on hand to keep the screen free of ugly finger grease. If you don鈥檛 like your map between the gauges, you can replace the tachometer with a map, too, leaving the middle open to display other information. MBUX also packs a new voice-recognition system. A simple 鈥淗ey, Mercedes鈥?will cause the system to spring to life, accepting natural voice commands (for example, 鈥淚鈥檓 cold.鈥? and translating them to actions (raising the climate control temperature). I don鈥檛 find the call-and-response system as sensitive as Ewing did on his first drive. In fact, it only seems to pick up my requests when the vehicle is stationary 鈥?manually activating the assistant from the steering wheel, on the other hands, works all the time for me. 1,150 Multimedia Package. In addition to enabling embedded navigation, it also includes an augmented-reality system that overlays translucent navigation directions over a real-time view from the front camera.

It鈥檚 neat to watch, and thankfully it doesn鈥檛 take over the screen at highway speeds, but I have concerns about its distraction potential when it engages at normal road speeds. It still looks neat, though. 2,250 Driver Assistance Package. It adds things like full-speed adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring and steering assist on the highway, all of which work effortlessly. It also has route-based speed adaptation, which I only find frustrating. Even though I think it鈥檚 off, it still slows my vehicle more than 5 mph around curves on the highway, which is not the kind of behavior I want from a car in the left lane (or any lane, really). As of this writing, Mercedes-Benz has not yet enabled its online configurator or announced prices. 35,000 for a front-wheel-drive A220, and I鈥檒l only include packages for which I know the prices. 2,000 option on the C-Class, but it鈥檚 unclear how much it鈥檒l add to the A-Class Sedan鈥檚 bottom line. 325 natural wood trim, since I like it. 200 Qi wireless device charger.

1,150 Multimedia Package for navigation. So what did I ditch from my tester鈥檚 spec? 2,250 for the extra driver assists. 975 in destination charges. 41,150 including destination, and it has almost all the whiz-bang gadgetry of my tester. With a new CLA-Class on the horizon, which will undoubtedly pack every single update discussed and lauded in this review, Mercedes-Benz鈥檚 entry-level offerings will soon be second to none. The Audi A3 both looks and feels less exciting than the Benz. BMW doesn鈥檛 really have an analogous model, but Acura does offer the compact ILX as a competitor 鈥?that said, the ILX doesn鈥檛 look or feel as good as the A220 does. It鈥檚 hard not to position the A-Class Sedan at the top of its segment, even though it鈥檚 not even on sale yet. It comes out of its gates swinging, offering some of the most advanced tech in its segment 鈥?albeit at a price point that varies from 鈥渁ffordable-ish鈥?to 鈥渨hy didn鈥檛 you just buy the C-Class? 鈥?If you can stomach the window sticker, the A-Class Sedan is one of, if not the best way to dip your toes into the luxury-vehicle pool.