The Middle East’s most iconic off-road vehicle the Mercedes-Benz G-Class has received another makeover.

Once again, the exterior has been modernised to a limited degree quite deliberately while the major advances centre on the vehicle's telematics, along with the new 5.5-litre V8 engine that is available for the G 500.

“From the outside, the newest generation of the G-Class can be identified by its restyled, three-fin radiator grille, with the G 500 sporting new-look 18-inch light-alloy wheels as an additional distinguishing feature,” said regional sales manager, Mercedes-Benz Cars, Middle East and Levant, Lee Boyle.

The model range continues to comprise three different body variants (short-wheelbase Station Wagon, long-wheelbase Station Wagon and Cabriolet), which are now available with the mighty 5.5-litre V8 petrol unit with an output of 388 hp and 530 newton metres of torque.

This new engine propels the G-Class to sports-car-like performance: the dash from 0 to 100 km/h is completed in just 5.9 seconds.

The latest edition of the G-Class is equipped with the advanced, more user-friendly generation of telematics technology.

 A Bluetooth hands-free system for mobile phones is built in as standard. A new media interface can also be specified as an option that allows an external music storage device to be linked up to the off-roader's on-board electronics and control system.

Audio tracks appear in the instrument cluster and in the centre console's colour display, and can be simply called up by using the buttons on the multifunction steering wheel.
There is also a Bluetooth interface which establishes a wireless connection between a mobile phone and the vehicle's hands-free system.

Since Mercedes-Benz first commissioned Magna Steyr in the Austrian city of Graz to produce the G-Class in 1979, close on 200,000 have been built. And this enduring success story is far from over.

The "G", as it is affectionately known, is due to celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2009, and  will continue to round off Mercedes-Benz's high-calibre line-up of SUVs alongside the ML, GL and GLK-Class, the company’s first compact SUV that arrives in the Middle East later this year. – TradeArabia News Service