That G-Iddy Feeling

A diesel SUV for everyone… not!

- Kartik Ware

An SUV is like a hammer, singular of purpose and essential. Or at least that was the idea at the time of its conception, long before it ended up in rappers’ garages sporting 40-inch chrome wheels. However, even the SUV’s status as a fashion icon is born out of its original intent; when a machine has been around for 40 years, word tends to get around and people can’t help but notice it. Revere it, even. And that’s where the Mercedes-Benz G-Class finds itself. Along with Mercedes-Benz’s 25th year in India, it’s also the G-Class’s 40th anniversary.

Until now, India only got the borderline-offensive G 63 AMG, but now we also get a proper diesel one in the shape of the G 350d, and it’s a far more befitting (not to mention far less ludicrous) heart for this automotive anachronism. The original Geländewagen of 1979 was developed to be a military vehicle, though it went on to become popular with peaceful civilians as well. And though it received numerous tweaks over the decades, it ran more or less unchanged till 2018 when this new one was launched.

For 40 years, the G has been made in Graz, Austria, by Magna Steyr for Mercedes-Benz. The latter supplies vital components like the engine and drivetrain, among other things, while the rest of the job is handled by the former. I didn’t know that, though it makes complete sense; look at all the other Mercs’ evolution, and it seems like the G has escaped any huge progress precisely because it’s made in another country by someone else. It’s all well and good, really, until I think of explaining how exposed door hinges are acceptable on a car that features a starting ex-showroom price of ₹1.5 crore. And that’s only the beginning.