It now has a IFS and rack and pinion steering, whereas the first generation had a solid front axle and recirculating ball steering.
G Wagon
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yes- much like an 80...... and can be built out well. I'm at 4" lift w/ 36's on the G currently and have rebadged it as a "puch".... with a mild tune the G55 is now over 540hp.... 580 on E85. safe to say it makes me smile daily..... but I still love the soul of the 80.
Ironically the 80 is a much smoother ride...... but the G, with an extra 350 HP is more fun overall.......
I recently moved from an 80 to a G500. Tell me about those bumpers!?
Hey Ben - congrats on the 500, looks clean and liking the roti's
The AFN rear bumper is really the only viable solution to carry a heavier full size spare on the rear door.... it's mostly well thought out... mostly... Jack @ Jackwagon can hook you up....
The front AFN bumper I'm less impressed with .... nice design and fit, but thinner metal then I'd want and it's not really designed to take a Warn winch over 8k... and takes cutting to fit one, and the mounting plate is thinner then I'd want to really winch hard with...
And coating on both is not ARB level.... The Gear Shop up in Canada makes a cool adapter for a 79' Series Landcruiser ARB, that's the path I'd go if I did it over....
happy to share any other ideas or feedback... we've had almost all the same vehicles it seems...
The AFN rear bumper is really the only viable solution to carry a heavier full size spare on the rear door.... it's mostly well thought out... mostly... Jack @ Jackwagon can hook you up....
The front AFN bumper I'm less impressed with .... nice design and fit, but thinner metal then I'd want and it's not really designed to take a Warn winch over 8k... and takes cutting to fit one, and the mounting plate is thinner then I'd want to really winch hard with...
And coating on both is not ARB level.... The Gear Shop up in Canada makes a cool adapter for a 79' Series Landcruiser ARB, that's the path I'd go if I did it over....
happy to share any other ideas or feedback... we've had almost all the same vehicles it seems...
JDM Journeys
Moderator
Hope the OP doesn't mind if I piggyback on his thread here... Question for @RS6tofj80 and @bencallaway ... I'm just looking and dreaming but what kind of range do you get on the highway? Everything I read says they're a great Land Cruiser alternative except the fuel economy. I like my long road trips... Could I reasonably expect 300 miles (let's say I'm on 33s with minimal roof load, and I sit on 60mph)?
This might be the only rig that could tempt me away from my 70 series...
This might be the only rig that could tempt me away from my 70 series...
We dont speak of that topic in this household.
Seriously though, I'm not sure about range. I'll reset next fill up and see what we get. My wife is daily-ing the G500 and she doesnt drive much so it may be a while.
JDM Journeys
Moderator
Lol - I've heard the old adage "if you have to ask you can't afford it". But for me it's more about how far I can go without having to drag a lot of fuel with me.
I've now looked at a few but nothing has brought me to the dark side (or is it the light?) yet.
Appreciate any and all feedback...
I've now looked at a few but nothing has brought me to the dark side (or is it the light?) yet.
Appreciate any and all feedback...
Given their similar sized fuel tanks and gas guzzling natures, I would imagine the G would be approximately the same as an 80 series. So, 300 miles plus change should be achievable with a stock or mildly modified rig, if you don't mind running your tank fairly low. I did that 2 summers ago in my 80 and cooked the fuel pump. Thankfully this didn't occur until just after my return home.
What's your range in the 70?
JDM Journeys
Moderator
Good to know. So about the same as my 100 series with gas V8...
In my 70 series (diesel), as long as I'm not trying to push past 60mph, I can get approx 12.5l/100kms (on 33s with RTT on rack and loaded for a trip), which on a 90L tank is about 700kms but I rarely go further than 600kms/370 miles (my petrol buddies have to stop anyway). I just added a turbo and a little fuel so this number is going to go down a bit.
In my 70 series (diesel), as long as I'm not trying to push past 60mph, I can get approx 12.5l/100kms (on 33s with RTT on rack and loaded for a trip), which on a 90L tank is about 700kms but I rarely go further than 600kms/370 miles (my petrol buddies have to stop anyway). I just added a turbo and a little fuel so this number is going to go down a bit.
As with a boat:
The second happiest day with a G wagen, is the one when you pick it up.
But the absolute biggest smile arrives when you get rid of it.
Bought it for my wife. She HAD to have it. But, of course, stopped driving it after only a few months.
Mine was possessed by electrical gremlins. And I never got used to driving it at night with the crazy headlight reflections bouncing around inside the cabin. Always felt like I was about to get T boned when driving at night.
Aside from the gremlins and the weird reflections, you also get to enjoy a bouncy ride, crosswind instability and a huge turning radius. On the plus side, it was a ton of fun in the snow with Hakkas.
Go into it with eyes wide open.
$0.02
The second happiest day with a G wagen, is the one when you pick it up.
But the absolute biggest smile arrives when you get rid of it.
Bought it for my wife. She HAD to have it. But, of course, stopped driving it after only a few months.
Mine was possessed by electrical gremlins. And I never got used to driving it at night with the crazy headlight reflections bouncing around inside the cabin. Always felt like I was about to get T boned when driving at night.
Aside from the gremlins and the weird reflections, you also get to enjoy a bouncy ride, crosswind instability and a huge turning radius. On the plus side, it was a ton of fun in the snow with Hakkas.
Go into it with eyes wide open.
$0.02
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I had an old W460 for about a year and a half; I absolutely loved every aspect of owning it except for the price of parts. For the non-North American models there are only a couple of places that import and sell parts, they're probably 1.5-2x the price of import Toyota parts. Limited aftermarket options for upgrades.
Mine had a tuned up OM617 diesel, it averaged 14-16mpg running 6.17:1 diffs and 37" tires. Smiles per gallon were off the charts. Absolute blast off-road, handled like you'd expect on road. If I could swap my current diesel LandCruiser for a diesel W460 or early W463 LWB I would do it in a heartbeat.
Mine had a tuned up OM617 diesel, it averaged 14-16mpg running 6.17:1 diffs and 37" tires. Smiles per gallon were off the charts. Absolute blast off-road, handled like you'd expect on road. If I could swap my current diesel LandCruiser for a diesel W460 or early W463 LWB I would do it in a heartbeat.
JDM Journeys
Moderator
Crosswinds? Turning radius the size of a battleship? I'm there. Bouncy ride? Everything is relative - I'm on wagon springs front and rear, so bouncy sounds nice? 
G500 is where I'm looking. So electronics? Yeah. That's where I'm a little hesitant. Seat actuators. Window motors. These are things that won't necessarily ruin a trip. But tcase servo motors? Yep. And then there's fuel economy. Or lack therof. But I could see forgetting that as I accelerate up a hill... Any hill.
G500 is where I'm looking. So electronics? Yeah. That's where I'm a little hesitant. Seat actuators. Window motors. These are things that won't necessarily ruin a trip. But tcase servo motors? Yep. And then there's fuel economy. Or lack therof. But I could see forgetting that as I accelerate up a hill... Any hill.
A G500 would certainly be a thirsty beast. My brother has a 2004 E500 4Matic wagon, it gets 13-17mpg on premium gas. The M113 V8 is a lovely engine though, excellent low end torque and a nice power curve.
Troubleshooting MB's from that era can be tricky, you'll want a quality scan tool (a Star system is ideal but very expensive) and access to WIS. The ridiculous extent to which all electronics in the vehicle are integrated into the computer system is rather unfortunate, but can be useful if you're proficient with using the diagnostic system. On the W211 everything, down to stuff like the power seats and window motors, is integrated into the computer system and fault codes can be scanned with the appropriate OBD tool.
Troubleshooting MB's from that era can be tricky, you'll want a quality scan tool (a Star system is ideal but very expensive) and access to WIS. The ridiculous extent to which all electronics in the vehicle are integrated into the computer system is rather unfortunate, but can be useful if you're proficient with using the diagnostic system. On the W211 everything, down to stuff like the power seats and window motors, is integrated into the computer system and fault codes can be scanned with the appropriate OBD tool.
My 2004 G500 was/is the most capable vehicle i have ever owned. And on the trails, it was second to no one, including my brother’s Jeep Rubicon SWB. Was it the most reliable? No. Was it the most comfortable? No. Was it cool as heck? Yup. Did it attract sometimes bad attention from the wrong crowd? Yes it did…and part of the reason why i sold it (along with issues) as my family grew beyond just myself.
Crosswinds? Turning radius the size of a battleship? I'm there. Bouncy ride? Everything is relative - I'm on wagon springs front and rear, so bouncy sounds nice?
G500 is where I'm looking. So electronics? Yeah. That's where I'm a little hesitant. Seat actuators. Window motors. These are things that won't necessarily ruin a trip. But tcase servo motors? Yep. And then there's fuel economy. Or lack therof. But I could see forgetting that as I accelerate up a hill... Any hill.
My electronics problems were really random. This was on a '13 G550, owned from new... You would turn the key off and the truck would continue to run. You would lock the truck and then come back to the COMAND system on. Random crap like that.
The Distronic system failed. Which made the dash light up like crazy. No choice but to repair, post warranty. $$$$$$$
Owned it for five years. I think it had twenty something K miles at the end. Bought it for her, but she refused to drive it. And for me, it wasn't the kind of vehicle you can go meet clients in, so I basically used it for errands.
Got super lucky when MB refreshed the G in 2018, because the earlier M273 V8 trucks spiked up in value.
I'd be curious how many former G owners would ever consider getting another one. I'm solidly in the NFW camp.
Good question. In theory I wish I had not gotten rid of mine ~10 years ago. In reality I’m glad I did and wouldn’t own another one.
I owned mine for 6 yrs…bought new…sold it with 70k miles i think. I had window regulators go bad every 5k miles (goes to different doors), sunroof leak, navigation failure, and ONE major mechanical failure (engine mount went bad at 65k).
This applies to most Mercedes in general.
That engine leaks everywhere especially now being 20 years old. Valve covers, rear main, oil pump, and even worse the internal timing cover o-rings fail resulting in oil <-> coolant mixing.
