Over the past few months, I’ve been able to spend a lot of time with one of the most venerable and fascinating cars on the market – the Mercedes-Benz Geländewagen. Designed as a military truck in the early 1970s, and launched in 1979, it was soon discovered by the lifestyle crowd. I vividly remember that Mercedes-Benz tried to kill it off and replace it with more modern vehicles – like the GL-Class, which was intended to be a G-Wagen replacement. But aficionados were undeterred, and the G-Wagen just had its most successful year ever. Indeed, early model years were slow, loud, and uncomfortable to live with – but they have been vastly improved. In the late 1980s, Daimler woke up to the potential of the G-Wagen. Luxurious and more powerful versions were added. The low-range transfer case and the array of locking differentials were subsequently activated by the push of a button instead of old-fashioned levers. Daimler’s tuning division, AMG, took a close look – and more powerful variations of the theme ensued. For several years, AMG versions have outsold the regular G-Wagen. Two models, which I’ve recently driven, underscore the direction that Mercedes-Benz has taken. One of them is the ultra-powerful G65 AMG, fitted with the silky-smooth, twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre V12 that makes 612 horsepower and a ridiculous 1,000Nm of torque. The engine fires up like a gunshot, and it rides on a tsunami of torque. Acceleration of the brick-shaped behemoth would befit a true sports car. 100km/h comes up in just over six seconds, and top speed is governed at a lofty 230km/h. At that speed, the G-Wagen needs a road of generous width, as the steering is singularly imprecise and road-holding becomes positively vague. There’s another recently launched G-Wagen that represents yet another extreme. The G500 4x4², inspired by the three-axle G63 AMG 6x6 – in a slightly more digestible format. While the oversized 6x6 was impossible to drive in civilized surroundings, the 4x4² – just as long as the regular G-Wagen – actually fits in the city. Shared with the 6x6, of course, are the portal axles, which use a portal transmission to achieve a ground clearance of a whopping 45 centimetres. This means the 4x4² can go virtually anywhere off the road. Power comes from yet another interesting engine – a 4.0-litre, twin-turbo V8, derived straight from the AMG GT engine, and rated at 422 horsepower. It’s seriously quick. Acceleration is close to the G65 AMG, and top speed is rated at 210km/h. On all G-Wagens, the cockpit is a mixture of loosely corresponding elements, taken liberally from the corporate parts bin. The quirky arrangement works surprisingly well, but it seems like it’s fallen out of time. But that, of course, is the main appeal of the entire vehicle. It’s not officially confirmed, but Mercedes-Benz is working on a replacement to the G-Wagen – due to be launched in about three years. It’ll be about 10 centimetres wider, and fitted with an entirely new interior. Let’s hope it stays close to the original, as customers are running out of alternatives. One of them is the Land Rover Defender, which has been gradually evolving since 1948. It will go out of production in December 2015, and its replacement will be a far more modern vehicle that’s expected to shed the tractor-like character of the current model. America provides an alternative in the form of the Jeep Wrangler. It is, perhaps, the perfect example of a careful evolution that keeps the character intact – but carries the car forward into the modern world. A local example in India is the Mahindra Scorpio. Its second generation keeps the attitude of the original, but is a far better car to drive. And, of course, there’s the Russian Lada 4x4 – a very slight evolution of the 1977 Niva. With a 1.7-litre four that cranks out a sorry 83 horsepower, it’s not exactly fast, but it’ll go anywhere off the road – and it’s closer to the original than any of the aforementioned models. Moreover, you can get one at 1/25th of the cost of a G65 AMG. I’m not sure what I was thinking when I ordered it, but I took delivery of my personal Lada 4x4 two weeks ago.
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