G-Class (W463) First Look At The 2009 Mercedes-Benz G-Class

[MikeJ]

I wonder, can you still buy the G as a Peugeot in France?

PEUGEOT P4


also sold as a Puch 300gd

Interestingly enough, you can (well, the military can) buy the P4, but it's no longer a Peugeot but a Panhard!The Peugeot/Panhard versions are actually built in France as well.

 

[SDNR]

^ Thanks Mike.

But what I really really want to know is can I have it with blue granit inserts .....like Designo can offer?

 

[coolraoul]

The Peugeot P4 had no success at all as a civilan car: a Peugeout 504 motor was too weak, and the car was completely overpriced. It was offered only shortly and is not available any more.

The military version is still available, by Panhard (it once was a brilliant brand with fabulous cars, very innovative...but get bankrupt, was bought by Peugeot and now only makes military vehicles).

Rob, I don't think the G is kept alive for US customers. It has a lot of fans all over the world, is a myth on wheels, ans was only very recently sold in the US (where it achieves the same miserable sales than in other countries).

MB does not keep it alive because of 150 US customers every year. Even if in the 2000's, the G was the most rentable car of MB's line-up AFAIK....

The fact that they keep it updated, with latest COMAND and options every two years, even if it does not affect the sales at all, proves that MB really cares about this car.They're not letting it die at all. I'm in love with that car, and some people at MB are too...

I love the G. This new one has some sick wheels, mmmhhhhh....

 

[SDNR]

^ ironic that Mercedes is so passionate about a vehicle they neither designed nor build

 

[coolraoul]

From what I know, Puch only worked on the all-terrain features. and of course are building it in Graz. So it's a real MB, just like thez W124 500E where Porsche helped, or the CLK cab build by Karmann...

 

[SDNR]

It was a joint venture Steyr-Daimler-Puch

.: STEYR DAIMLER PUCH-Spezialfahrzeug GmbH :.


But that is a very complicated company history:
Steyr-Daimler-Puch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[coolraoul]

The history of all-terrain vehicles is very long at MB. Their first attempt, in the early 1900 (before WWI) was an extremely innovative all-wheel-drive, all-wheel steered vehicle for military purposes. A dozen of others MB military AWD vehicles followed.

The famous Unimog (UNIversal MOtor Gerät, all-purpose motor vehicle) is not to be forgotten, even if it's not a pure MB product at the beginning.

The idea of the actual G began in the 1960's at MB. The decision to produce it was taken after the order by the Shah of I don't know where, who at the time was an important shareholder of Daimler-Benz, of several thousands of the upcoming vehicle for his army (BTW, when the G entered the market this important order was cancelled by the new leaders of this Arabic country).


They decided to cooperate with Steyr-Daimler-Puch (it seems, because they were impressed by the Pinzgauer, who won at the time a contract over the Unimog for the army of an Europena country).

So they did a Joint-Venture at 50/50.
Steyr only developped the chassis and transfer box. Absolutely everything else came from MB, including the axles for instance.

The G is build in Austria by Steyr-Daimler-Puch, now renamed Steyr. It started its life in 1979, was reworked in 1989/1990. Its name, Geländewagen, means all-terrain vehicle in German.

The G comes with Puch logo and brand on it in Austria and Switzerland (and some East-European country I think), as a MB everywhere else. it has MB engines and gearboxes (bar the Peugeot/panhard P4 with Peugeot engines and gearboxes).

A three-axles G is available for the army.

The contract with Steyr ends in 2010 (31 years birthday of the G), with an option to make it last to 2012. We all hope it will remain a lot longer than that! (the initial contract was due to end in 1989 and resulted in the only big rework of the G).

So the G is a whole, true Mercedes-Benz. Puch only worked on the transfer box and chassis, not even on the axles.

 

[ree]

We already had a thread about this…so for everyone who is interested in:

http://www.germancarforum.com/g-class/16410-who-designed-original-g-class.html

 

[cone]

For the moderator:
I have just order a new 2009 G class wagon, can you post more pics of the interior?
Thanks

 

[ree]

For the moderator:
I have just order a new 2009 G class wagon, can you post more pics of the interior?
Thanks

Welcome to GCF!!

http://www.germancarforum.com/g-class/23688-face-lift-g-wagen-september-2008-a-3.html

There are some interior photos - the only one, that are available at the moment - sorry!