4x4 Mag - Long Term Road Test

LONG TERM ROAD TEST

Mercedes 300 GD

by Peter Shepherd

There's always been what one could consider a valid opinion that four-wheel-drive utility vehicles do not have the sleek lines and curveous shapes of even the "average" saloon car. So, it's not unreasonable to presume that certain off-roaders are less attractive to look at than others. It also follows that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and indeed when considering the rather snub nosed look of the "G" wagen I for one don't find it an unattractive machine. Well, I've owned the Mercedes for about 6 Months now, and although considered by a lot of people to be an over priced and ugly 4x4, I have to admit that I like it. Yes it has its draw backs, and it isn’t the ideal vehicle for all circumstances, but it seems to suit me. This particular G Wagen is a 1991 Mercedes 300 GD Short wheelbase two door. Although considered ugly by many I prefer to think "Big and Rugged" to be an apt description.

Mercedes did endeavour to enhance the more positive visual values of it's 4x4, and in this instance this model has the larger than life Alloys fitted from the factory, with 255/75 x 15 Pirelli All Terrain Tyres. These give excellent grip on the road, and what I would consider above average grip in the mud. If you look at the steel wheeled models without the wheel arch extensions you get quite a different impression. Anyway, under the bonnet is a six cylinder 3.0litre diesel engine which may not be the most powerful in this big 4x4 class, but I don’t think you will find a sweeter smoother diesel anywhere. Taken from the W124 saloon car, this 6 cylinder was obviously designed to be smooth from the start. With 113BHP at 4600rpm and 141lb ft of torque between 2700 and 2900 rpm, the performance isn’t exactly exciting. 0 – 60 comes in about 22 seconds, and a top speed of an indicated 95-MPH. But by keeping the revs high, the Mercedes can hustle along quite well. With such a nice sounding diesel engine, and being so smooth, the car positively encourages the use of high revs, and although this shows in the fuel consumption figures (an average of 16MPG), it allows the ‘G’ to keep up with other 4x4s.

The exterior of the G Wagon hasn’t changed much in years. This 1991 model differs little from the earlier models. The front grill is colour coded to the body, smoother more rounded bumpers, larger rear light clusters and larger electrical adjusted and heated mirrors. With extensions to the wheel arches allowing the fitting of the much wider wheel and tyre combination.

Inside, Mercedes have certainly gone to town equipping the occupants with a level of specification akin to teh road going saloons. The older models were in contrast very utilitarian, with a basic layout and no attempt at providing a luxury cabin, reminding us of the military inspired origins of this machine.

This generation of G Wagon, however, is all about luxury. With its "Zebrano" effect wooden dash taken virtually straight from the saloon cars, and neat clear instrument layout, the interior is very luxurious, and the seating arrangements most comfortable. Centrally mounted switches control the three Differential Locks (yes three!), along side which are the controls for the heating and ventilation system. The large central console contains the electric window controls, and also the stereo front / rear fader. Everything in this cabin is practical, yet pleasing to both use and look at, with a good "feel" and quality to them.

Noise levels are most acceptable, the engine is never obtrusive at cruising speeds, infact at times it cannot be heard or felt at all, and when pushed and revved hard, it sounds so nice, that this is the only car I have ever owned, where I have turned the stereo off just to be able to hear the pleasant sounds coming from under the bonnet ! Anyone who has ever ridden in the "G" has always commented on "how smooth it is", or "how quiet", or even "is it a petrol?". Luxury is definitely the word to describe the G Wagon.

On the road, the G Wagons silent ride combined with its soft independant suspension gives a quality ride more akin to travelling in a conventional motor car. This particular 4x4 has the Mercedes three pointed star mounted on the front of the bonnet, which leaves the occupants in no doubt as to the breed of vehicle they are travelling in. This "G" with its very high ride height, quietness and feeling of luxury and solidness, always gives the impression of being superior to all around it. In reality it isn’t any better than most, but you do feel that little bit "snobbish" all the same.

Accommodation in the ‘G’ isn’t too bad. Being the short wheelbase model the boot space is not tremendous, but not many short wheelers are. The large single rear door opens very wide, with a gas damper to hold it open against strong winds or inclines. Neat touches are the Mercedes tool kit and first aid kit stored on either side of the boot compartment in neat unobtrusive compartments. The rear door feels very heavy when closing, possibly due to the spare wheel being mounted on it. The spare wheel-mounting bracket may be removed and bolted back on in a different position to allow greater rearward vision through the back window. However, this then gets in the way when trying to couple up to a trailer. Headroom in the main cabin is fantastic, with more than enough room for those above average stature and this is even with the electric sunroof option.

Living with the Mercedes has been fairly easy. The family have found it very comfortable, and excellent for long journeys, where the refined ride make for a less tiring time. The car feels very sure-footed on the road thanks to the permanent four-wheel drive, with cornering ability to match most saloon cars. This probably being due to the huge anti-roll bars underneath.

During the week the "G" is a workhorse, regularly towing trailers up to the legal limit. It performs this task very well. The soft coil spring suspension means that the car always tends to look as though the trailer is very heavy, sagging at the rear. But the ‘G’ will pull a load like that all day long. The slick high / low ratio lever mounted just behind the main gear lever is easy to use, meaning that if the trailer load is a little excessive, the ‘G’ will pull away nicely in low ratio and then snick back into high once on the move, enabling the car to tow suprising loads. That's the advantage of a fully synchronised transfer box, simply declutch and change up or down. Using low ratio on the road is no problem at all. The permanent four wheel drive means that the centre diff isn’t locked, and so no problems occur when driven in low on a hard surface, and I have quite often covered many miles without ever leaving low box due to the weight of my trailer.

The four-wheel drive system used on the Mercedes is fairly unique for a road going standard production vehicle. Although very similar to other vehicles such as the Range Rover, the Mercedes differs in the differential department, where three separate Differential Locks are used; Centre, Front and Rear. Meaning that even with two wheels in the air, the drive will still be transmitted to the ground, since the Front and Rear differential locks are "cross-axle" differential locks which transmit power in even quantities to each wheel on each axle, thus giving true four-wheel-drive. How many times has a 4x4 complete with caravan pulled over onto a soft verge, only to find that pulling away again due to the lack of traction on two wheels, is almost impossible. No such problems with the Mercedes set-up, just flick the dash mounted rocker switches, and away it goes.

I have heard the argument that the G Wagon has the diff locks to make up for it’s lack of axle movement compared to the likes of the Range Rover, and one can go some way to see that this is the case in some extreme off-road situations, but consider how many users actually get to that stage of driving in this kind of 4x4. From my personal experience, the "G" seems no better or worse than 4x4s that I have owned before. In some situations I feel that the "G" would be able to go where Landrovers and other such vehicles couldn’t. But in most cases, the "G" would be no better than most, but gves the driver and occupants a great sense of security.

Mechanically the Mercedes is easy to work on. All of the major service items such as filters are mounted right on top of the engine for easy access. Prices for filters and consumable service components are suprisingly reasonable, even from Mercedes franchised agents. With the engine being common due to its use in saloon cars, prices for more major parts are also reasonable. A recent water pump from Mercedes was less than £40, a pleasant surprise.

Breakdowns have been very rare, infact it has only actually broken down twice. Once with a broken gear linkage, a ten-minute job due to the good design underneath, and once with fuel starvation, which after 6 hours of trying by the RAC couldn’t be solved. I got to the bottom of it myself in the end. The plastic fuel tank had taken a hefty knock on an off road excursion, which had in turn ‘reduced’ the cars fuel capacity, by raising the fuel outlet (on the bottom of the tank) above the level of the fuel. The car now runs out of Diesel just below a ¼ full tank, which with the average fuel consumption of 16MPG means a range of only about 250-Miles. By the way, the "G" has on occasion taken over 90 Litres of fuel to fill it, so the tank is in no way a small one.

This Mercedes is a comfortable and very competent vehicle, with excellent build quality. Despite having covered over 135,000 miles you would never know from driving it, everything is solid and in place, the interior and exterior trim having withstood eight years of wear extremely well, and how often could we say that for some other four-wheel-drive product ? I've always found the "G" to do everything that I ask of it, and to do it well. I also like the exclusivity of a vehicle like this. You don’t see many on the roads, and at off road events, it usually draws some attention from fellow off-roaders with many questions asked. After all, how many people can say that they drive a Mercedes 4x4.