Launched in 1979 and updated several times since then, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class has earned a loyal following by offering enthusiasts above-average durability. The brand crunched the numbers and produced statistics to prove this: 80% of G models built are still on the road.
“The cars have a very long service life,” said Mercedes-AMG boss Michael Schiebe at a roundtable, as reported by Engine1. “So you can do the math here [that while] Maybe a G-Class needs a little more material than [your average] Compact cars, the durability, when you see the lifespan of a 1979 G-Wagen, I think you [will have had to have driven] many, many compact cars, in some cases to maintain the lifespan of a G-Wagen,” he added.
Although the company did not name its source, we have no doubt that 80% of the Gs built are still in circulation; It’s a notoriously tough truck. Early examples suffered from rust problems, but were available with many of the same engines found in some of Mercedes-Benz’s most enduring cars, such as the W123. And every G-Class, regardless of age, benefits from a robust body-on-frame construction and a high resale value. The 500,000th G was built in April 2023, meaning there are still over 400,000 examples to choose from if you can find someone willing to part with one.
Mercedes-Benz has just expanded the G-Class lineup with a long-rumored electric version called the G580 with EQ technology. While it’s unlikely to be a high-volume model, even given the G’s rather low production numbers, it could attract new customers to the German brand’s stores.
“We try to be a customer-centric company. We want to give customers what they want. And if they demand V8 engines, then our job is to deliver very efficient and very powerful V8 engines,” said Schiebe. The new electric [G-Class] opens up new opportunities for our dealers. “Customers that we may not have acquired in the past, we now have the ability to access,” he explained.
The French connection
There’s another, more obscure G that probably wasn’t factored into Mercedes-Benz’s production and longevity numbers: the Peugeot P4. The off-roader has its roots in the 1970s, when the French military needed to replace its fleet of old Hotchkiss-built Jeep models. Peugeot received the order with a modified 4×4 based on the G-Class called P4. Launched in 1981, the P4, along with the G-Class, was partly built in Austria and shipped to France for final assembly. It featured several specific parts, including square headlights, a 2.5 liter four-cylinder diesel engine from the 504 and a four-speed manual transmission from the 604. The petrol-powered model offered at launch was quickly discontinued.
Before production stopped in 1992, fewer than 14,000 units were built (including a small handful of civilian models).
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