Mercedes G-Wagen

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Category: G-wagen

Last Updated on Friday, 28 January 2011 21:22

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The Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen design stems from a plan for a military Euro-Jeep in the mid-1970s. The G-Wagen never was an exclusively Mercedes product. It was developed jointly with the Austrian company Steyr-Daimler-Puch and is built at their factory in Graz. Mercedes' contribution was primarily drivetrains, plus interior design for the civilian versions. Part of the joint production deal was that Steyr should have sales rights in certain territories. This means the vehicle wears Puch badges in some European countries and Steyr badges in Greece. There is even a Peugeot-badged version with Peugeot running-gear, the P4, built under licence in France mainly for the French military.

Puch G-Wagen

Peugeot P4

The original W460 G-Wagen (the name is short for Gelandewagen, or Cross-Country Vehicle) went on sale for civilian buyers in the model year 1979 (1981 in the UK). It was offered with two wheelbases, a short wheel base (SWB) of 2400 mm and a long one (LWB) of 2850 mm. All variants are based upon a conventional ladder-frame chassis. Three body styles were offered: A 2-door SWB convertible, a 2-door SWB station wagon and a LWB 4-door station wagon. The two station wagons were also available as windowless 2-door Van.

1980 short wheelbase G-Wagen

During the G-wagen's impressive life span many a different body style was made for army and public-service clients, like the Popemobile, the pickup or the chassis/cab with a wheel base of 2850, 3120 or 3400 mm, the chassis/cab being the base vehicle for army ambulances or communication vehicles.

The W460 G-wagen was popular with military and off-road enthusiasts, with more than 50,000 built in the first decade. Production of the W460 ended in August 1991. It was replaced by the almost identical W461. Initially, choices of engine were limited to the four-cylinder 230GE petrol and five-cylinder 290GD diesel engine. The W460 'cabrio' version was discontinued. In 1997, the W461 received an interior update with better seats, changed door panels, and a new dash. The W461 became available only as 290GD turbo diesel with four-speed automatic transmission. The petrol engine was dropped. Disc brakes all around became standard, and the bell-housing of the front axle was changed to accommodate larger reduction gears.

The main technical difference between the W460/461 and W463 model, apart from the choice of engines, gearboxes and heavy-duty suspension, is the layout of the drive train. While the W463 offers full-time 4WD, the W460/461 is basically rear wheel drive with manual 4WD (ie part time 4WD). These models did not have a center differential and thus no center differential locks. Only front and rear locking differentials are needed to obtain a fully locked drive train. The front lockers were not fitted as standard, but as a factory-fitted option. The differential locks are manually operated with hydraulic levers next to the transfer case selector handle. Other differences between W460 / W461 and W463 models are mainly cosmetic.

From the front, the W460/461 is easily recognized by its grille and headlight covers, which slightly from the W463 and are always black (on a factory standard car), even if the rest of the bodywork is not. If fitted, wheel arch extenders are made of unfinished plastic and are black. The rear view mirrors are mounted on the front doors instead of at the base of the A-pillar. The model badge is integrated at the base of the mirror. From the rear, the biggest differences are the fuel cap, which is not covered on the W460 / W461, and the arrangement of the taillights and bumpers.

Inside, whereas the W463 is very luxurious in the use of materials such as wood and leather trim and plenty of electronics, the simpler model is basic, with a dash and trim which closely resemble the original vehicles from the late 1970s. Apart from the choice of rugged materials, features like automatic transmission (standard on the 290GD TD), power steering (standard on W461), ABS, drivers airbag, central locking, engine pre-heater, air conditioning (rare), heated seats and electric windows were available as options for the W460/461.

1990 saw the introduction of the W463 with anti-lock brakes, full-time 4WD and a full trio of electronically-locking differentials. The interior was totally upgraded, finished with wooden accents and optional leather upholstery.

The W463 range was refreshed again in 1997, including the introduction of a power-topped convertible and two new engines, the 2.9 litre Turbo Diesel and the V6 powered (M112 motor) G320 — previous years' G320s were outfitted with the M104 I6. The V8 G-wagen returned with a new engine in 1998 as the G500. AMG, Brabus, Lorinser, Carlsson, A.R.T. and RENNtech converted versions were also available. The US marine corps ordered at least 160 diesel W463 vehicles in the mid noughties.

All W463 G-Wagens began using Mercedes-Benz's new letter-first naming scheme in 1994. It was rumored that, with military contracts for the G-wagen completed, production in Graz, Austria would cease in 2006. However, reports state that production of the current G-wagen will continue for the foreseable future, alongside its once-intended replacement, the GL-Class (X164). An outcry among enthusiasts who admired the G-wagen for its tremendous off-road potential showed that a market still existed for such a vehicle. Mercedes-Benz elected to continue production for the hardcore off-road market.

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