Basic model G-Wagon for sale in Australia? I've just seen this at my MB dealer...

Bit too early to tell as I haven't owned it long but the positives of the Defender are still there. Some of the things that I've really welcomed are some aircon and heating, heated seats are nice too. It doesn't drip water in my foot yet. The suspension is hard and the handling is quite direct, sits flat in corners, it does have a 1.2T payload so it's going to be hard. Auto box will take some getting used to, it seems old school and holds gears a little long sometimes but it's only a 5 speed, 100km/h is 2100rpm, it's much happier at 90-95km/h. Shutting the doors takes an insane swing, you are always slamming the doors, there's just no other way. Locking/unlocking the doors is so satisfying. Engine has some grunt when you need it but mostly it's happy to lope along, it's no race car. You get looks in traffic, mostly from Defender owners!

It'll grow on me I can tell, it has character.

Hard to take good shots from underneath but some low quality shots for you.

https://i.ibb.co/z4PtQ7F/IMG-2019031...-2328x1746.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/8MQD4pS/IMG-2019031...-2328x1746.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/kqkrrJF/IMG-2019031...-2328x1746.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/0mD5Vbb/IMG-2019031...-1746x2328.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/rd79SCp/IMG-2019031...-1746x2328.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/jTxMD4K/IMG-2019031...-2328x1746.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/821PXPp/IMG-2019031...-2328x1746.jpg

Hey thanks for the pics. Looks really robust underneath with some decent protection. Sounds like it feels really solid to drive too. ...will look forward to hearing more when you’ve had it longer. ...assuming it’s G Professional, will be great to hear what it’s like on the gravel and dirt and on long drives. My Puma sits on 2000rpm at 100kmhr, so sounds pretty similar. Is the cabin relatively quiet?

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Originally Posted by Zeros

Is the cabin relatively quiet?

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You can do 110km/hr, have the radio on and have a conversation, a-may-zing! There's wind noise from the rack/mirrors and it's Defender in shape so it moves around a bit depending on cross wind. You have to be relatively concentrated but I like that type of driving, no cruise control either although seems to be able to be retrofitted.

I'm starting to like the auto box, when in D it's a tap to the left or right to go down/up. When you want some engine braking you can push to the left it'll drop down a gear, when you want D again you just hold to the right from any gear and D is selected. Very simple and easy. In low and with any gear selected it won't auto shift up which is what you want. I need to get it off road though, Easter can't come soon enough.

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Very nice! Congrats. Looks awesome. That auto box sounds excellent too.
Hmmm still love my Defender though [thumbsupbig] ...But they could be related :)

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Originally Posted by Zeros

Hmmm still love my Defender though [thumbsupbig] ...But they could be related :)

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This is more closely related to the G Wagen than a Defender [thumbsupbig]

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4585/...3effc112_b.jpg20160725_123706

Breathershttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...cb05261b81.jpg

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Originally Posted by inside

Breathershttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...cb05261b81.jpg

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impressive, how high up is that?

That's top of firewall, filter next to it is for cabin air.

Well I've had it for a while and have completed some trips in it, the engine has loosened a bit so time for a bit of a review. Now just remember I come from a 110 Perentie with a 4BD1T.

In Australia if you're into touring you need to cover a lot of boring bits of bitumen, you get a 3L V6 with 140KW and 400Nm, it has some poke if you work the accelerator and it has no problem cruising at 110km/hr. There is power to overtake when required, brakes work very well and because it has fat sway bars it handles bends in the road nicely. It's not a wallowing 4WD that requires concentration when rounding corners at speed. You get no cruise control and it can take some concentration to keep it on the straight and narrow when you have a wind blowing. Noise levels are low when cruising which is nice however you can hear the roof rack at times. Seats are nice enough and adjustment is good, headroom great for all, you get some aircon and a seriously warm heater should you need it. On the safety side of things you get 2 airbags, traction control, ABS and stability control.

Off road, so I've done some boring dirt road touring and it handles this very well. Loaded up and with the tyres at the right pressure it is very very good. It will soak up bumps, corrugations and large holes with ease. So much so you have to watch your speed as your confidence in the vehicle can get a little too high for the conditions. I absolutely loved my 110 with Koni Raids on dirt roads at speed and I am pleased the G is great in this area. It must be the strong chassis and solid axle combination. I do not know how it would be on seriously corrugated roads that you can find in Australia but so far so good. Dust sealing is good, no rattles or vibrations.

The 4WD system works similar to the Defender, it's permanent 4WD with a centre diff. Low range can be shifted to on the fly, you put it in neutral, hit the low range button and then move back to drive. This process is seamless and simple with little to no lag. When you lock the centre diff all aids are turned off so no traction control or ABS which I see as good thing as you now have a relatively dumb vehicle that you need to rely on suspension, gearing, brakes, your right foot and how you as the driver use these to get where you need to go. There are front and rear lockers which while good can take some time to lock and unlock requiring you to reverse and go forward at times to get them to do their thing. This can be a little frustrating when you are at the bottom of a hill waiting for lights to go on before you ascend.

Suspension travel is minimal, I think Merc have decided to fit big sway bars to give it on road handling and then overcome the downside of that with the fact it has lockers. The G will lift front wheels very easily as can be seen here. It weighs 3.2T here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Atx4zeZxpLo

Wading depth I think is 600mm I think, water will enter the front fog lights, these will need to replaced with LED units in the future.

This is front a rear lockers and plenty of right foot in the High Country.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE1CARQUps4

Some downsides to the vehicle, it has TPMS which is good and very relevant to a 4WD however the implementation is poor. You would think you could drop your tyres to say 28PSI then if you got a hole the alarm would sound and you can have a look. Well that's not the case because once the tyre pressure drops below 30PSI you get a warning light on the dash and calibrating it won't allow you to reset it. The owners manual confirms this is the correct operation so a missed opportunity from Merc there. Front bar options for a winch are poor, nice of Merc to offer the wiring for it though [bighmmm]

The rear storage space is low, need to get creative here. Also the rear door hinges on the wrong side for Australia and the opening is not that large being a 70s designed vehicle. You only get 4 seats but you do get space between the two of them to add a fridge or whatever else. Storage space is minimal with some front door pockets being the only real storage, they are a good size though. No remote central locking.

Overall it is a solid vehicle, the build quality is outstanding, 4WD capability is excellent, payload is excellent (1.2T). Shame it is not cheaper but people add autos and rear track changes to 70 series cruisers and think they are great. That's 30K with those two mods alone and you get no dealer support.

Some more video. Trying to keep it LR relevant so we have a D4 in there [wink11].

https://youtu.be/v2oRk8eu130