The Reinvention
In 2018 the G-Class was redesigned for the first time in thirty-nine years, gaining an all-new ladder frame, independent front suspension and a far larger cabin while keeping the doors, the door handle sound and the shape. It was the moment the model had to prove it could modernise without losing itself.
Part of G-Class
22 moments in this segment.
- — Camouflaged next-generation G-Class caught winter testing. Spy footage of the then-unreleased 2018 G-Class running under camouflage in winter conditions, published roughly a year before the reveal. It captures the development phase of the redesign that replaced the body Mercedes-Benz had built since 1979.
- — First ride in the new 2018 G-Class on the Schoeckl. GTspirit rides down the Schoeckl with a Mercedes-Benz G test driver in the new 2018 G-Class and compares it directly against an earlier run in the old G 500. The channel reports a wider track and a new suspension developed with AMG making the car markedly more stable off road.
- — Launch review of the W464 G-Class at Detroit. A full walkthrough of the redesigned W464 G-Class at its launch at the 2018 Detroit auto show, covering exterior, interior and engines. It is the detailed civilian look at the first full redesign of the G-Class since 1979.
- — World premiere of the W464 G-Class in Detroit. The full launch presentation of the new G-Class at the 2018 Detroit motor show, with Arnold Schwarzenegger appearing on stage. It is the manufacturer's own staging of the handover from the body it had built since 1979 to the redesigned car.
- — G 63 AMG. A Mercedes-AMG G 63. AMG began offering V8 G-Classes in the 1990s; by the 2010s the G 63 was the volume model in many markets, and the car that turned a military off-roader into a fashion object.
- — The 2018 redesign. The G-Class after its 2018 redesign - the first full redesign in 39 years. The new car kept the silhouette, the door handles and the exposed hinges but replaced the front live axle with independent suspension, widened the body and rebuilt the interior around a modern Mercedes architecture. Internally it is the W464, though Mercedes confusingly continued to market it under the W463 name.
- — "Stronger Than Time" campaign film for the 2018 G-Class. Mercedes-Benz's launch film for the redesigned G-Class, built on the claim that the car is made from unique DNA and built for extreme challenges. It is the marketing framing the brand chose for the first ground-up redesign of the model since 1979.
- — In-depth review of the 2019 Mercedes-AMG G 63. A long road review of the new AMG G 63, setting the deliberately retro exterior against an interior dominated by two large screens, and asking whether the six-figure price is justified. It became one of the most watched reviews of the redesigned G-Class.
- — Quirks and features of the 2019 G 550. A detailed walkthrough and drive of the redesigned 2019 G-Class in G 550 form, working through what the new car kept from the original and what changed inside. One of the defining reviews of the W464's launch year.
- — A life-size G-Class carved from ice on Plan de Corones. Press footage of a full-size G-Class sculpted out of more than twelve tonnes of ice by the artist Francesco Falasconi, built in four days at the top of the Kronplatz / Plan de Corones peak at 2,275 metres. It was staged around the model's fortieth anniversary.
- — Euro NCAP crash tests the 2019 G-Class. The official Euro NCAP programme run on the redesigned G-Class: frontal impact into a rigid barrier, offset frontal into a deformable barrier, a pole test and a side impact. Euro NCAP has since confirmed that the electric G-Class variant shares this 2019 rating.
- — A W461 in German civil-protection service. A Mercedes-Benz G-Class (W461) of the Technisches Hilfswerk, Germany's federal disaster-relief agency. Alongside armies, the utilitarian W461 found its market with fire services, mountain rescue and civil-protection agencies.
- — G-Class production, modern era. A modern view of G-Class production at Graz. The 2018 W464 redesign required substantial retooling but kept the same site and much of the same hand-assembly philosophy.
- — Off-road test drive at the G-Class Experience Center, no commentary. Twelve minutes of unnarrated footage of the G-Class working through extreme terrain at the Experience Center near the Graz production site, sourced from Mercedes-Benz. With no talking over it, it reads as a raw record of the course and of how the vehicle handles it.
- — Forty years of the G-Class. Mercedes-Benz's short anniversary film marking forty years of the G-Class, framed as forty years of performance and passion. It restates the 1979 starting point the brand keeps returning to whenever it talks about the model.
- — Water wading, stairs and mud in a G 500. Extended footage of a current G-Class driven through deep water, up steps and through mud, with a walkaround of the car in G 500 form. It is one of the most watched demonstrations of the redesigned car actually being taken off the road.
- — The 2018-generation interior. The interior of a post-2018 G-Class, with twin widescreen displays and turbine air vents shared with the S-Class. The three differential-lock buttons survived the redesign and sit in a row on the centre of the dashboard - the one piece of switchgear Mercedes was not allowed to move.
- — Driving the 2024 Mercedes-AMG G63. A road test of the V8-powered 2024 Mercedes-AMG G63, covering how the current G-Class behaves as an everyday vehicle rather than as an off-roader. It documents the point where the G-Class is bought overwhelmingly as a luxury performance SUV.
- — Euro NCAP crash and safety tests of the G-Class. Euro NCAP test footage of the G-Class, including the frontal barrier impact, the offset frontal impact and side impact. The 2024 update explains that additional checks were made so the rating from the 2019 test also covers the electric variant.
- — Review of the updated 2025 G-Class. A review running through the changes made to the G-Class for 2025 and how the vehicle compares with other large luxury four-wheel drives. It covers the on-road manners, interior and running costs of the current car.
- — First drive of the 2026 G450d diesel. An Australian first drive of the G450d, which returns diesel power to the G-Class range as the quieter and cheaper alternative to the V8 G63. The review covers pricing, specification and how it drives.
- — Autobahn drive in the G63 with the AMG Drivers Package. A point-of-view drive of the current AMG G63 fitted with the Drivers Package, including sustained autobahn running and engine sound. It shows the V8 G-Class used the way most of its buyers actually use it.
