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grazza
Veteran
Date registered: Apr 2010
Location: Australia
Vehicle(s): W460 230GE 1988 - OM606 turbo diesel, 722.608 auto
Posts: 277
| 2017 G-wagen? (Wider, lighter, new engines, 9-speed, IFS?)
Good news everyone.
http://www.drive.com.au/motor-news/mercedes-prepping-heavily-rework...
Why not call it a W464?
Edited by grazza 5/5/2014 8:20 PM
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AlanMcR
Expert
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: US, CA, Los Altos
Vehicle(s): G300DT E300DT 230SL
Posts: 3500
| RE: 2017 G-wagen? (Wider, lighter, new engines, 9-speed, IFS?)
I'm sure the military would like it to be lighter. However, making it wider would kill the appeal. Part of what makes the G popular to the military is the narrow width. It fits into a wide variety of transport craft. So a wider G will in the end be a civilian vehicle and rapidly devolve down to a Range Rover work-alike. Sad.
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Luky
Elite Veteran
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: Bratislava, Slovakia, EU
Vehicle(s): 300GE LWB auto, E320CDI 4M, VW Polo Classic 1.6
Posts: 1062
| Re: 2017 G-wagen? (Wider, lighter, new engines, 9-speed, IFS?)
Alan- Maybe it is not so bad as it looks.
The article seems to be just a translation of an article from German magazine Auto Bild, which is considered to be quite an unreliable source...
The only thing I have more or less confirmed from the Daimler sources is that there will be a new I6 turbodiesel engine to replace the Om642 at least in the W463 (no sure about the W461).
Edited by Luky 5/6/2014 3:35 AM
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Inkblotz
Expert
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: Georgia
Vehicle(s): 90 300GD "Thundering Turtle II", w/ 603A turbo
Posts: 3186
| Re: 2017 G-wagen? (Wider, lighter, new engines, 9-speed, IFS?)
Unfortunately the US will probably capture the bulk of the AMG versions. With the diesels once again left to other countries.
M |
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MudMonkey
Veteran
Date registered: Jun 2013
Location: CO
Vehicle(s): '03 G500
Posts: 274
| RE: 2017 G-wagen? (Wider, lighter, new engines, 9-speed, IFS?)
AlanMcR - 5/5/2014 11:16 PM
I'm sure the military would like it to be lighter. However, making it wider would kill the appeal. Part of what makes the G popular to the military is the narrow width. It fits into a wide variety of transport craft. So a wider G will in the end be a civilian vehicle and rapidly devolve down to a Range Rover work-alike. Sad.
Not sure about that. Yes, the narrow width has its benefits. However, it is commonly said today by modern US military personnel (having been in the US military recently) that the USMC G's, for example, are too small inside, that you can barely fit 4 guys with all of their stuff inside of one. A Hummer is much wider inside --- not that a G needs to be as wide as a Hummer, but some extra width would be a benefit for troops carrying half their body weight or more in gear.
Having read this article excerpt, I'm glad I bought one of what may soon be an "old school W463" with solid front axle, etc. I'm just not excited about these new changes. |
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BrentG500
Extreme Veteran
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: US, TX, Dallas
Vehicle(s): 2004 G500 (gone)
Posts: 449
| Re: 2017 G-wagen? (Wider, lighter, new engines, 9-speed, IFS?)
Why not leave the G-class alone and instead make a harder, more militarized version of the GL-class that's lighter, stronger and more fuel efficient for the military?
The G is the perfect recipe for all around success for MB; I would advise those responsible for the G-class product development lifecycle to err on the side of ultra conservativeness.
But if the change is anything like the transition Jeep made from the TJ to the JK, then I can find that I can be okay with this. But if it's anything like the evolution of the mid 90's Mitsubishi montero to the 2004 version that was made to resemble "a cat ready to pounce", then we may have a problem.
Edited by BrentG500 5/6/2014 10:22 AM
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thebigblue
Date registered: Jan 2012
Location:
Vehicle(s):
| RE: 2017 G-wagen? (Wider, lighter, new engines, 9-speed, IFS?)
I will be difficult to follow an old school class act like the G, just look at all the fuss over at Land Rover territory around the new Defender ... |
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Fenalaar
Elite Veteran
Date registered: May 2006
Location: Narvik, Norway
Vehicle(s): 2001 ML270CDI, Polaris 400L Big Boss
Posts: 826
| RE: 2017 G-wagen? (Wider, lighter, new engines, 9-speed, IFS?)
In addition to Mercedes' own in-house tuning brand, known as AMG, they will also offer an over-the-top tuning level, ruoured to be branded as OMG... 
Johan-Kr |
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grazza
Veteran
Date registered: Apr 2010
Location: Australia
Vehicle(s): W460 230GE 1988 - OM606 turbo diesel, 722.608 auto
Posts: 277
| RE: 2017 G-wagen? (Wider, lighter, new engines, 9-speed, IFS?)
I wonder if they would do away with the transfer case, with a 9-speed auto. Like VW have.
Be good to hear of any confirmation of the info from a reliable source, like MB. Any "inside-men" or associates around here? |
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heinz
Veteran
Date registered: Dec 2006
Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Vehicle(s): G500, MY 2000
Posts: 176
| Re: 2017 G-wagen? (Wider, lighter, new engines, 9-speed, IFS?)
http://www.4wheelfun.de/news/mercedes-g-klasse-2017-revolution-beim... |
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Balto
Extreme Veteran
Date registered: Mar 2012
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Vehicle(s): 2002 G500
Posts: 368
| Re: 2017 G-wagen? (Wider, lighter, new engines, 9-speed, IFS?)
IF this really does happen I wanna be the first to say congratulations to everyone! Our "Old school" G's will go waaaay up in price haha |
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BrentG500
Extreme Veteran
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: US, TX, Dallas
Vehicle(s): 2004 G500 (gone)
Posts: 449
| Re: 2017 G-wagen? (Wider, lighter, new engines, 9-speed, IFS?)
I'm taking an oversimplified page out of the Chrysler design handbook when their styling engineers made a new design of the wrangler from the TJ to the JK.
Take a current picture of a stock G550 and photoshop 37" tires on it. Through photoshop, expand the G-class such that the vehicle looks dimensionally proportional to the 37" tires (in other words, make it look stock). Save the file and then decrease the tires size to 32" tires.
This would be an evolutionary update and would satisfy the case needs without drastically altering the design language. |
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dalexa001
Veteran
Date registered: Feb 2008
Location: Anniston, Alabama, USA
Vehicle(s): 2011 G550, 2012 Sequoia
Posts: 157
| Re: 2017 G-wagen? (Wider, lighter, new engines, 9-speed, IFS?)
I'm going to go ahead a predict portal axles for the 2017 model year. |
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Razon
Date registered: Jul 2008
Location: Vancouver, BC
Vehicle(s): 1986 280ge Cabrio, 617A, 5sp manual
| Re: 2017 G-wagen? (Wider, lighter, new engines, 9-speed, IFS?)
Where did IFS come from?
Article mentions 4 link front suspension. If they keep the arms long, that would be awesome!
While that sounds "cool" in the article:) in real life it would be very hard to do without making the truck look like a buggy or pushing the engine inside the cabin.... and still keep everything street legal (no hydraulic rams allowed for steering).
And then: 4 link is for crazy articulation while maintaining proper geometry. Why would the G need that?!!!  it's only got a few inches of travel!
Maybe they meant 5 link (4 link with a track bar).
Edited by Razon 5/20/2014 7:04 PM
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Luky
Elite Veteran
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: Bratislava, Slovakia, EU
Vehicle(s): 300GE LWB auto, E320CDI 4M, VW Polo Classic 1.6
Posts: 1062
| Re: 2017 G-wagen? (Wider, lighter, new engines, 9-speed, IFS?)
One of my insider sources told me they have to move the engine lower to comply with some new pedestrian protection rules, so the solid axle has to go...
BTW. Other insider (maybe not so well informed) told me there is also no plan to reintroduce the W461 for the civilian market.
Edited by Luky 5/21/2014 2:39 AM
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4x4abc
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: La Paz, Baja California, Mexico
Vehicle(s): 02 G500
| Re: 2017 G-wagen? (Wider, lighter, new engines, 9-speed, IFS?)
first prototypes are out
 (new G.jpg)
Attachments
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 new G.jpg (49KB - 1 downloads)
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koly
Elite Veteran
Date registered: Jul 2006
Location: Scottsdale, AZ USA
Vehicle(s): 2000 G500
Posts: 823
| Re: 2017 G-wagen? (Wider, lighter, new engines, 9-speed, IFS?)
The windscreen looks a little smaller, but it appears they've also made some improvements to the bumper and increased the size of the LED daytime running lights.
Nice find Harald!
4x4abc - 5/30/2014 2:18 PM
first prototypes are out |
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4x4abc
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: La Paz, Baja California, Mexico
Vehicle(s): 02 G500
| Re: 2017 G-wagen? (Wider, lighter, new engines, 9-speed, IFS?)
look at the cool speaker on the roof |
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greynolds
Member
Date registered: Jul 2013
Location: Billerica, MA USA
Vehicle(s): 2017 G63 (Obsidian Black / Titanium Grey Pearl)
Posts: 39
| Re: 2017 G-wagen? (Wider, lighter, new engines, 9-speed, IFS?)
And it looks like snorkels may become a standard feature. |
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gelenda
Veteran
Date registered: Mar 2012
Location: Great Bay, New Hampshire
Vehicle(s): '03 G500, '16 E63S AMG, '15 Grand Cherokee Diesel
Posts: 122
| Re: 2017 G-wagen? (Wider, lighter, new engines, 9-speed, IFS?)
Does the new 9 gear transmission really offer "vastly improved fuel economy" over the current 7 gear?
Also will it have auto start/stop technology? After all, G owners are known to be penny pinchers when it comes to filling up the tank... |
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