Mercedes Benz Gwagen.

The Mercedes Benz G-wagen was Mercedes' first foray into general four wheel drives in 1979, D. S-M --> designed for them by Steyr-Daimler-Puch (SDP) and initially built as a joint venture. G-wagen is short for Gelaendewagen (cross-country car) not Gucci-wagen. SDP are also creators of the capable, but shall we say eccentric, Haflinger and Pinzgauer.

G-wagen engine options were: 2.4L 4cyl diesel, 3L 5cyl diesel, 2.3L 4cyl petrol and 2.8L 6cyl petrol. The G-wagen was very capable too - diff' locks and all that - but, at least in Australia, it was never the success that Mercedes Benz hoped for. Probably it cost too much for something that looked like a Land-Rover, not like a Range Rover, nor a Discovery (which did not exist then) but a boxy series III.

Apparently the G-wagen was sold as a `Puch G-wagen' (say it carefully) in communist block countries. In the late 1980s Mercedes Benz found it all too much bother and gave the G-wagen over to SDP, buying a few back for rebadging. SDP is still making them but G-wagens are no longer sold in Australia. Those that come on the market are often snapped up and shipped north to Queensland for outback and mining work as they have a good reputation for reliability.

G-wagens are still quite common in England; this one (right) was spotted in London.

A military version of the Gwagen is also made as the Peugeot P4.

URL: /4WD.html

And from email: Gwagen's are common here in northern Europe and Scandinavia. The G-type is also the preferred 4x4 of the Danish, Swiss, Austrian and German armies. Mercedes Benz has guaranteed to deliver the G-type until year 2025 to NATO forces. New types in series 463 are:
350 GD, 6cylinder diesel with/without turbo.
320 GE, 6 cylinder petrol
560 GE, 8 cylinder petrol

An Army type 240 GD series 460 year 1992 used by the Danish army. It is a 4cyl 2.4 liter diesel, 4x4 with hydraulic front and rear differential locking cabrio-version.
- Poul.

A Civil 300 GD series 460 long version year 1985 100% in good shape. It is a 5cyl 3.0 liter diesel, 4x4 with hydraulic front and rear differential locking. It has done 240.000 Km's and is no way a "tired car".
- Poul Vinther G-type fan, Denmark ['97]

We have a Mercedes 300GD (Dec' 1984) and on this photo we are driving off-road in Burgundy, France as members of the French Club 4x4 Mercedes-Benz de France. The car has already covered around 200,000km (120,000 miles) and is still in a very good shape - Uwe Schulz [9/'99]

The earliest known G230, chassis number 000 009 at the 20th anniversary in Graz, 1999. It was an Austrian Army 4-door soft-top.
- C. de Pau

16/12/97 and some more: The Mercedes Benz G-wagen G350 turbo-diesel is now out of production for Europe. The successor is a new G300 turbo-diesel (like mine) having a six-cylinder turbo-charged diesel engine with 130kW (or 177PS) and a near constant torque of 330Nm between 1600rpm and 4500rpm coupled with a 5-speed automatic transmission. The engine is not (yet) a direct injection engine, but having 4-valves per cylinder. The car has of course 3 differentials, that can be locked at 100 percent.
- Clive Schley

Go to the G-wagen (current), 290GD, Mercedes Benz or Steyr-Daimler-Puch pages