Overhauled G class stays inside the box

Even with design dating back nearly 40 years to its 1979 birth, the military-styled Mercedes-Benz G class is still setting sales records.

Now with the most thorough redesign in the iconic SUV's history, Mercedes-Benz will discover whether a modernized chassis and technology-laden interior can push demand even higher.

The United States is the biggest global market for the G class.

The 2019 G class — introduced at the Detroit auto show on Sunday and slated to reach U.S. dealerships by late 2018 — is bigger, lighter and more luxurious. Almost every visible exterior and interior part is new. Mercedes upgraded performance in all areas: on-road handling, off-road performance, passenger comfort and telematics, said Ola Kaellenius, the Daimler AG board member in charge of group research and development.

"The new G is still a G, only better," Kaellenius said in a statement.

The beloved boxy design of the high-ticket SUV remains. G-class buyers, among the wealthiest and most loyal customers in the Mercedes-Benz family, are passionate about the SUV's looks.

They saved the G class when it was slated to be replaced by the brand's first unibody crossover, the 1998 M class.

Respecting that boxy shape while redesigning the G class was key, said Gorden Wagener, Daimler AG's chief design officer.

"You have to treat it very responsible, otherwise it wouldn't be a G," Wagener said last year.

In addition to the exterior shape, other notable design elements remain: the distinctive door handles, the doors' characteristic closing sound and the exposed spare wheel on the rear.

The 2019 G class is 2.1 inches longer and 4.8 inches wider. With more extensive use of lightweight materials, such as ultra-high-strength steel and aluminum, the SUV has shed 375 pounds. There is more leg, shoulder and elbow room for both front- and second-row passengers — including 5.9 more inches of legroom for rear-seat passengers.

Interior styling borrows elements from the recently redesigned E class and re-engineered S class. Two instrument panel designs are available, with classic round analog dials as standard.

The optional design features two side-by-side 12.3-inch displays blended into a wide-screen cockpit with a customizable layout. The G class gets the steering-wheel touch-control buttons that debuted on the E-class sedan in 2016.

The G class's technology credentials are on par with that redesigned E class, a company spokesman said. The brand had touted the E class as its most advanced vehicle.

Out of view, the G class platform remains body-on-frame. It gets an independent front suspension for the first time, aimed at smoothing on-road handling and refinement. But off-road capabilities also surpass the outgoing model, Mercedes says.

The suspension — a double-wishbone front axle combined with a rigid rear axle — is the result of work between engineers at Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-AMG. It provides more ground clearance, increases the vehicle's maximum fording depth and improves off-road driving stability. A new off-road "G-Mode" adjusts the steering, adapts the damping of the chassis and avoids unnecessary gear shifts.

Though Mercedes is adding a turbocharged six-cylinder engine in some markets, the base G class for the U.S. will continue to be the G550 model with a carryover turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8. The transmission changes from a seven-speed automatic to a new nine-speed automatic with a torque converter specifically adapted for off-road requirements that also helps lower fuel consumption.

U.S. sales of the G class rose 6 percent in 2017 to 4,188, a record since its 2001 introduction here. Its sales have more than tripled in this market since 2012, compared with a 40 percent rise for all large premium SUVs. Globally, Mercedes has produced more than 300,000 G classes since the SUV's 1979 debut.

High-performance AMG models represent the majority of the nameplate's U.S. sales, a higher percentage than any other Mercedes vehicle. Customers are largely regional, with the top G-class markets being Southern California, Texas, South Florida, the New York City area and Atlanta.

Mercedes isn't yet revealing pricing for the 2019 G class. The outgoing G class starts at $124,595 including shipping and tops out at $228,295 for the extra-tall G550 4x4².