Skip to main content

Mercedes-Benz's timeless G-Class returns to its roots in Australia

Mercedes-Benz will introduce a body-on-frame pickup truck named X-Class next year. For those who can’t wait that long, the company’s Australian division has just launched a cab-chassis variant of the indestructible G-Class that can be fitted with a pickup bed.

The model is called G300 CDI, and all it takes is one look to tell it was designed to work hard. It eschews the eye-catching chrome trim of the high-performance G sold here and instead adopts a more functional look characterized by a black grille, black trim on the sides, and 16-inch alloys wrapped by meaty all-terrain tires.

Recommended Videos

It comes ready to tackle even the most challenging terrain thanks to a bull bar — a necessity out in the Australian bush –, a skid plate that protects the oil pan, and a snorkel that allows it to safely drive through nearly 25 inches of water.

Motorists who drove a G-Class 30 years ago will feel right at home in the 300 CDI model. A perfect illustration of form-over-function design, it offers a simple cabin with durable vinyl upholstery on the seats, rubber floor mats, two drain plugs, and a basic panel on the center console with switches that let the driver choose which of the three differentials is locked, among other functions. The no-nonsense, utilitarian design is precisely what its target audience is looking for.

Don’t expect to find a powerful, AMG-built engine under the hood. The G300 CDI is powered by a 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 engine rated at 181 horsepower and a 295 pound-feet of torque. The six-cylinder sends its power to all four wheels via a five-speed automatic transmission, and a full-time all-wheel drive system with a 50:50 front-rear split as well as a dual-speed transfer case.

The G300 boasts approach and departure angles of 38 and 35 degrees, respectively. It can carry 4,596 pounds, and it can tow 4,872 pounds when it’s properly equipped.

Built by hand in Austria, the Mercedes-Benz G300 CDI is on sale now across Australia. Pricing starts at $119,900 Australian dollars, a sum which converts to nearly $90,000. Down under, it faces competition from the immensely popular Toyota 70-Series Land Cruiser, another highly-capable off-roader that has been in production for decades.

The newest addition to the G-Class lineup might be sold in a handful of other markets around the globe, but it stands virtually no chance of ever seeing the inside of a Mercedes showroom in the United States.

Ronan Glon
Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
How do you crash-test an EV with an 871-pound battery? Mercedes showed us
Crash test with Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV and EQA electric cars.

A flash of light, a big bang, and it’s over. Two SUVs lie askew on a patch of concrete, a debris field scattered between them. They’ve just been in a head-on collision, the moment captured by high-speed cameras aided by blindingly bright lights. That’s what a successful day looks like at the Mercedes-Benz crash-test lab in Sindelfingen, Germany.

While spectacular and jarring, crash-tests aren’t special. Mercedes averages three per day at this facility, giving engineers plenty of data from onboard sensors and crash-test dummies to analyze behind closed doors. But this test was different.

Read more
Mercedes ‘Little G’ electric G-Wagon: everything we know so far
Concept image of the larger electric G-Wagon

Slowly, but surely, Mercedes-Benz is building electric versions of all of its different cars -- and it looks like a smaller electric G-Wagon may be coming up soon. Mercedes first announced an all-electric EQG in 2021, but even before the car is officially available to buy, the company is already planning a baby one too, affectionately dubbed the "Little G."

There's still a lot we don't know about the smaller electric G-Wagon. Here, however, is everything we do know so far.
Design
Design is a huge part of what makes a G-Wagon a G-Wagon. Because of that, it's almost certainly something that Mercedes won't compromise on.

Read more
Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV first drive review: a better electric SUV
Front three quarter view of the 2024 Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV.

With EV production ramping up, automakers can now shift attention to something more fun: making EVs that are engaging to drive, the kind that encourage you to take the long way home. Mercedes-Benz is putting its best people on the job.

For more than 50 years, AMG has been turning Mercedes luxury cars into race cars and hot rods—and the performance division is now working its magic on EVs. We’ve already gotten AMG versions of the Mercedes-Benz EQS and EQE sedans, but AMG is now upping the difficulty level with an electric SUV.

Read more