The Mercedes-Benz G-Class is a seriously capable off-road SUV with a choice of twin-turbocharged V8 engines—and a choice of eye-popping price tags.

What’s New for the 2023 Mercedes-Benz G-Class

The Mercedes-Benz G-Class carries over unchanged for the 2023 model year. The current generation dates back to 2019, and the 2021 model got refreshed styling inside and out. The G-Class is not as modern as most contemporary Mercedes vehicles are, but that’s widely regarded as part of its charm and appeal.

Design

The Mercedes-Benz G-Class is instantly recognizable. It’s a big box on big wheels, and even though it was fully redesigned not too long ago, it hasn’t changed much over the decades. The big windows let in plenty of light, the round headlights provide nice visual contrast compared to all the angles, and the available AMG Line package adds 20-inch wheels and sporty exterior accents. The Mercedes-AMG model also brings more distinctive styling by way of more upscale wheel designs and badging that signal the regular G-Class just wasn’t fancy enough.

Powertrain

The 2023 G-Class is offered with two powertrains. The G 550 gets a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 with 416 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque, and the AMG model gets a hand-built 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 boosted to 577 hp and 627 lb-ft. Both versions come standard with a robust four-wheel-drive (4WD) system and a nine-speed automatic transmission, enabling plenty of off-road capability, but both versions top out at EPA ratings of 13 mpg city and 16 mpg highway.

Interior

The 2023 G-Class seats five on standard leather upholstery. Front passengers get 10-way power-adjustable and heated front seats, and there’s plenty of space in both rows. Other standard features include a sunroof, ambient lighting, proximity keyless entry, and remote start. Mercedes offers various grades of premium leather upholstery, cooled front seats, and massaging front seats. That said, the 38.1-cubic-foot cargo capacity falls short of other big luxury SUVs'.

Technology

Mercedes equips every 2023 G-Class with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, an infotainment system with a 12.3-inch display, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a 15-speaker surround-sound Burmester audio system, Bluetooth, and tri-zone automatic climate control. The infotainment system is outdated compared to the automaker's newest offerings, with lots of menu layering and sluggish response.

Safety

The 2023 Mercedes-Benz G-Class has not been crash-tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). That’s common for luxury vehicles that sell in low volume. Mercedes includes a reversing camera, adaptive cruise control, park assist, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, forward collision warning, forward automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive headlights with automatic high beams, rain-sensing windshield wipers, driver-attention monitoring, and traffic-sign recognition. A 360-degree camera system is available.

Pricing

The G-Class is a very expensive SUV, but the fact that it doesn’t really have any direct competitors works in its favor. As of this writing, Mercedes offers the G 550 at a starting price of $139,900, and the Mercedes-AMG G 63 starts at $179,000; however, pricing is not yet available for packages such as the Seat Comfort package, the Exclusive Interior package, and the AMG Line package of exterior styling upgrades.