Last Updated on July 17, 2022 by Victor A
When you think about luxury SUVs the Mercedes G-Class (also known as the G Wagon) is one of the first cars that comes to mind. The reason for that is the fact that the G Wagon is special.
Nowadays the trend in the SUV market is to make cars with low ground clearances, with coupe styling, and more focused on city driving than on off-road driving.
And that’s why the G-Class feels special, it’s different, its design hasn’t changed much over the years, but its comfort and technology have improved a lot. You still get those nostalgic looks while getting all the new features found in its competitors.
But, can nostalgia justify its high price? This SUV is costly, and here we are going to explain to you why G Wagon SUVs are so expensive.
First of all, it’s not only a great car, but it’s also among the best SUVs you can find
It’s hard to find an SUV with the quality, capabilities, and technology the G Wagon offers, it might be expensive but with the current generation, you get an incredible car.
As for pricing, the cheapest Mercedes G-Class in the US, the G550 starts at an MSRP price of $131,750, while the most expensive G63 AMG will set you back at a starting price of $156,450.
While in Europe, the less costly G-Class is the G350 d which starts at €99,446, and the most expensive one is the G63 AMG with a price of €154,309.
The thing is, at those price ranges you can find SUVs with more power, with better handling, or with more technology, however, what the G-Class does well is to make an incredible package where you get a rugged SUV with an iconic design while delivering top-notch quality, and driving capabilities.
As a reference, compare it with the latest Land Rover Defender V8, a clear rival of the G63 AMG, which both share a similar styling and similar power outputs, however, when you enter inside the Defender you find a huge contrast with the Mercedes. The Mercedes denotes more exclusivity, and you find better quality everywhere which helps it to easier justify its price.
The G-Class is made in Austria
In today’s globalized world, it’s easy to find automakers manufacturing their cars in low-cost countries like Slovenia, Mexico, etc. Many premium automakers even build some of their cars in those countries.
The G Wagon is different since it’s manufactured in Graz, Austria by Magna Steyr, which are well-known in the industry for their impressive engineering skills, and attention to detail.
It’s not the same assembling a car in Austria as doing it in a low-cost country, as the salaries in Austria are higher, therefore the cost of the Mercedes G-Class is also higher.
It’s a Mercedes-Benz
An important fact that many people overlook when comparing the G Wagon with other rugged SUVs like the Toyota Highlander, Jeep Wrangler, etc is that the G Wagon is a car made by Mercedes-Benz.
And Mercedes is a premium-luxury brand, which means that their cars will command a higher price than competitors that come from mass-market brands.
Brand value in the car industry is important, very important, and people are more likely to pay more for a car if it comes from a prestigious brand.
The G Wagon is highly customizable
Over the years the G Class has gained more features and options which is great for customers, however for the manufacturer it supposes a problem, as the more options you add to a car, the more complex it becomes to produce, therefore increasing its cost.
It’s not the same mass-producing a car that is identical to each other and has little to no options than to manufacture a car where most customers choose to build it differently.
Its origin and its capabilities
The G Wagon started as a military vehicle, and it did a good job as it was famous for its durability and quality.
Military vehicles are designed to last for long and to endure the harshest conditions, so when Mercedes made the G-Class version for the public, all that durability was transferred to the public version. And with every update, it kept some of that durability as one of its main features.
The G Wagon demand presence and are considered a status symbol
Before the current generation, the G Wagons were known for not being that comfortable, and to have mediocre handling for a car at that price range. However, selling them at a high price point was never a problem.
A reason for that is the presence that the G Wagon commands, as well as what it represents. It’s a symbol of status, and as celebrities started to purchase them, the image was further consolidated.
A considerable number of customers of this vehicle are likely to never take it out of the road. The car is an extremely capable off-roader, but the reality is that most people don’t even know what are the different locking differentials that the car offers.
What makes it so desirable is the image, not really what the car can achieve off-roading.
Thankfully, Mercedes tackled many of the old problems the previous G-Class generations had, and it now carries the latest technological features, the highest quality interior, and improved driving dynamics.
We can claim that the current G-Class is way more worth it than the previous ones.
Source: Daimler
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