Video: 2019 Mercedes-Benz G550: Review

It started life as a go-anywhere off-road vehicle developed for the West German military way back in the 1970s. And like a lot of these military off-road vehicles, think Hummer or Land Rover, it eventually became a kind of a rich folks plaything that we see today. Now, these days you're far less likely to see one of these things bounding over the fields than you are more at a Starbucks drive-through on the way to a hot yoga studio. But you know what? So what? These things live more mundane lives in maybe Miami or southern California. We're not gonna judge anybody who buys one of these things because it is absolutely awesome and I love it. Let me show you why. I mean, look at it. It has the aerodynamic efficiency of your average two-story townhouse. You're more at the mercy of stiff crosswinds in the G-wagon that Christopher Columbus was sailing across the Atlantic. Despite this being an all-new G-wagon that's longer and wider than the old one, it looks almost identical, and that's intentional. Buyers love the fact that it looks like the proverbial box that it came in. And Mercedes took great pains to ensure that this look was preserved. The round headlights are now adaptive LED and you have a choice of front brush guards in chrome or black if you order the night package like this one has. The turn signals are located on the tops of the fenders and both sides are visible from the high-riding driver's seat. It feels like a total throwback as well. Check out these doors. The exterior latches are just one of a handful of pieces carried over unchanged from the last G-wagon. And they're like this because buyers would throw a fit if Mercedes changed them. They open via push button and the door opens and closes with a mechanical clack that hasn't changed since the '70s. And the powertrain is just insane. The base engine is a Mercedes AMG-derived four-liter twin turbo V8 making 416 horsepower and 450 pound feet of torque. It's mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission and features full-time all-wheel drive. It is loud, it is fast, and it is mental. Mercedes-Benz says that it'll get from 0 to 60 miles power hour in just 5.6 seconds in a 5500-pound SUV. It does handle better than the old one thanks to a new independent front suspension and a fully modernized rack and pinion steering system. But it does still have a solid rear axle. And it case you ever do find yourself involved in a land war in Asia, it has three sequentially locking differentials and a dedicated low range that can be controlled via the center console. Ninety percent of buyers will look at these buttons and wonder what they do. A few brave souls may even press one, but unless you know what you're doing, they're not going to do anything for you. And saying that it drives better doesn't necessarily mean that it drives well. The ride is vastly improved and stability is an order of magnitude better, but it's still crazy tippy. It's slow to turn in, and it feels like the true off-roader that it is. It's like someone sent a Jeep Wrangler off to a fancy Austrian boarding school and this is what came back. Better and more refined in every conceivable way, but still a mud-boggin' hooligan at heart. The biggest improvements are inside, where Mercedes-Benz has crafted one of the nicest interiors its ever put together. This thing is opulent, with gorgeous leather, comfortable seats, real wood, metal, and carbon fiber, and an optional duel 12.3-inch digital display setup. It's surprising that Mercedes-Benz didn't include the latest MBUX multimedia system with this latest G-wagon. Instead you get the latest version of Command, the company's older system, but it now has Apple Carplay and Android Auto as standard equipment. This model features the exclusive interior package with napa leather seats and dashboard, diamond stitching, Dezinio floor mats, massaging front seats with rapid heating and ventilation, and check out that red. It's not for everyone, but I'm a sucker for a red leather interior and this is one of the best ones I've ever seen. The new G-wagon is bigger in every dimension inside, too. The overall truck is 2.1 inches longer and has a 1.6-inch longer wheel base. It's three inches wider, too. And you feel it when you're sitting inside. But the big jump comes in the back seat, where passenger get a six-inch bump in legroom, making it much more tolerable than before. It's eaten into the cargo room a bit, but you no longer need to move the front seats forward to fold down the back seats, so I'll count this as a major improvement to daily livability. So what is this fancy SUV life going to set you back? Well, the base price starts at just a tick under $125,000. And if you're not careful with that options sheet and you start checking some boxes, you'll end up with one like this, which comes in at just about $150,000. And that's why you don't see them on ever street corner, unless of course you're living in southern California. Now, if you'd like to learn more about the new 2019 Mercedes-Benz G550, you can look everything up on cars.com.