Mercedes Benz

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Stuttgart, Germany, May 08, 2009 – the legendary Mercedes-Benz G-Class is continuing to rake in award after award – thirty years after it first appeared on the automotive scene. What is by far the longest serving Mercedes-Benz passenger-car model series is celebrating its successes in the “2009 superstars” readers’ poll run by the specialist journal “4WheelFun” and the “classics of the future” vote organised by the magazine “Motor Klassik”. These honours serve to underline the cult status enjoyed by the G-Class.


Readers of the off-road magazine “4Wheel Fun” ensured that the G-Class romped its way to victory by a good margin in the luxury segment of the “2009 superstar” poll. Some 34 percent of the votes went to this ever-youthful classic, putting a clear distance between the G-Class and its competitors. This is the second time that the assertive off-roader has won this title – the first time being in 2007.

Following on from previous victories in 2003 and 2007, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class has now been named “classic of the future” in 2009, too, by readers of “Motor Klassik”. No less than 16,184 readers awarded their votes to Mercedes models in six out of 14 categories, with the G-Class winning by a particularly wide margin. The original version of the vehicle, dating back to 1979, dominated the competition with an impressive 29.9 percent of votes in its class. And the current G-Class model was able to cut an equally fine figure, picking up nearly 25 percent of the votes: that’s twice as many as the vehicle which took second place.

For an incredible sixth time – after 2001, 2006 2007 and 2008 – readers of “Off Road” have once again bestowed the title “off-roader of the year” on this automotive icon.

These awards follow in the footsteps of a long tradition, as soon becomes apparent when taking a look at a small selection of the honours from past decades: no less than 14 times have the readers of the specialist German publication “auto motor und sport” voted the G-Class the best cross-country vehicle in the world. In 1983 the Australian automotive magazine “bushdriver” named the G-Class as the best 4x4 cross-country vehicle of the year, no doubt partly as a reminiscence to the Paris-Dakar win that year. In 1993 readers of the French “Magazine 4x4” awarded the title “cross-country vehicle of the year” to the G 350 TURBODIESEL, and in 1995, readers of the specialist aquatic sport journal, “Boote”, came to the conclusion that the G-Class is the best towing vehicle.

G-Class LIMITED.30 and G-Class EDITION.PUR: spectacular special models to mark birthday celebrations

The fact that the G-Class was designed for operations in the most difficult terrain right from the start is made particularly clear by the special EDITION.PUR model based on the G 280 CDI from the 461 model series. This long-wheelbase station wagon pays homage to the first-generation G-Class, has been optimised specifically for the toughest assignments off the beaten track and is therefore the future dream car for world travellers, expedition leaders, confirmed fans of the G-Class and customers who are in search of an automotive rarity with uncompromising reliability and the ability to go anywhere. With numerous optional extras, the G EDITION.PUR can be equipped for any eventuality, for example with all-terrain tyres in size 265/75 R 16 on aluminium rims, flexible wheel arch flaring, protective grilles for the headlamps and lights, a walk-on bonnet for easier access to the roof rack which is available as an accessory, a towing lug at the front and a two-section rear door. In the interior there are four individual seats upholstered in hard-wearing fabric or man-made leather, rubber floor coverings in the passenger compartment, spray-protected controls and drainage apertures in the footwells. A load compartment with a wood floor, load-securing rings and rails can also be ordered, as can an auxiliary heater or a manually operated air conditioning system.

With the special LIMITED.30 model based on the G 463 model series, Mercedes-Benz is once again demonstrating the manifold possibilities displayed by the G-Class with respect to comfort and prestige. Externally, this long-wheelbase G 500 Station Wagon is distinguished by the designo platinum black paintwork, specially designed light-alloy wheels and LIMITED.30 lettering on the wings. The interior of this G 500 impresses with designo leather in the colour "chablis" and designo wood trim in anthracite poplar.

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