2011 Mercedes-Benz G550 offers rugged luxury at $105,750 ?

As gas prices soar above 4 bucks a gallon in some parts of the country, it’s safe to say most of us aren’t jonesing for a new Brontosaurusmobile.

But unlike some of the extra-large, extra-tacky SUVs a lot of folks were glad to see end of, the G550 has always been a singular work of mechanical art whose style, design and speed overrode its feeble mileage.

Mercedes-Benz G550 photo courtesy of Mercedes-Benz

Its squat, square body moves through the air like a tipped-over fridge, its handling is approximate and, yeah,  it gets 12 miles to the city gallon and 15 on the highway.  It was still a novel, fun blast to drive, even when I was stuck in slow traffic on my maiden voyage and came ThisClose to hitting the car in front of mine. I stepped on the brake pedal harder, harder, hardest, while the G550′s response seemed to be “Sorry – what was that you wanted?” A split second after I had that sickening thought, “This is going to be a shame,” I finally jerked to a halt about an inch from the dude’s back bumper. Note to self: Leave lots of room between you and the car in front of you. Lots.

I quickly realized the ride doesn’t boast sport steering, brakes and handling any more than WWE champ John Cena doubles as a ballerina at Lincoln Center.

Photo by Josh Max

Still, I loved its choppy, sharply defined looks, its practically vertical windshield, its heavy doors, its mighty demeanor. Standard, stainless steel running boards, a chrome front grille guard and a three-rib chrome grille with integrated star logo  burnish the G-550′s tough demeanor, and the rear-mounted full-size spare tire is protected by a fierce-looking chrome-trimmed cover. In fact, it reminded me of the The Chariot of sci-fi 60s show Lost In Space.

Lost In Space's Chariot (Wiki)

I wasn’t satisfied with merely placing photos of the G-550 and the Chariot side-by-side to compare, though. I had to go straight to the source, contacting Bill Mumy, “Lost In Space’s”Will Robinson, to ask if he saw any similarities between the two vehicles.

“I’ve owned four Mercedes-Benzes in my day,” Mr. Mumy responded via email. “And they’ve all been great rides. But The Chariot? I doubt a Mercedes would ride as well in an alien planet whirlpool or when traversing a 150-degree desert terrain while being pursued by a boulder-hurling giant cyclops on a rampage. Besides, you can’t even get a Bloop or a Robot as an option on the Mercedes. I’ll stick with the Jupiter 2 for transportation, myself.”

Mr. Mumy is a canny fellow who could teach us all something about branding  -  he signed off  “Will Robinson.”

Back to earth -

Inside, the G550 is exquisitely refined, from heated 14-way power front seats to a COMAND hard-drive navigation to its punchy sound system.

Photo: Mercedes-Ben

High-quality hide covers not just the seats but the dash and door inserts, and polished wood and chrome accents top off the luxe flavor. It practically orders you to drive it off-road, too, with three available buttons sequentially locking the rear, center and front differentials as needed.  A 4-wheel Electronic Traction System (4-ETS) monitors wheel slip and adjusts power delivery accordingly.

If Benz could just get the thing to stop quickly in slow traffic, we’d be cool. Maybe the G-class’s brother, the $124,450 G455 AMG, feels better, driver-wise. Shall I test it and report the results here? You tell me, readers.

And, hey, did you know a G-class became the first Popemobile in 1980?

Whether blessed by association or luck, the brand has survived both fads and economic hurricanes and remains a righteous, worth-the-money ride.

For more G550 information, specs, options and performance, click here.

source: forbes.com
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