redtoesblue

I am considering a G500 to buy as my next vehicle, the cars that I am considering are

Escalade
G500

Escalade seats 8, how many does the G500 seat? and if it just seats 5 is there a way to put seats in the very back? seems like there is enough room for that.

vraa

u can get G500L which seats seven..

escalade sucks.. gwag looks cooler.. trust me!

redtoesblue

are you saying the g500L has a 3rd row? if so where can I find more information about it? Since I was not able to find it on the MBUSA.com site.

jimmyg

The G400L, G500L, and G55L AMG are only available as special order vehicles in Europe. They are not offered by MBUSA. Your only option is to get jump-seats for the back which are offered as an option in Europe but not here in the US. They will comfortably seat two adults, and are rated at seating four.

If you haven't seen a G500 in person, you should know that it is smaller than an Escalade. If you want an on-road SUV that carry a lot of people, get the Escalade. The G500 has about the same footprint as an Explorer. Except for status and image, the Escalde and G500 aren't even in the same league.

The closest competitors to the G500 are the 2003 Range Rover or the Hummer H2. An Escalade can't touch it off-road or in terms of build quality and technology. The G500 probably also handles better on-road, but has a stiffer ride.

redtoesblue

Would I be able to get a jump seat in the US? are there any pics of this?

jimmyg

Take a look at this image:

redtoesblue

Where can I get one of those? Dealer? Do they make it to match the leather seats that come with the g? Are there more pics?

jimmyg

They come color matched to the vehicle. They are not sold by US dealers, probably because MB-USA purposely decided that they weren't appropriate for the US market. You should be able to order them from European dealer (you can order each side independently), but in Europe they are factory installed options...not dealer installed accessories.

Check with http://www.orc.de. I don't speak German, but trying to decifer a custom ordered G-Class on http://www.car-configurator.mercedes-benz.com/, it seems that the rear jump seats cost Euros 858.40 in leather for each side. You can get just right/left or both.

jimmyg

What you reall want is this:
http://mbspy.bacosys.be/g55l.htm

It has three rows of seating, but it isn't being imported in the US yet. You could check with Mercedes to see if they will ever bring it to the US, but even in Europe it is a special order and I've never seen one in person. As far as I know, only a handful have been built so far for special customers. They are also very expensive (almost $200k) for the AMG version.

redtoesblue

None of the links that you provided contain anything about the seats in the back the fold down. I was wondering can you have this done at a place like 310 motoring or something? Also I was wondering how you liked your g500. Do you get a lot of attention driving it?

jimmyg

The seats that MB sells in the rest of the world for the G-Class have the seat cushion fold up so they take up very little space in the cargo area when not in use. As far as installing them, I don't think it should be too difficult. You might even be able to do it yourself.

I have not seen any other seating option from any manufacturer for the G-class. You might want to check with Brabus in Newport Beach (http://www.brabus-usa.com/) since they do all kinds of interior, exterior, and performance upgrades for the G-Class.

I love my G500. The only other vehicle I would rather have is a G55 AMG or perhaps a Lamborghini LM002 in mint condition. I got to drive a new G55 today and it was awesome.

You get a lot of attention in the G-Class. It was cool at first, but then I noticed that people drive pretty crazy to get a good look. They dont' even realize they are drifting into your lane! The only other thing that gets more looks is my friends Hummer H2 or an Italian exotic. You certainly do get noticed, and the valet guys fight over who gets to park your car.

You also get a lot of looks when you take it off-road. You'll see the die-hard off-road junkies snicker when they see you...but after a while they all come up and ask lots of questions and crawl underneath. One look at the solid chasis and the three locking diffs, and they become quite friendly.

You can see more pics of my G500 at:
http://homepage.mac.com/jimmy/

jimmyg

Here's my G500 in Brilliant Silver with AMG 18" wheels.

redtoesblue

Hey, I checked out the pics. Are you from Dubai? if so are you a native? The reason being is that I am looking to go to Dubai to live/work.

jimmyg

My parents are from India, but I grew up in Dubai...so I'm as much of a native as they get. I now live in Palo Alto, CA. I've been living in the US for seven and half years, but I'm getting tempted to move back to Dubai.

I'm assuming you are an American. If you are concerned about your personal safety considering the current situation in the Middle East, I don't think you have anything to be worried about in Dubai. The population of Dubai is more than 80% foreign citizens...mostly from India, Pakistan, the Philipines, UK. Politics are unimportant to this crazy mix of people from all over the world. People are there to make money and enjoy a comfortable lifestyle. I went to an American school there and I have a lot of American friends who live there.

If you said you were considering Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, or any other place in the Middle East...I would advise caution; but Dubai is different. Go for a visit (American's and Europeans don't need a visa) and see for yourself. The weather is incredible this time of year and will be for the next 6-8 months.

Another bonus is that Emirates Airlines will be launching non-stop flights over the North Pole between Dubai and North America next year. They will be flying (tentatively) to LA, Chicago, and New York. They have also signed a partnership with Houston and are considering flights there.

Besides, it's a great haven for Mercedes enthusiasts. The in Mercedes dealer Dubai is the second largest volume MB dealer outside of Germany. They sell gobs of G-wagen's...mostly for export to Russia and Japan.

Send me an e-mail if you want more info about Dubai: jimmy@mac.com.

2003G55

At one time, Europa Motors in Santa Fe was putting them in. A friend of mine has them. They face one another like the Defender 90s'