I've been a big fan of the G-Class design and utilitarianism for many many years and I just drove a 2008 Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG and I noticed a few things.

Some notes:
This is the first time I've driven a G-Class vehicle, I drove it on the road in suburban city streets and on the highway.
This 2008 car had over 70,000 miles on the odometer, it was definitely driven often.
I don't have a lot of experience driving trucks and SUVs. The SUVs I've driven are often "car-based" crossovers such as the Porsche Cayenne and Lexus RX. I have driven the Range Rover, however, only in off-road scenarios and never on the road.
I would say I'm mostly familiar with all the cars from Porsche, the sedans from Mercedes-Benz, and the sedans and coupes from BMW. This G-wagon did not resemble anything I've ever driven before.

1. There was a large amount of rattling and creaking. Is this normal? Or is it just limited to this example?
2. Steering seems to have a lot of play and felt very vague. Is this normal? If it is normal, I can understand that it may be better this way for off-road driving. I'm concerned if I can get used to this uncommunicative steering.
3. The ride was fairly jarring and bumpy. Is this to be attributed only to the G55 AMG model or is it the same case with the G550?
4. Are there model years where the steering and suspension was revised? If so, are some model years better than others?

I've been considering to acquire a G550, and have noticed my favorite years are the 2010-2012, partially because these years have a stitched-leather dashboard. A 2013 isn't ruled out, but the interior is a bit too modern for my tastes, however, I do appreciate the added features such as blind spot monitoring and Distronic Plus radar cruise control that seems to be only available on a 2013 model.

After driving the car, I was mainly concerned the car did not handle/turn and steer with the attitude I was used to (I'm predominantly accustomed to driving sedans from BMW and Mercedes-Benz). Has anyone felt the same way?

Is there anything I should know before one gets into a G550? And considering the purchase may potentially be a used vehicle, anything I should look out for?

Many thanks in advance.

 

1. Not normal.
2. Not normal.
3. Not unusual. It's a truck. Drive a G550 to see for yourself if there's a difference. The suspensions do vary a bit from model to model.

A 2010-2012 model will not have a trailer hitch, if that's a consideration for you.

 

Sorry to intrude Dutch, you're the expert. But I think Patrick should drive 2 or three more Gs to judge whether the vehicle he just tried is defective, or that the G style is just new to him, so he could get the feel of Gs in general. I say this coz I think the response to point No.2 should still have been "Not unusual".
I just bought an OEM Oris hitch from Daniela at ORC. (Well, I sent the money May 23rd, no response yet ) .... as you know you can easily install it since the mounting plate and electrical hookups are there.

 

The mounting plate and electrical hookups are NOT present on models sold in the US.

 

Agree with Dutch's comments 100%.

I drove a few examples. Some were very loose and rattled, and some were not. Mine is a 2005 with 70k miles and absolutely no rattles or noises.

Vague steering is not right. I actually find the steering to be very precise and tight (typical Mercedes) - but it is a tall truck, so there is more lean due to the higher center of gravity.

It is a bumpy ride. Springs, heavy truck, solid axle all contribute to a "truck-like" ride. That is a personal choice. Wheels (18") and lower tire pressures can help. I run mine at the recommended pressure listed on the inside of the gas fill door.

 

Thank you DUTCH!

I will have to try some more G-Class vehicles and get a better understanding of how they should sound and feel.

Good to know the suspension varies noticeably from model to model. The truck-like suspension wasn't too big of a surprise, but the vague steering was a big surprise. I do understand it's a recirculating ball system, but this one seemed to be unusually vague, and I think I might've driven an example that's not representative of the norm. Only one way to find out and that's by driving more G-Class vehicles. And also good to know about the trailer hitch!

 

Thank you Amnaggar!

It is possible that I drove a bad example, in fact, now I'm beginning to suspect that was the case. The rattling sounds do imply I drove a poorly kept example. And the steering may have been damaged somehow. The vagueness of that steering really caught me by surprise. I had no confidence in turning at local road speeds, I had no confidence in changing lanes at highway speeds (the tall nature of the car may have contributed to this), and I had very little confidence in parking.

The best way to determine this is to drive other examples of the G-Class and to get a better understanding of how the car should behave.

The trailer hitch isn't a big deal for me, since I won't be trailering anything (at least no plans to). This will just be a car driven in the city, through the suburbs, on the way to a place that would make a nice camping trip. Too bad we don't have sand dunes here.

 

I really prefer mountainous terrain over mere sand

 

Thank you Texas993!

You brought up many good points. For one thing, I had no idea what kind of tire pressure I was driving on. But yes, I do recall that many people consistently adjust their tire pressures, especially when driving on unpaved roads.

Does the G500 drive significantly differently than the Lexus LX570? I've driven the LX470 and found that car to be relatively easy to drive on the street. For some odd reason (possibly pertaining to the specific G55 vehicle I drove) the G55 I drove really felt difficult and vague to point with the steering.

Taking out the suspension harshness and the fact that the G500 is a bit taller and narrower than the LX 570 (which I'm hoping drives somewhat similar to the LX 470), would you find that the steering between the two would vary greatly in terms of feedback and control? I know the G-Class has a recirculating ball steering, whereas the Lexus may have a rack/pinion steering.

Thanks again.

 

One has to learn the knack of driving a G of any ilk, 500, 550, 55. Remember that it is an understeerer by nature. If you don't put in enough wheel and throttle, you will wind up in the ditch. If you've ever driven an early 911 the technique is almost the opposite with the G.

When I enter a curve I maintain speed and turn in immediately. I then increase the throttle. The AWD will make the back end come around and the truck will be more neutral through the rest of the curve so you can relax the lock, basically steering with the throttle. The truck kinda levels itself too.

I would practice this in an empty parking lot so you can get the knack of it and also feel the car not turn in if you back off the throttle and don't give it enough lock. That is the formula for a possible bad experience on the road.

BTW my back door was squeaking like crazy so I drenched the rubber seals with silicone lubricant around the door. No more squeaks.

Finally make sure that the springs are inspected on any G you consider. On the 500s, MBUSA is now requiring ALL springs to be replaced even if only one is defective. Guess they had a bad run of springs early on. Certainly the new ones are better built and corrosion protected than the originals. There is more to this story....MBUSA is vague about the reasons they are requiring this. Has anyone else run into this?

HTSB complaint anyone?

 

To answer your question
1. Normal
2. Normal
3. Normal(G550 rides better relative to G55)

Check out the G63 review from Chris Harris(and others). All your observations in a GWagen are reaffirmed even in the new G63.

 

It's good to have an expert who took the G for a test drive for his article, and another who does not appear to have any first hand experience with the G.

In 18 yrs and 111k miles, my 1984 280GE had firm steering and did not rattle. In 11 yrs and 40k miles, the same is true for my 2000 G500. But, as some seem to be so sure of, long term seat of the pants experience doesn't count for much.

 

"Rattle" may mean what Chris Harris thought is too much travel of the steering wheel (about 2-3 inches right and left) while driving fast on a freeway with no actual effect on car's direction. THAT IS normal. "Rattle" may have been something actually NOT normal with that particular car Patrick tested. Only way is for Patrick to test drive other Gs and come back here and say what he experienced, so an objective description, and conclusion, can be made... IMHO.

 

That is not normal with either of my G's. It's indicative of something being loose or worn in the steering or the front suspension.

 

Dutch, Chris was driving a brand new G63. Have you seen the video? Mine is exactly the same. Watch 5:30 to 5:40 on this video... I'm sure you've seen it

 

We haven't heard from the original poster in a while. But he asked me for a comparison of the LX570 and the G500. Completely different vehicles. No comparison.

I could go on, but I doubt that too many people are interested. Drive both and you will see that the G is a truck and is a very unique ride. The Lexus is a truck too, but they have done everything possible to take the truckness out of it and make it more luxurious - while retaining reliability, strength for towing/hauling/ and off roading.

I am lucky to enjoy both vehicles.

 

Chris didn't quite seem to get the knack of handling the thing or the car wasn't set up tire pressure wise for high speed driving. See the blue smoke from the ditch tire early on in the video?

Having the slight play in the steering (at the point you pointed out in the vid) is actually a benefit in this car because it tracks well in a straight line and you want to be deliberate about how much lock you put in it. I find this purposeful vagueness makes it more comforting and easy to drive long highway stints. I don't want razor edge steering (oversteer) on a truck on the highway. It is not an E63, etc. as he points out nor is it supposed to be. Take your E 63 off roading?

I went a size larger/wider on the G and it does help handling but you can drop the pressures for various off road situations. In sum one has to set it up right for your purpose and learn to drive it for the beast it is. Some people like it, some people don't.

I didn't hear any rattles.

 

Interesting when a self proclaim expert try to justify his word is the final word and slates anyone who disagrees(or wrongly assumes they don't own one). That's your head getting too big Driven 2 G's in 29 years? I would consider that lack of exposure.

Good for you that your 2 G's seem to be the 1% that's different from the rest.

 

Count me in as another 1%..also 2 G's...2003 G55 and now 2005 G55K with 56K miles..very tight, well maintained and no rattles

 

After only 160k miles, you may be right.

 

Just received the brand new Oris hitch from ORC.. off a brand new G63 whose owner wanted a changeable system... Anyone knows what torque the four bolts should tighten to? Any issues I should take into consideration with the installation? Any comments appreciated.. Thx!!!!

 

Thanks for the tips! I'm not going to be taking the car on any aggressive turns.

 

I did see the review, he basically says it's unstable at high speeds. Not a great handler it seems.

Thank you for sharing your impressions!

 

Good point. Any experienced G-Class owners in the San Francisco Bay Area? Will call upon those when I test drive another G-Class vehicle.

And glad to know that your vehicle doesn't have rattles/squeaks.

They're quite rare at dealerships here. Some dealers have one, most dealers have none.

 

Thank you for pointing out that the Lexus LX and the Mercedes-Benz G are both trucks and yet drive so differently. I was expecting the G-Class to drive a bit more like the Lexus LX.

You are indeed fortunate to have two of the most capable SUVs on the road.