First reported by Automotive News, BMW is said to be developing a competitor to the G-Class which they are apparently planning to have at dealers before the end of the decade. The new model is thought to replace the XM in the BMW lineup, which has not been a sales success.

While it will be really interesting to see the direction BMW decides to take, I think they have a very tough task trying to develop a vehicle that will come remotely close to matching the combination of off-road capability, on-road performance, luxury, and style that the G offers. Whatever they introduce will not have the heritage the G has -- the G will celebrate its 50th birthday by the time this BMW goes on sale. But as the G practically prints money for Mercedes -- at least the internal combustion versions -- am sure BMW finds the idea irresistible and wants a bigger share of the market for $150K+ SUVs.

Would be interested to hear others’ thoughts. A couple of articles are included below. Have a great rest of the week!

https://www.carscoops.com/2025/08/bm...y-kill-the-xm/

https://www.autoblog.com/news/bmw-wo...-to-replace-xm

 

Will it come with optional rod bearings.... Im not a fan of new vehicles with all of their plastic and tech and I dont think any manufacturer will achieve the class status of a g that has had 50 years of evolution. this will never be a true competition for what a g is unless just comparing whether its a status symbol for pavement princesses.

 

Any car company can make any type of vehicle they choose to.

BMW has a fan base. They will sell Gers.

The question is will the BMW G deliver sufficient financial return or will it have a short product lifecycle of 4-7 years?

Icon status of G, 4Runner, Jeep etc comes partly from decades of commitment to the vehicle segment.

 

G is G, period..

 

Interesting, want to hear more as it gets close to production. G-wagen is G-wagen I agree with the other forum member. I wonder if bmw will end up making a jeep competitor instead.

 

Key word is "may".

 

Thank you for sharing the news. I am very interested in seeing what BMW comes up with, but that will be an extremely tough sell or competition. The iconic heritage of the G wagon is a big part of why I got one, similar to my Toyota Land Cruiser 200 series. I am very curious to see this new "G rival", but I just don't believe it will ever come close or convince loyal G wagon owners to switch. I am not a BMW fan anyway, even though I had one once, I would not go back to the brand.

 

What would be cool…

is if BMW, having no credibility in this segment, over-delivered on the product and price point. This would interest me and others, and would allow BMW to buy some market share and grow in the segment. Long term they need to compete but in the early says they could buy themselves some credibility.

Mercedes and VW did this with the first gen ML and Touareg/Cayenne. They were competitively specced at the time and have since been significantly decontented.

All current participants would yield a few tenths of market share points to BMW: G, Jeep, 4Runner/Land Cruiser, Bronco, etc. BMW would not put any of those brands out of business overnight, but rather would gain a toehold in the segment and would need to fight from that point forward.

 

G Class. There is no substitute.... Wait, thats taken😂

 

“ May”

It very well could happen but I have a feeling this will just be some crossover with lots of off road go fast parts on it. I could be wrong?

 

I bet it will just be a X5 with bigger tires, more offroad plastic/look

 

It’ll be interesting to see what they come up with but if the XM is any indication it’ll be a disaster.

The Lexus GX550 at least design-wise is G adjacent without looking like a copycat. Certainly not anywhere close to G performance or price wise. If I couldn’t own a G, that car would be a good consolation prize.

 

Aside from luxury / tech and a front locking diff, what does the G have over the OCTA?

 

Panache, history, exclusivity.

 

Yes, all of those things are critical when doing off-road activities.

 

That wasn't the question.

 

Fair enough. Should have specified offroad activities.

 

For same wheel/tire combo I hold the view that there is no material difference in off road capability between current model SUVs in the same segment. Tire size/tread design and capability to operate at very low pressure is a mark of distinction, along with very short wheelbase and high ground clearance.

A base W166 GLE350 4MATIC has impressive off road capability with 4ETS and no lockers. Individual wheel braking is a game changer for off roading and eliminates the need for lockers in all but the most extreme condtions.

 

Can BMW create a G rival? I do welcome more competition and diversity to the consumer market. I suppose anything is possible, but it's highly unlikely.

There are a number of "G rivals" that exist already: Land Rover, Jeep, Land Cruiser comes to mind, all G "rivals" so to speak, all having military lineage that goes back DECADES, that doesn't seem to faze the status of the G.

Most recently, the closest contender to the G is the INEOS Grenadier, I think it's cool as hell, being designed from the ground up to be a serious off roader, its sales say otherwise however. Some may even argue that the BMW i6 engines these things come with is a turn off to buyers. Oh and I doubt BMW would cannibalize the INEOS Grenadier market, so whatever it comes up with, will significantly deviate from the form factor.

It's one thing to build a technically comparable vehicle to the G, but having the military off roader heritage, that can only come through:

1. wide adoption with militaries around the world
2. achieve reputation for being literally "battle proven".
3. Not available to the public.
4. people begging to be able to buy one (see #3)
5. Achieve status and following that is near at a near mystical level.

These are things that just don't happen with a snap of a finger, it will take time, A LONG TIME, and more often than not, it never gets there.

 

Issue is, the vast majority of first and second owners of a G will never take their G off pavement. Let's face it, (and I'm sure I'll hurt some feelings here), most people buy a G as a status symbol, and for its, as @sweet63 so eloquently put it, "Panache, history, exclusivity."
Of the ones who will take their G off pavement, very few will take their $200K+ G on off-road outings that will come close to seriously testing the G's off-road capabilities. This is not just a G thing, you see this happening with Land Rover as well. But you will see more people who buy a new Defender that use them for off-road activities than you will a G. Same goes for Land Cruiser owners and other "established" marquees.

Grenadier has crummy on-road behavior. Certainly, not as well mannered as the G.

 

Articles say project is named G74 and based on the X5. Unless it gets increases in ground clearance, tire sidewall height and user controllable lockers, it would be a simple trim package.

Like "black" or "nite" trim. Plus a bull bar and spotlights for the purpose of driving to Neiman Marcus.

 

This was very well said, and I agree 100%. This is my first G wagon, and I have wanted one for about 20 years. I was attracted to the styling, but primarily the iconic heritage and engineering of the vehicle. The "status symbol" aspect of the G wagon is personally my least favorite part of it, but it is something that I accept in ownership. I have said in another post, the attention is probably my least favorite part of it, but that's my own issue. I worked hard and it is something I wanted, so I got it.

I bought my 2019 Toyota Land Cruiser 200-series because I wanted that heritage, durability, and capability. I also liked that it was a bit stealth, and while it has some level of status, it is completely different (to me) than the G wagon because it just kind of blends in and does not attract attention, except from enthusiasts. I had several Land Rovers over the past ten years (2 LR4s, Range Rover Sport, and Defender). I actually built up one of my LR4s with heavy off-roading modifications, not to look good, but was really mindful of function and my intended use. I had 40,000 miles on it when I sold it to a buddy in my off-roading club, and I will say that probably 50% of those miles were actually off-road. I took it on overlanding and off-roading trips across CA, OR, WA, CO, UT, and then a few trips to ME, NH, and VT when I moved back to New England in 2016. I took it on a lot of hunting trips and set it up with a roof rack, roof tent, storage and gun cases, steel bumpers, full skid plates, lighting, and a winch, and used it for what I needed. I did use all of the equipment quite often. Most of the terrain was more moderate off-roading, as I am not really interested in highly technical trails, but I can confidently say there were many times that I actually fully tested the capability of the vehicle in tougher terrain. My current Land Cruiser is set up with all-terrain tires, drawers, but I have kept it more tame than my LR4 because of what I use it for, which is mostly hunting trips that require driving on a lot of unkept dirt roads in New England, which sometimes requires using the low range gear box and a few times the locking diff. As for the G wagon, I just picked it up in May, and so far only put all-terrain tires on it. I am still figuring out what I plan to do, but I am definitely not building it up to the extent I did my LR4, because I no longer have that need and do not live out west anymore. I do plan to take my G wagon on hunting trips, so I want to be strategic and smart about what I do with it, especially since I have the Land Cruiser as well. Sorry for my rambling, just wanted to share my view and experience, and what I look for in a vehicle - it's really about how you use it and what it means to you, some people just like the look, some the status, some the capability, and that's all great in my book. I really appreciate the thoughtful discussions on this forum, and learning from the differing opinions.

Oh, and I agree... I do like the Grenadier, but not enough to consider it... I looked at one, and while I love the design and concept, there were just too many things I did not care for about the vehicle. I am really looking forward, from a curiosity perspective, to see what BMW comes up with - and how that may compete with the Grenadier, which has a BMW engine. Maybe the two should merge and BMW offers that as their G rival after they make a few needed updates? Hehe.

 

Every time I am Miami it is like there must be some kind of G Wagon swap meet or gathering or what ever. Well, it is either some skinny mini lady or a bling bling gold chain thug....no in between. And lots of em.

 

HAHA! I am not surprised - at all. Here in rural MA, so many people think it's a Jeep, as you really only ever see them out toward Boston. I get so many Jeep waves (mostly from women), and someone even left one of those rubber duckies on my windshield when I was at the grocery store. I don't know if it was a joke, but it was so funny. I am half tempted, though I would not, of putting that rubber duckie on my dashboard. HAHA!

 

I saw a sticker on a Land Rover once. It said "Nice JEEP... Peasant"

I LOLd, then started calling my sister-in-law a Peasant. She's not sure how to take the jab.

edit: I drive a Land Rover as a daily, so the jab applies.