The brand has always been synonymous with extreme quality, elegance and reliability and, in fact, the new season of Formula 1 sees Mercedes among the favorites, even if as an Alfista and Ferrari driver I would expect some good results from Sauber-Alfa ... this premise and having to be objective, I will talk in this article about the merits of a historic version of the Mercedes Benz house, the G-Class W461.
The German military multirole used by several armies in the world and with a spread of three hundred thousand units in the civil sphere, has a complex history that starts from 1972, a period in which the Bundeswehr decided to replace the DKW Munga with an 4X4, but the political-military leaders opted for the Volkswagen Iltis 183, a sort of Pescaccia but with all-wheel drive.
The choice of the German government did not meet the favor of the military who would probably have opted for the new Mercedes W461, but it must be said that the worldwide commercialization and diffusion in the military field of this model began only four years later. Mercedes Benz in Germany already had a similar and widespread production made up of trucks, buses, small cars, “Mayback” flagships and construction vehicles very similar to the Italian FCA group; thanks to the agreement with the Austrian Puch, he decided to also occupy the last piece of the automotive sector of his brand, the 4X4 sector.
Germany, as well as Russia, in addition to being the undisputed leader in the production of Tanks, the tanks - such as the new Leopard A7 - at Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, (the company that produces among other things the German VTMM / GFF4) has a long experience in 4X4 Unimog heavy vehicles but was also the first, just think, to produce in 1930 the Mercedes 770 (photo), a sedan of which an armored version will also be made.
Mercedes-Benz Defense Vehicles
What amazed me most in the realization of this article was the willingness of Mercedes to make available to the press a large amount of data and information, including technical. Here it is less easy to get this collaboration, perhaps out of distrust or personal interest ... I believe that an openness without prejudice would favor the rapprochement between citizen and country.
The German Defense Division is in continuous technological development and counts seven types of vehicles that are linked to a single civil production platform, capable of being militarized according to the needs of the new vehicle models. The civil alter ego that shines through the military vehicles is not a secret but rather a boast and in this regard the association between Iveco comes naturally to me New DAILY and its derivative MUV, which I hope can receive a more operational driving cab than the "experimental" series (identical to the commercial version!).
German "tactics and operations" are among the best military vehicles in the world.
The evolution of a success
The process, let's say immediately is that of a slow "suvivation" a path now followed by all car manufacturers. But the G Class is still a "pure" and its line and winning characteristics are unchanged and, if anything, improved in almost forty years.
The letter G means Geländewagen, off-road while the letter W (Wolf) followed by three numbers identifies the period but above all the set-up, and the W461 G 230 was the historic multirole of the German Army. The D or E after the G indicate diesel or petrol electronic injection.
The W460 version was the basis for the creation of the military version and the most accessorized W463, and it is curious to know that the version signed W462 was the identification of the G-Class produced by Peugeot with the P4 (photo) and the Greek ELBO.
From 2010 starts the most important restyling that cancels the historical codes, subdividing the German 4X4 in two versions with different engines: G Class Wagon and G Class Professional, vehicles with a guide identical to that of a luxurious S-Class, the top of the range Three-pointed star.
"An old W series for leisure time would be a great idea"
Motors for all tastes, as is the tradition for Mercedes, and in fact for the W461 we start from the 2.0 petrol with 109 hp, a little 'few, or 2.3 from 122 hp aspirated and with three options with diesel engine from 2.7 , 2.8 and 3.0 cc, of which the smallest with 150 horses.
THE W461
Absolutely unstoppable and militarily widespread, it seems to recall a lot of Fiat aesthetically Campagnola AR76 with which perhaps there is some analogy in the guide off road also because probably the two cars share the same tire size.
It is assembled to a sturdy supporting frame with two lengths and two inter-axis distances, one of which is used for the version pick up. The suspensions are spring with shock absorber and do not have a huge excursion of rigid bridges, so much so that the comparison with the AR76, which had independent suspensions, comes in the ease with which you can lift a wheel on the bumpy. And it is precisely the quality of its sturdy frame that requires the driver rational choices of the most extreme trajectories and that often makes our W461 take on spectacular positions in theoff road.
The transmission with three different front wheel drive differentials (permanent on the W463) is the most robust on the market and superior to the Defender, also has manual blocks that guarantee the simultaneous distribution of the transverse and longitudinal torque, unique or optional features in the 70 years .
Very operational and great climber
Suitable for a team of military 6s also with preparation and WMIKM solutions (Weapons Mount Installation Kit) with Browning M2 HB mounted, the W461 maintains angles of attack, bump and exit of 36, 31 and 23 degrees (increased in the Professional) and an underbody "Smooth" where nothing protrudes - differentials, cup, gearbox and exhaust - and is therefore protected not to create lethal projections in transit on stones and dirt roads.
The slopes can be surmounted in the order of 45 ° but can dare more and this value can also be traveled in reverse thanks to an intelligent division of the weights.
Despite the fact that the first W461s were 4 gears, the change of the following is strictly manual to 5 gears, while the automatic with 4 gear marches Borg Warner was available on the most elegant W463. One of the best automatics I've ever tried, even if out of date, and the first that in kick down he climbed two ratios to look for power, obviously allowing motor.
Convenient and suitable for the motorway even if with some rustle and with a good view and a fairly soft set-up with a relatively precise driving, even if the engine feels, moreover, from a pure one you can not ask too much. Internally it is Spartan but always reliable even if the in, in addition to the purchase cost, are the engines, for which the most indicated and brilliant seem to be those from 250 up, and the 300 GD but also the 5 diesel cylinders in line from 2,7 with 156 CV can be a good compromise.
It is also used by Feuerwehrmann - German firefighters - and Pope Francis has a version of it pick up with armored glass tower.
Break curiosity ...
How to understand if our civil vehicle ... falls into the SUV or SUV category according to the harmonization of the codes shown on the Registration Card: a motor vehicle with 9 seats falls within the European M1 category, an off-road vehicle will include the abbreviation G, which is M1G. Owners of 4x4 trucks for example - such as the ACM80 or the Astra- will be able to find the N (truck) codes 1,2,3 (based on mass) and G code for off-road vehicles ".
The military evolution G-Wagon, G 350 Professional and LAPV
The official public debut took place in January at the Detroit Motor Show, but in a sense the new G had already been tested for some time by the German Army.
In the "Army" version, as you can understand, the elegance of the interior and the electronics is lower even if the control units and the display are not lacking and to start it there is the key and not the button.
The engines used are two new-generation 6 cc V3.0 diesel turbochargers from 224 cv and 245 cv, and the military G WAGON is equipped with an 5 automatic transmission with gearbox, while the G 350 Professional adopts the 7 G-robotized transmission. TRONIC PLUS double clutch, excellent even if it does not convince me to use off-road, and the advice of the experts is to use it mainly automatically. Furthermore, the transmission ratio with the reduced has been further increased.
As for the W series there is the 6 wheel version but the most common are two axles, and the rigid bridge has been replaced with an independent suspension system. The angles of attack of 36 °, off 23 ° and exit 31 ° and a wheelbase of 2,85 meters, values of all respect and improved compared to the already excellent W.
It has two differentials and a central distributor that guarantee the 100% of the traction blocks, allowing practically the impossible both as slopes and in theoff road extreme, the only limit is the fear of ruining the body antiradar. The electronics is deactivated when the traction blocks are inserted and will be the qualities of the conductor, perhaps amused to make the difference in the extreme; in short, a good gym.
The new G is produced with Station Wagon body, rather than hard top or cabin / tarpaulin and uses as Military Light vehicles are many including that ambulance and the version Armored anti IED are really interesting.
Surprising are its 54 ° maxima of slopes overcome (without armor or turrets) but in the descents it is appropriate to give a little 'shot to the engine avoiding slipping of the rear.
It can dive up to a meter protecting the double electrical system to 12 and 24 volt and there is a drainage pump in case of flooded ford.
The 24 volt system, in addition to powering radio equipment or tactics, also allows trucks to be started via a snake cable.
Light Armored Patrol Vehicle
Militarily the 6.0 and 5.4 engines at 8 V-cylinders are equipped on armored versions and reach the 150 Km / h, but just to give you an idea, 6.0 AMG engines at 12 cylinders mounted on the civil version of Professional deliver 630 cv making the G Class the fastest 4X4 in the world with its 235 km / h.
The offset hubs lift the structure
From the news examined, the protected version, higher than G 350, has a mechanical transmission between the axle shaft line and the wheel center and which allows the frame to be raised even more. A similar but inverted system, is also used in city buses to lower the load plan compared to the center of the wheel.
The structure of the G series protected and stripped of all the superfluous and despite an additional load of a ton and a half, keeps a distance from the ground of well 40 centimeters. The armored versions LAPV, Light Armored Vehicle Patrol, in continuous evolution, offer a direct fire protection at levels similar to the B7 / Vr9 with IED protection.
Curiosity: but the Germans are crazy for Alfa Romeo and Ferrari ...
The German alfisti and ferrarist clubs are not counted and in Germany it is not difficult to come across any historical Alfetta GTV. A sort of reverse trend if we consider how they are appreciated in Italy and not just German vehicles.
The arguments on this brand are still many and if you want later we will go to the discovery of UNIMOG, born for the agriculture and the harvest of turnips and become unstoppable military vehicles.
(photo: Bundeswehr / bundesarchiv / web)
