2018 Mercedes-Benz G-Class

The volume G550 uses the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 introduced for 2016, carried into 2018, the final model year of the original W463 body before the 2019 redesign. The AMG G63 (563 hp, 5.5L biturbo V8) and G65 (621 hp, 6.0L V12) sit above it.

450 lb-ft from 2,250 rpm gives the 5,700-lb G550 plenty of low-end pull for towing and crawling.

Mercedes quotes 5.9 s for the G550, and instrumented tests of the same 2016–2018 powertrain ran about 5.7 s. That is quick for a body-on-frame off-roader of this weight.

The biturbo V8 pulls strongly with little lag and sounds good. But the old-school ladder frame, live axles and brick aerodynamics let noise and vibration through, and reviewers called the package crude next to unibody luxury SUVs.

The 7G-Tronic Plus seven-speed automatic shifts smoothly but can be slow to kick down, and it has fewer ratios than rivals' 8–10-speed boxes. The 2019 redesign replaced it with the 9G-Tronic.

A 7,000-lb rating puts the G550 at the top of the off-road SUV class, ahead of the Wrangler, 4Runner and GX.

Every G-Class has full-time 4WD with a two-speed transfer case, low range, and three locking differentials (center, front, rear). That is the most complete drivetrain in the segment.

The G has a ladder frame, solid axles front and rear, triple lockers, low range, about 8.3 in of clearance and steep approach/departure angles, plus a military-derived pedigree. For 2018 there was also the G550 4x4² with portal axles and about 17 in of clearance.

There were three gas engines for 2018: the G550 V8 (including the 4x4²), the AMG G63 V8 and the AMG G65 V12. None was electrified; the EV G-Class didn't arrive until years later.

At 13 MPG combined, the G550 is among the thirstiest non-AMG SUVs sold in 2018. Its 5,700-lb weight and brick-shaped body outweigh the efficiency of the biturbo V8.

13 MPG in the city is below the bottom of the gas SUV band.

Its upright, unaerodynamic shape holds the G550 to 14 MPG on the highway, barely better than its city figure.

EPA publishes no range for this gas vehicle, so range is the tank size times the EPA combined figure. A 25.4-gallon tank at 13 MPG gives roughly 330 miles.

About 1,150 gallons of premium a year make this one of the most expensive gas SUVs to fuel, far above the top of the cost band.

Every 2018 G-Class engine requires premium fuel, and the G550 burns a lot of it.

NHTSA never crash-tested the original W463 G-Class, including its final 2018 US model year. Under framework rules an unrated vehicle records 0.

IIHS never tested the G-Class, so it has no award and no independent crash data. 2018 is the last year of a body structure whose design dates back to 1990, which predates the small-overlap era and has no knee airbags. That puts it below the all-new 2019 W463A and well behind IIHS-rated rivals such as the Lexus GX and Toyota 4Runner.

Distronic Plus adaptive cruise, Blind Spot Assist, Parktronic and a rearview camera have been standard since the 2013 refresh, and CarMax lists Lane Departure Warning as standard for 2018. There is no confirmed full autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, no lane centering and no confirmed rear cross-traffic alert.

The G-Class has no IIHS front-crash-prevention result. Its collision mitigation is the radar-based Distronic Plus / Brake Assist generation, a forward-collision warning with braking support rather than the later Active Brake Assist with pedestrian detection, which arrived only with the 2019 redesign.

Blind Spot Assist is standard but only warns, with no active intervention. No source confirms rear cross-traffic alert or an exit warning on the 2018 car.

Lane departure warning only. There is no steering-based lane centering, and owners and reviewers describe the old recirculating-ball steering as loose and prone to wandering at highway speed.

Distronic Plus radar adaptive cruise is standard. It is a capable system, but it lacks the steering assist of a highway-assist package, and the vague steering means the driver still does all the lateral work.

The 2018 G-Class offers no hands-free highway driving, and no Mercedes offered it in the US in 2018.

The 2018 G 550 has bi-xenon headlamps with LED daytime running lights in an old round-lamp housing. Full LED and Multibeam lighting arrived only with the 2019 redesign. IIHS never rated the G-Class headlights, so this score reflects the equipment.

Near-vertical glass, thin pillars and a high seat give excellent forward and side sightlines. The tailgate-mounted spare blocks part of the rear view, which the standard rear camera and Parktronic offset; there is no 360-degree camera.

The pre-2019 body has a notably narrow rear bench, small rear doors and a tall step-in, so fitting more than two child seats is impractical and lifting them in is awkward. LATCH anchors are present on the outboard seats.

The 2018 G 550 seats five across two rows, and Mercedes offered no third row in the US. 2018 is the final year of the original W463 body.

The tall, upright greenhouse gives generous front headroom.

Mercedes' published 52.5 in uses a European maximum-legroom method that isn't comparable to the SAE figures used for other vehicles. Mercedes' 2019 sheet gives 38.66 in for the W463A, and its 2019 press release says front legroom grew 1.5 in, so the outgoing 2018 had about 37.2 in, which is tight for the class.

The flat roof carries rear headroom almost unchanged from the front.

The rear bench in the old W463 was famously cramped. Mercedes' 2019 sheet gives 39.53 in, and its 2019 press release says rear legroom grew 5.9 in, putting the 2018 at about 33.6 in on a comparable basis. The published 41.9 in (same method as the 52.5 in front figure) overstates it.

There is no third row, and none was offered in the US. Seating stops at five.

The square cargo hold is usable behind the rear seats, but the volume is modest for a 189-inch SUV, and a side-hinged rear door carries the spare.

With the rear seats folded, the boxy body makes a tall, square load space. The seats don't fold fully flat.

The old W463 cabin has a narrow center console, small door pockets and few cubbies. There is no wireless charging, onboard AC power or underfloor storage, and the side-hinged tailgate is awkward at the curb.

The front Nappa leather seats are heated, ventilated and supportive, but the cramped footwell and upright position limit long-haul comfort. The rear bench is upright and short on legroom.

Live axles front and rear on a ladder frame give a busy, jiggly ride over broken pavement and lots of body motion. It is well below the Lexus GX and Land Rover Defender.

The flat windshield, exposed hinges and upright slab sides create lots of wind noise at highway speed, and road noise also comes through.

Heated and ventilated front seats and heated rear seats come standard, along with automatic climate control. Multicontour and massage front seats were available through designo/Exclusive packages.

2018 is the final model year of the original-body W463 (the redesigned W463A arrived for MY2019). The G 550 is the entry trim at about $124.6k with destination, far above the top of the SUV band.

The G 550 is the volume trim. By 2018 most standard features were already included, so typical dealer cars carried roughly $5k–10k of designo, wheel and appearance options, for a sticker of about $132k.

CarEdge projects about $5.6k in maintenance and repairs over five years for the G 550, roughly the luxury-SUV average. The figure is not specific to the 2018 model year. The last-year W463 shares the 4.0L twin-turbo V8 used from 2016, but its older chassis may push repair costs slightly higher.

KBB shows a 2018 G 550 depreciated $25.8k over the past three years to about $57.4k, which puts its value at about $83k in 2023, the five-year mark. That is about 67% of base MSRP, or about 63% of a typically equipped $132k car — exceptional retention for a luxury SUV.

The Mercedes-Benz USA New Vehicle Limited Warranty runs 4 years / 50,000 miles, typical for German luxury brands.

Mercedes has no separate, longer powertrain term. The V8 is covered only by the 4-year/50k-mile basic warranty, which is below the 5-year band floor.

The 2018 G-Class includes no complimentary scheduled maintenance; Mercedes-Benz USA sells prepaid maintenance plans separately. Owners get Roadside Assistance for the warranty term and a mbrace/Mercedes me connected-services trial, which is thin for a $124k+ SUV.

$132,000 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (63% retained, or about $83,160) leaves about $48,840 in depreciation. Add the projected $5,640 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $54,480 in total.

2018 is the last model year of the long-running W463 (1990–2018), so the platform is fully mature and its known faults have been engineered out. Consumer Reports publishes no predicted rating for the low-volume G-Class. RepairPal rates the G550 only Average, and owners report electrical gremlins and oil consumption on the twin-turbo V8, which keeps it mid-band.

In J.D. Power's Vehicle Dependability Studies, Mercedes-Benz consistently places below the industry average. Consumer Reports ranks it in the lower half of luxury brands, and RepairPal ranks it 27th of 32 brands.

MY2018 has a clean record. The NHTSA feed shows one campaign covering it, a fleet-wide eCall location software fix that can be done over the air. That contrasts sharply with the dozen campaigns on the 2019 redesign, and the 2017 brake-booster hose recall did not reach 2018. Its known TSBs (a slight pull to the right, intermittent COMAND faults) are minor.

The 2018 G550 pairs the 4.0L biturbo V8, in the G since MY2016, with the 7G-TRONIC Plus 7-speed automatic, a durable unit Mercedes has used widely. The transfer case and solid axles are proven. Owner reports of excessive oil consumption on the 4.0L hot-vee V8 family, and a turbo oil-feed-line fire recall on sibling AMG applications, keep it below the Toyota rivals.

The cabin has plenty of leather and designo options, but the old W463 design is cramped and dated. It has an aging COMAND screen perched on the dash, scattered switchgear and hard plastics that reviewers called out at a price well above $120k. The 2019 redesign was praised precisely for fixing this.

Magna Steyr builds it largely by hand in Graz on mature tooling, and the doors shut with the famous bank-vault sound. But the upright 1979-derived body brings wind noise, rattles and occasional water-leak and electrical complaints.

Mercedes-Benz has one of the largest luxury dealer networks in the US, roughly 380 locations, and every one services the G-Class. Its service satisfaction ranks mid-to-upper tier among luxury brands.

This is low-volume, hand-built European hardware, and twin-turbo V8 and electronic parts are dealer-only and costly. The 28-year W463 run does give this generation a deeper used and aftermarket parts supply than the newer W463A, but oil-consumption repairs on the V8 can reach five figures.

The 2018 G 550's freestanding COMAND screen is display-only and is controlled with the console rotary knob, so there is no center touchscreen. This matches the 2019 scorecard's treatment of the non-touch COMAND display.

The older-generation COMAND, with a small screen and rotary knob, was slow and menu-heavy compared with 2018 rivals. The dense button array on the W463 dash adds clutter.

Wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come through the smartphone integration. Wireless projection was not offered.

COMAND navigation with real-time traffic and Linguatronic voice recognition come standard, but both are dated next to phone-projection maps and natural-language assistants.

A 12-speaker harman/kardon surround system comes standard and sounds good. There is no higher-end Burmester option on the old body.

The analog gauges flank a small multifunction TFT. The full digital display arrived only with the 2019 W463A.

The pre-MBUX COMAND has no meaningful over-the-air software capability. Map and software updates are done at the dealer.

Mercedes me connect / mbrace provided remote lock/unlock, vehicle locate and service functions on a subscription after the trial. Its scope on the old W463 was thinner than on newer Mercedes models.

Device power is limited to USB-A in the center console and 12V outlets. There is no USB-C, no wireless charging and no AC outlet.

Proximity keyless entry comes standard. There is no hands-free tailgate (it is a manual side-hinged door) and no phone-as-key.

A rearview camera and Parktronic front/rear sensors come standard. No 360-degree camera or automated parking was offered on the 2018.

No head-up display was offered on any 2018 G-Class.

The high step-in, narrow rear door openings and a cramped (~33.6 in) rear bench make loading kids and car seats a chore. The side-hinged rear door swings into the curb.

There are no NHTSA or IIHS crash ratings, and the 2018 lacks autonomous emergency braking and lane keeping. Distronic Plus, Blind Spot Assist and lane departure warning are the only driver aids.

Heated seats front and rear and generous headroom help, but the rough ride, wind noise and tight rear legroom wear on four occupants over hours. Cargo space with the seats up is modest.

The strong biturbo V8 makes traffic effortless, but vague recirculating-ball steering, a jiggly ride, a high step-in and wind noise make it tiring as a daily driver.

At 13 MPG combined on premium fuel, it costs about $6,200 a year at EPA assumptions, among the most expensive vehicles to commute in.

The body is short and boxy, with upright glass and easy-to-judge corners, plus a rear camera and Parktronic. But a 44.6-ft turning circle and slow steering make tight spaces a multi-point affair.

A 7,000-lb tow rating with low-range 4WD and 450 lb-ft gives real towing ability. But the cargo hold is modest, and a $124k luxury SUV is an odd work tool.

The ladder frame and solid axles descend from the military Geländewagen and are famously tough. But the 2018 civilian G 550 is trimmed in luxury Nappa leather, and its repair costs suit gentle use better than hard work.

There is no onboard AC power and few tie-downs. Leather surfaces don't wash out, and the work-oriented upfit ecosystem is minimal outside expensive aftermarket G-Wagen parts.

The rough live-axle ride, loud wind noise and wandering steering make highway miles tiring, despite good front seats. Range is about 330 miles, and the driver aids stop at Distronic Plus with no lane centering.

Permanent 4WD with low range and three 100% locking differentials make it one of the most capable stock off-roaders sold. The 4x4² variant adds portal axles, and the 7,000-lb tow rating handles boats and campers.

The square hold expands to 79.5 cu ft, and a tow hitch is offered. But the split rear seats don't fold fully flat, and the side-hinged door with an external spare hampers loading.

Solid axles front and rear, a tall center of gravity and a 5,700-lb curb weight bring pronounced body roll and nervousness in quick corners. Owners advise caution in tight turns at speed.

The recirculating-ball steering is slow, vague on center and prone to highway wander. The 2019 redesign replaced it with rack-and-pinion.

The four-wheel discs stop the heavy G adequately, but nose-dive and the vehicle's mass blunt confidence. No verified 2018 instrumented 60-0 figure was found.

The 4.0L biturbo V8 delivers strong, low-lag torque from 2,250 rpm. The 7G-Tronic Plus shifts smoothly but can be slow to kick down.

The V8 sounds rich through the side-exit exhausts and isn't coarse. But driveline whine and truck-like vibration filter through the ladder frame more than in unibody luxury SUVs.

Despite its short body, the G-Class needs 44.6 ft to turn around, wide for an SUV.

The commanding, upright seat and huge upright glass give excellent sightlines. But the footwell is tight (~37.2 in comparable legroom), the step-in is high, and the button-strewn dash scatters controls.

The G 550 runs to 60 in 5.9 seconds, has a rumbling V8 and is unmatched off-road. Its character and iconic presence make it entertaining, even though the on-road dynamics are crude.

The 2018 G 550 comes standard with a 416-hp twin-turbo V8, three locking differentials, leather, heated/ventilated front seats, Harman Kardon audio and COMAND navigation. Its cabin tech and driver-assistance suite trail contemporary luxury SUVs at this price, and appearance packages cost extra.

This is the worst content-per-dollar in the peer group. A $124k+ SUV built on a body dating to 1990, with a cramped cabin, a crude ride and dated tech, sells against a Lexus GX 460 and Toyota Land Cruiser that match its off-road hardware for a fraction of the price. Most of the money buys image.

The 2018 US lineup has four variants: G 550, G 550 4x4², AMG G 63 and AMG G 65. All are V8 or V12 and all cost over $124k, so there is no lower entry point. designo personalization adds flexibility at the top.

US sales were steady but small at 3,970 units in 2018, down slightly from 4,188 in 2017 as buyers waited for the redesigned 2019 model. That is solid for a $124k+ SUV but flat against the record that followed.

The G-Wagen is one of the most aspirational SUVs, with an iconic boxy shape, a celebrity halo and a cult following. That shows in resale: a 2018 G 550 held about two-thirds of its base MSRP at five years.

As the run-out year of the old body, with the redesigned model revealed in January 2018, the 2018 G 550 saw some dealer negotiation and lease support on leftover stock. Strong residuals and brand demand kept factory cash modest, and it never sold at desperation pricing.

2018 is the final model year of a body that dates to 1990 (W463). It had only incremental updates, such as the 2016 4.0L biturbo V8 and refreshed COMAND, and its replacement was revealed during the model year. A buyer was getting a car about to be superseded.

Reviewers loved the old G's character, off-road ability and V8 but consistently criticized its truck-like ride, vague recirculating-ball steering, cramped rear seat, poor fuel economy and price. It was never a comparison-test pick and won no major awards in its final years.