THE GENTLE GIANT

MERCEDES-BENZ G4500 AMG LINE

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There is something wonderfully old-school about climbing into a G-Class. You grab the chunky handle, haul yourself up and shut the door with that reassuring metallic Khatang that sounds like a bank vault sealing shut. That sound alone sets the tone for what follows. Few cars make you feel this secure, this indestructible, and yet, the latest G450d brings with it a new layer of sophistication that makes the experience more complete than ever.

From the outside, it looks exactly as a G should. Mercedes hasn't dared alter the shape because it knows better than to tamper with an icon. The flat glass, exposed hinges and upright stance are all still there.

But beneath the familiar silhouette, there's a fair bit of new engineering. The 3.0-litre straight-six diesel now gets 48-volt mild hybrid assistance through Mercedes' ISG2 system. It produces 367bhp and 750Nm of torque, with an added 15kW and 205Nm boost from the integrated starter generator. That's plenty of punch for something that weighs as much as a small bungalow.

Performance is effortless. The engine fires up quietly and settles into a smooth idle.

The nine-speed gearbox goes about its business unobtrusively and the ISG fills in the gaps, so you never feel a pause in power delivery. Flex your right foot and the big G gathers speed in one long, seamless surge. It hits 100kmph in 5.8 seconds, which is astonishing for a body-on-frame SUV of this size, and tops out at 210kmph. But it's the mid-range torque that really defines the experience. You don't have to work it hard, you just surf that enormous wave of torque and the car shrugs off everything in its path.