Ground Assault

Who knew a pilgrimage to the birthplace of the iconic Mercedes-Benz G-Class in Graz, Austria would turn into the greatest off-roading, tarmac scorching romp?

- Parth Charan

For decades now, many-a-household-refrigerators have featured a child’s approximation of a car, etched in crayon. More specifically, an SUV. It’s always been a square box with wheels. A shape signifying a vehicle of intent, purpose and power free of the nuances of modern design which include sloping rooflines and tapering shoulder lines. It's this attempt to reclaim the joy of unrestricted mobility and freedom, delivered through geometric simplicity and reinforced by the mechanical complexity belying it, that makes the Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV one of the most easily recognisable and sought-after machines today.

Home Of The Legend

It all starts in Graz, Austria which happens to be home to two lantern-jawed icons—Arnold Schwarzenegger and the G-Class. Adjacent to the Graz airport is a field peppered with brightly coloured G-Wagons. It’s called the G-Class Experience Centre and in a way, it feels like a surreal descent into the G-Class's subconscious. A place where its custodians let their imagination run wild. There's a G parked on a near vertical surface, a monstrous G63 AMG 6x6 perched menacingly on a rock right next to a Mercedes-AMG G650 Landaulette which is the most otherworldly creation you can lay your eyes on; a V12-powered G-Class given the full Maybach treatment with S-Class-like reclining seats and hot stone massage functions.