Mercedes Diesel-Powered Wolf Catches the Attention of the Robb Report

Yesterday's Robb Report carried a Car of the Week story about a reimagined Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen, calling it "a wolf that's ready to prowl. Most of us a familiar with the military background of Jeeps, Land Rovers and Hummers. They were built for functionality, not style, yet the boxy look of these machines became a style of its own, spoken in a different language. 

The original G-Wagen was Germany's equivalent of the Jeep, a lightweight military transport vehicle. The G stands for Geländewagen, which translated means "terrain vehicle." The first G-Wagens were built for the Shah of Iran in the late 70s as a military transport. Though created for the Shah, who was overthrown soon after, the vehicle saw its first military use in Argentina in 1981, the year before the undeclared Falkland Islands War.

Robert Ross, the author, refers to it as a wolf in sheep's clothing, which is interesting because the G-Wagen was itself nicknamed the Wolf beginning in 1987. In other words, not every G-Wagen is a Wolf. This designation is only for those with a fold down windshield and convertible top.

The focus of this article is on the latest iteration of this Mercedes-Benz 250GD Wolf, whose embellishments clearly define it in luxury terms, not military. The vehicle is manufactured by EMC, the Expedition Motor Company and available in 49 of our 50 states.

Under the hood we have a Mercedes-Benz inline-five diesel power plant that required a customized transmission control unit (TCU) "in order to maintain perfectly smooth gear change, quiet operation and reliability." 

For an extra $7500 you can add a turbocharger for additional power.

According to Ross this beast has never been more popular. At the end of 2020 EMC had sold 400,000 of them over the years, up 100K from 2017 when they hit the 300,000 milestone. The demand is so high that people are paying more than the manufacturer's suggested retail price to get their hands on one. We're not talking pocket change. These beautiful brutes typically retail at $125,000.

But what you are getting is a labor of love, so to speak. These vehicles are produced with care with hand stitched interiors and other meticulous attention to detail. It's adorned with all the other modern accoutrements with "options that include climate control by Vintage Air, assorted bumpers, trim, winches, etc." 

According to Ross, "Other revisions that come standard are new instruments and gauges, an all-new wiring harness, premium headlamps (previously optional equipment) and an upgraded entertainment system with new Bluetooth capabilities as well as USB and device plug-in considerations."

What we like, though, is the 0M602 diesel engine. It's durability earned in a nickname of its own, :the million kilometer engine." 

Read the full story here.