Mercedes-Benz adds BlueTEC diesel to G-Wagen with G350

Mercedes-Benz adds BlueTEC diesel to G-Wagen with G350
By Andrew Ganz - Posted March 3rd 2010

Mercedes-Benz’s Geländewagen might not be the newest design on the market – its basic structure and style dates back to 1979 – but that’s not stopping the German automaker from installing a state-of-the-art BlueTEC diesel powertrain under its boxy hood.
The new V6 diesel engine cranks out 210 horsepower and 398 lb-ft. of torque, but the best news is the nearly 20 mpg combined fuel economy figure, according to Mercedes-Benz. Given the G350′s boxy shape and portly curb weight, the reduction in fuel consumption is nothing short of remarkable. For comparison, a G550 averages about 13 mpg combined.
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To put the power to all four wheels, the G350 BluTEC features a seven-speed automatic transmission.
The G350 uses the same AdBlue additive seen in other Mercedes-Benz BlueTEC products to significantly reduce harmful nitrogen oxide emissions. An aqueous urea fluid is pumped into the exhaust-gas system and uses a downstream catalytic converter to convert the bad into good – harmless nitrogen and water emerges instead of nitrogen oxide. All of that cuts emissions to 305 g/km of CO2, a respectable figure for the boxy ‘ute.
North American sales seem possible, although no official word has emerged from the German automaker. European markets will get the G350 BluTEC in all three variants when it goes on sale later this year: Five-door wagon, three-door wagon and two-door convertible.
12 COMMENTS
1. cocksterS148 days ago
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  There’s every reason to hate this truck–It’s old, it’s slow, it’s lumbering, it’s inefficient, it’s ugly, etc, etc. But for some reason, I still love it.
  
  I had one on loan for a couple days from my local dealership, and I had an absolute blast. Made me feel like a cold war villain, hauling arms from port to port.
  
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2. CajuRican148 days ago
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  ****sterS – I’m with you! I love the G-Wagen! I can see beauty in simplicity and functionality, which is probably why I have a huge soft spot for the original VW Beetle.
  
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3. 85ZingoGTR148 days ago
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  Which is what they should do here in the states. These type of armored SUVs like this, the Defender, and even the Jeep Wrangler should offer diesels. Diesel is the best for offroading because of the torque and efficiency. And they should offer it in manual too. AND they should offer the cabrio here. Idk why they don’t to begin with.
  
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4. The Stig148 days ago
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  I’ve driven this tub. It’s wretched. But the diesel would be an improvement. MB missed a sterling opportunity to shape the urea filler more like a “fleshlight” so owners can have at twice a year.
  
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5. A4148 days ago
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  I really wish we got all the variants of this thing, I love ‘em. 3-door wagon FTW.
  
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6. key4wheels148 days ago
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  I like box.
  
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7. scratchy148 days ago
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  @ 85ZingoGTR you don’t get Defender , G and Wrangler diesels in the US ? offroading must suck , even if a big V8 has enough torque , the range must be very limited.
  
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8. 85ZingoGTR148 days ago
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  Nope. I take it you don’t live here in the US. The Defender isn’t sold here period, G only a V8 gas and AMG model which is as useless as a box of rocks, Wrangler only gas, no diesel. That’s about it. There really isn’t much true off-roading vehicles here I don’t know why. They all became crossovers. Well we have like the Ford F150, Dodge Ram, and Chevy Silverado, but its not the same and you they’re nowhere near as good as those models I mentioned. And they’re too big to put them on trails.
  
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9. dabbigj147 days ago
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  You can get loads of good offroaders, the Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero, Toyota Land Cruisers 70 – 150.
  
  Even the Land Rover LR-4 and Range Rover Discovery are good offroaders with a right conversion.
  
  Basicly all you need is a strong frame and four wheel drive, you can get that from Toyota, Mitsubishi, Ford, Izuzu, Dodge, Nissan and so forth.
  
  In my opinion Defenders are not any better than what most other car makers offer since they have not been really driven to develop the car but rather just been focused on marketing the romance and fashionabilaty of the Land Rover dream.
  
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10. cocksterS147 days ago
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  Whoaaaaa dabbigj…hold on a sec. I agree that you can find good off-road offerings from Mitsu, Toyota, etc, but you need to get a couple of facts straight re Land Rover.
  
  1) It is the LAND Rover Discovery. Range Rover is a seperate model (and perhaps sub-marque) within Land Rover.
  
  2) The Land Rover LR4 (as it is currently marketed in the US) is the SAME as the Land Rover Discovery (as it is marketed in Europe. The vehicle used to be labeled the LR3 in previous US guises.
  
  3) Defenders ARE better than most other offerings. It’s not an opinion. It’s a fact. They HAVE been developed for years as off-road capable vehicles. They trace their history to 1948 and are the second oldest off-road capable vehicles second only to JEEP. They are used, regularly, in everything from military applications, expeditions, rallies and off road competitions, to even farming. Features like exceptional suspension travel, wheel articulation, ground clearance, 2 speed transfer boxes, locking diffs (or highly advanced electronic 4wd systems), and ladder frame construction (for payload and towing) are some of the contributors to its off-road prowess. Even Range Rovers demonstrate this exceptional ability, which may be why they cost so much! Look no further than Camel Trophy, and you’ll see things like 45% side gradients, 50 degree approaches, and 53 degree departure angles. There is a reason why Land Rovers/Range Rovers are the benchmark to which all other manufactures aspire.
  
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11. subie520147 days ago
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  European markets will get the G350 BluTEC in all three variants when it goes on sale later this year: Five-door wagon, three-door wagon and two-door convertible.
  
  MB MAKES A CONVERTIBLE OF THIS!?
  
  Those Euros get everything. Diesels, 10 different versions of one car, and great little compacts. But why did they make a cabriolet G. It’s not a Wrangler, and it doesn’t compete with the wrangler. The thing costs 100k. I don’t get some cars, case in point, AMG G wagon. Come on. How many of those do they sell a year, 2? It’s too inefficient to be used.
  
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12. allroad147 days ago
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  dabbigj- You are entitled to your own opinion but what do you mean all you need is a strong frame for a truck to go offroad? ****sterS brought up some good points i.e. suspension travel, diffs, clearance…to which I would add approach/departure angle, wheelbase, tires size etc.
  It all depends what type of offroading you do but I doubt many can say the Defender 90/110 is not one of the top stock offroad trucks ever made and that includes Hummer (Jeep Rubicon is sweet too).
  The G is a cool truck simply for the fact that they still sell it and the diesel only makes it better. I wish LR would bring back the D-90 and bring it back with an optional diesel to help improve gas mileage. I rarely get more than 14 mpg with my defender.
  
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