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Old 15th February 2011, 15:23   #46
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Re: Report & Pics: Mercedes launch the G55 AMG (G Wagen) in India at 1.10 Crore Ex Mu

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Originally Posted by AVR View Post
That's the whole point about the G. People who buy it over seemingly more "arrived" choices would only be people who appreciate and value a G and such people are highly likely to use it to its best capabilities both on and off the road.
What value actually? Its real hard for me to digest this?

Are you going to take it to war or use it to be alive when the world comes to an end.

I understand crazy, insane, my money and all that jazz. BUT??

Buy a 1 crore vehicle and use it for what its meant to be? I doubt it.

This is at best a toy and not a great one at that price.

What stops MB to give a bare boned G with the lowest spec diesel engine within 40 lakhs. This one I couldn't even take it in 1 feet water.

And that track and display? Whats the point of all that? Reversing on a 30 degree incline or parking it at 40 deg incline, what does it prove to a customer who will pay 1.25 crore for it?

Heritage - well you and I know about it and right now both of us cant afford any of it..

Last edited by Spitfire : 15th February 2011 at 15:25.
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Old 15th February 2011, 15:29   #47
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Re: Report & Pics: Mercedes launch the G55 AMG (G Class) in India at 1.10 Crore Ex Mu

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Originally Posted by SILVERWOOD View Post
Dippy.

You have said it all.

Military forces of 30+ countries including US, have inducted the legendary G-Wagen in to their stable.

BTW- I simply love G-Wagen because of its boxy styling,you can spot a lot of white G55's in Dubai.
Yes i have seen in a video , the crown prince of dubai is driving a silver G55 after some inauguration function , that proves the G class legacy
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Old 15th February 2011, 16:03   #48
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Re: Report & Pics: Mercedes launch the G55 AMG (G Wagen) in India at 1.10 Crore Ex Mu

I am not an offroad enthusiast but 500 BHP/700 N-m is one helluva value proposition. Only wondering if Merc makes any nice looking vehicles with this same engine. Let's face it, apart from the die-hards here, everybody thinks this looks like a dog.

Imagine the enthusiast who spends 1.xx crore and gets this. And then his neighbour comes up and asks, "Sirjee Bolero pe aapne Mercedes ka star lagaa liyaa?" with a knowing wink. That would be epic.
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Old 15th February 2011, 16:22   #49
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Re: Report & Pics: Mercedes launch the G55 AMG (G Wagen) in India at 1.10 Crore Ex Mu

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Originally Posted by noopster View Post
I am not an offroad enthusiast but 500 BHP/700 N-m is one helluva value proposition. Only wondering if Merc makes any nice looking vehicles with this same engine. Let's face it, apart from the die-hards here, everybody thinks this looks like a dog.

Imagine the enthusiast who spends 1.xx crore and gets this. And then his neighbour comes up and asks, "Sirjee Bolero pe aapne Mercedes ka star lagaa liyaa?" with a knowing wink. That would be epic.
If you own a G55, you will probably live in a nice neighborhood with people around you having taste for vehicles like G55 and ask you some sensible questions without putting you in embarrassment.
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Old 15th February 2011, 16:30   #50
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Re: Report & Pics: Mercedes launch the G55 AMG (G Wagen) in India at 1.10 Crore Ex Mu

I remember watching G Wagen vs Land Cruiser vs Land Rover fight on Discovery few years back. Does it come with bull-bar as standard? I thought bull-bars are bad for pedestrian safety.
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Old 15th February 2011, 16:54   #51
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Brilliant coverage bro Dippy! I was feeling your excitment & thrill to cover every moments during the event, good job! Love the videos as well!

BTW, during the presentation before launch Mr.Mitra mentioned about the titles achieved by G-wagon, with its 32 years it has won 'the best off-roader in the world' title for 17 times. It has also won 'the best SUV' award in US for 14 times + 'best luxury SUV' 7 times in a row including 2011.

But what I felt the biggest achievment was - the car used to reach the coldest part of the earth is G-wagon. It was driven 19000km with out any break in a cold -63 degree celsius. I've to refer for more details like the person & the place name.

Moreover almost all the leading military uses G-wagon in their fleet, including US & UK, who normally insist on 'swadeshi' policy on their products.

Here is my first experiance on G55 AMG from Dubai: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...mg-tested.html

Another 3000km drive from Delhi to Calicut in my own G-wagon: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...s-g-wagen.html

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Originally Posted by msdivy View Post
I remember watching G Wagen vs Land Cruiser vs Land Rover fight on Discovery few years back. Does it come with bull-bar as standard? I thought bull-bars are bad for pedestrian safety.
Those bull bar of G-wagon can be folded out, i.e., if you have hunted any animal or if you want to take some heavy stuff you can put on it to carry it away. It's very heavy. There is a lock below the bumpers to unlock it.

Last edited by Dippy : 15th February 2011 at 18:03. Reason: Back to back posts
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Old 15th February 2011, 17:20   #52
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Re: Report & Pics: Mercedes launch the G55 AMG (G Wagen) in India at 1.10 Crore Ex Mu

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Originally Posted by Dippy View Post
Today is Team BHP's 7th Birthday. It also falls on the same day as Valentines Day, which is popularly known as the day of love. It doesnt get better than this for any car lover who comes face to face with one of his most desirable automobiles on this day. Today this happened to me. How? Read on

Mercedes Benz India has been conducting a number of events in the country under the name of 'Star Drive'. Rehaan and GTO attended one such event last year.
Today was 'Star Drive II' but it was not just another event. Mercedes today launched their iconic G Wagen SUV in India in its AMG avtaar, the mighty G55 AMG. One of my favourite off roaders of all time. Its just EPIC.
]
Dear Dippy, Wow! you are too lucky. Wonderful news. One of the most the most awaited for me personally.
Thanks for the wonderful pics and report.
Now since GWagen is available in India. I am going to start waiting for another 5-10 years for find an affordable used G-55 to add to my collection.

But I am wondering why Merc didnt launch the basic G-55 for a lesser price. They went for AMG with a price tag of 1.1 crore.
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Old 15th February 2011, 17:24   #53
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Re: Report & Pics: Mercedes launch the G55 AMG (G Wagen) in India at 1.10 Crore Ex Mu

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Originally Posted by Spitfire View Post
What value actually? Its real hard for me to digest this?
I don't mean value in BHP/Rupee terms or NM/Rupee terms. Value is vague in its definition but that's the point. I attach value to it and probably others don't. Read some posts which said one man's G can look like a sticker job on a Sumo/Gurkha/Bolero to another so that's differential value there!

When an individual buys a vehicle for a particular price, it is more a manifestation of his/her opinion on the value of the vehicle and not a universal confirmation of the value of that vehicle to all and sundry!

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Originally Posted by Spitfire View Post
I understand crazy, insane, my money and all that jazz. BUT??
All of this jazz my friend drives a lot of vehicle purchases that go beyond the function of transport from point A to point B!
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Old 15th February 2011, 19:32   #54
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Re: Report & Pics: Mercedes launch the G55 AMG (G Wagen) in India at 1.10 Crore Ex Mu

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Originally Posted by AVR View Post
That's the whole point about the G. People who buy it over seemingly more "arrived" choices would only be people who appreciate and value a G and such people are highly likely to use it to its best capabilities both on and off the road.
Not that I have anywhere near a spare crore lying around but I'll say this anyways : I do appreciate & value the G, and know a thing or two about off-roading. Yet, if I ever owned one, I will NEVER take it offroading. Not the kind of stuff I do in my Jeep anyways. Max, I'll drive her through sand and some easy climbs. When I break something in my Jeep, it costs between 1 - 3K. I'll be damned if any offroad damage to the G55 will cost less than a lakh rupees

Plus, AMG has clearly tuned this vehicle for better "on road" performance. If you want the ultimate off-roader, buy a Jeep Rubicon. There's quite nothing like it in 4x4 mode.

But if you want to cruise around "Gangsta" style, there's quite nothing like a G Wagen. I LOVE IT
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Old 15th February 2011, 19:57   #55
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Re: Report & Pics: Mercedes launch the G55 AMG (G Wagen) in India at 1.10 Crore Ex Mu

@GTO
As of today I think quite the same like you. Nevertheless, was speculating on a scenario where I had a spare crore and surely not my only crore then I might not worry so much about taking it offroad. Of course an assumption here would be that this thing can actually take significant amount of abuse without snapping like twigand its within its capabilities to do so
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Old 15th February 2011, 23:20   #56
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Re: Report & Pics: Mercedes launch the G55 AMG (G Wagen) in India at 1.10 Crore Ex Mu

This thread puts one in bit of a dilemma, I mean not being a connoisseur and all that I was honestly just vaguely aware of the G wagen, I knew the Trax in India was using a Merc engine and was similar, however I thought it would be like a normal suv pricing like max 35-40 lakhs.

To see the real thing retailing for 1.1 cr is a bit of a shocker, I mean its an AMG and does have this super powerful engine but the fact is it looks too much like a Bolero, should I have renewed respect for Bolero's design or be flabbergasted by Merc's pricing and strategy with this thing.

There are high performance offroad 4x4s you can get at a fraction of the price of this for the enthusiast, and there are excellent snob value feature rich luxury suvs available at lower prices, so where exactly does this fall, who is it appealing to? Hardcore 4x4 would look for something cheaper to abuse, and luxury suv lovers with snob value on their mind would not appreciate its looks.

Just for brand name is someone going to spend 1.1cr to have a car that looks suspiciously similar to a Bolero? There would provably be 4-5 people who would know its history and have obsessed about this and now have the money to fulfill their desires, but that would be an obsession thing, not a car thing.
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Old 16th February 2011, 07:02   #57
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Re: Report & Pics: Mercedes launch the G55 AMG (G Wagen) in India at 1.10 Crore Ex Mu

Good job Dips. Event well covered and written.

Quote:
Originally Posted by FlyingSpur View Post
Haha. That camera doesn't tell the real story. The pull of that mad engine in a straight line has to be experienced to be believed !! I was lucky to experience it at the Star Drive over the weekend, and the pseudo off-road circuit was impressively tackled by the G55. The climb and descent is an eye-opener, sure, but the 30 degree slope is just another crazy experience altogether, with the tarmac barely a couple of feet away from your window and your face if you're sitting on the inside
This course for G is like a hot knife through butter. I personally drove through the same course during Ford Endeavour's launch. This didnt even showcase 0.1% capabilities of G except for straight line speed

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Originally Posted by Dippy View Post
This isnt a car which has mass appeal. A person who buys a G55 AMG will buy one only because he knows what that car is. Someone who is aware of its legendary legacy. This is definitely not a poser car. Its for the hardcore off road enthusiast and lover of old school styling. The G Wagen design is 30 years old. I dont think DUD would be a word I would use.

Finally would I buy a G55 AMG? Hell YES I would. I would have a fast car and at the same time not get unwanted attention.

The only other SUV I lust for apart from this is the Range Rover. Period.
No doubt about the appeal of G backed by legendary history. Agreed its for hardcore off-roaders but only for multimillionaire or billionaire off-roaders.
If I save 11 million rupees, this would certainly not be the car I would buy. I would rather go for Range, looker, fast and comparable off-road capabilities to G. This car is a waste if you dont use it for the reason its built. This is like FXX where you can buy one but can drive only on track days.

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Originally Posted by GTO View Post
This is my pick for 1.xx crores, though I'd honestly be left confused between the G and the mighty Landcruiser 200.

Mercedes should have used any colour, but white! I'm a huge fan of the G, yet will be the first to agree with the Tata / Mahindra comments here. In white, the G55 looks shockingly "local".

It's a great off-roader, no doubt. Question is : Will you risk damaging your 1 crore SUV over rocks, wading through water or deep muck? I don't think so.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post
Not that I have anywhere near a spare crore lying around but I'll say this anyways : I do appreciate & value the G, and know a thing or two about off-roading. Yet, if I ever owned one, I will NEVER take it offroading. Not the kind of stuff I do in my Jeep anyways. Max, I'll drive her through sand and some easy climbs. When I break something in my Jeep, it costs between 1 - 3K. I'll be damned if any offroad damage to the G55 will cost less than a lakh rupees

But if you want to cruise around "Gangsta" style, there's quite nothing like a G Wagen. I LOVE IT
Perfectly put. Try searching for G55 on YouTube there are no proper off-roading videos of it apart from Top Gear Vids and some stupid trying to show off its capabilities in 6 inches of snow versus Range Rover which has plenty of vids.
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Old 16th February 2011, 11:26   #58
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Re: Report & Pics: Mercedes launch the G55 AMG (G Wagen) in India at 1.10 Crore Ex Mu

if merc can do it with the G wagen why doesnt mahindra soup up the Bolero- mHawk, suspension, 4x4, seating etc
the styling cues are very similar
the bugs bunny grill on the new mahindras is a killer - the design honchos in mahindra, do they smoke pot to get their neurons to kick in?
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Old 16th February 2011, 11:43   #59
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Re: Report & Pics: Mercedes launch the G55 AMG (G Wagen) in India at 1.10 Crore Ex Mu

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Originally Posted by maverick56 View Post
if merc can do it with the G wagen why doesnt mahindra soup up the Bolero- mHawk, suspension, 4x4, seating etc
the styling cues are very similar
the bugs bunny grill on the new mahindras is a killer - the design honchos in mahindra, do they smoke pot to get their neurons to kick in?
Will you pay 1.1 crore for Mahindra??
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Old 16th February 2011, 12:14   #60
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Re: Report & Pics: Mercedes launch the G55 AMG (G Wagen) in India at 1.10 Crore Ex Mu

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Originally Posted by maverick56 View Post
if merc can do it with the G wagen why doesnt mahindra soup up the Bolero- mHawk, suspension, 4x4, seating etc
the styling cues are very similar
the bugs bunny grill on the new mahindras is a killer - the design honchos in mahindra, do they smoke pot to get their neurons to kick in?
Quote:
Originally Posted by F50 View Post
Will you pay 1.1 crore for Mahindra??
Dear maverick56,

How can you compare the legendary G-Wagen which has a rich history of 30 years with Bolero etc.

This vehicle is used by militaries of 63 countries and this says it all.

This is the vehicle of choice for expeditions.

Last edited by SILVERWOOD : 16th February 2011 at 12:16.
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