Mercedes has announced its updated version of the G-Wagen Professional – the rugged, utilitarian version of the G-Class without the leather and Alcantara-lined interior or high-horsepower AMG engines. Debuting as a 2017 model, the G350d Professional replaces the G300 CDI and comes with an updated interior, engine, transmission, and exterior pieces that bring the G-Wagen Professional into modern times without losing its no-nonsense attitude.

The G-Wagen’s modern image of posh luxury with a high-horsepower engine is a far cry from the rugged off-roader Mercedes designed it as in the late 1970s. Yet the AMG models with their twin-turbochargers and low-profile summer tires aren’t the only G-Wagens still available today.

The 2017 G350d Professional is Mercedes’ direct competitor with the recently axed Land Rover Defender – the go-anywhere Brit with little in the way of creature comforts. Mercedes says the G350d Professional is the “highly purist variant suited to grueling off-road use and professional applications.”

The Professional model keeps the G-Wagen tied to its cross-country heritage. The original G-Class debuted in 1979 and has been used by military and humanitarian organizations for countless applications where a stout 4WD was essential.

So let’s dive in and see what the 2017 G350d Professional is all about.

Continue reading to learn more about the Mercedes-Benz G350d Professional.

2017 Mercedes-Benz G350d Professional

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2017 Mercedes-Benz G350d Professional
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior

The G350d Professional shines as a rouged off-roader thanks to its all-black color scheme. This includes the 16-inch wheels with all-terrain tires. Mercedes does offer a wide variety of colors, though, including two non-metallic finishes and 11 metallic colors. The G350d Professional also comes with protective side steps, protective guards on the headlights and turn signals, and the roof-mounted cargo rack with its rear-mounted access ladder.

Further differences include old-school towing mirrors and an optional steel bumper that is capable of accepting a recovery winch. Out back, the rear steel bumper is split, giving room for the tow hitch and twin recovery hooks.

Interior

Though the outside looks relatively the same as the outgoing G300 CDI Professional, the interior of the new G350d Professional is all new – at least for the Professional line. Gone is the old-school interior from the W461 series of Mercedes, replaced by the modern W463 series. This brings the Professional model in line with the other G-Class variants.

Included is a four-spoke, multifunction steering wheel, dual analog gauges with a driver information screen in between, and a modern center stack and console area. The center stack includes a more modern radio head, satin chrome buttons, and dual-zone climate controls. The center console now features Mercedes’ electronic shifter.

Though heated seats are present, the chairs forego leather and Alcantara for cloth, while the floors come covered in rubber mats. The G350d Professional even comes with drain holes in the belly pan. That’s when you know it’s hard-core.

The rear cargo area is treated to a rather appealing wooden cargo floor that slides out for easy loading. There’s also a metal cargo barrier behind the second row, protecting passengers from flying items when roads get bouncy. Most folks would certainly call the G350d Professional’s interior sparse and utilitarian, but it’s far more livable than before.

Drivetrain

Powering the G350d Professional is a new 3.0-liter V-6 turbodiesel. The engine is vastly improved over the outgoing 3.0-liter V-6 turbodiesel, and produces significantly more power, yet is better on emissions and fuel consumption. Horsepower is rated at 245, while torque comes in at 442 pound-feet. That represents a 64-horsepower and 147-pound-feet increase. The G350d is rated to achieve 9.9 liter per 100 kilometer, or 23.8 mpg on the U.S. scale. That’s a 15.4-percent improvement.

Backing up the engine is Mercedes’ seven-speed Tronic Plus automatic transmission. Behind that is the G’s full-time 4WD system with low-range gears. Three honest-to-goodness mechanical locking differentials distribute power equally, both between the front and rear axles, and side to side between the wheels. This gives the G-Wagen an uncanny ability to climb and crawl its way over nearly any obstacle, with all four of its all-terrain tires spinning at the same speed, regardless of traction.

Off-Road & Towing Capabilities

Speaking of tires, the Goodyear Wranglers found on the model pictured here are sized at 265/60 and provide plenty of grip while maintaining decent on-road manners. The G350d Professional also sports an extra 10 mm of ground clearance – almost half an inch – over the standard G-Class. This gives the G350d an impressive 9.6 inches of total ground clearance.

Approach and departure angles are also affected by the increase in ground clearance. It now boasts 36 degree of approach and 39 degree of departure – six and nine degrees more than the standard G350d, respectively.

Despite its taller suspension set-up, the G350d Professional is capable of hauling 1,305 pounds of cargo or towing an impressive 7,054 pounds.

Prices

Prices for the 2017 G350d Professional start at €79,968, which converts to roughly $89,500 at current exchange rates. That’s a pretty penny to pay, but the functionality is certainly there. Order books open June 1, 2016 with deliveries starting the following September.

Sadly, the G350d Professional is not available within the U.S.

Competition

Land Rover Defender

The Defender might be out of regular production, but no other vehicle in the world comes close to matching the G350d Professional in high-class utilitarian off-roading. The Defender has long been the archrival of the G-Class.

Over the years, the Defender has come with a wide variety of engine options ranging from four-cylinder diesels to 4.0-liter V-8s. 4WD has always been standard, though, making it a beast in the bush.

When it comes to buying one, a large amount of looking and money is required to find one that’s not completely beaten up. Inside the U.S., quality is generally better, but prices are astronomical, often reaching six figures for one that simply drives.

Read our full review on the Land Rover Defender here.

Conclusion

The 2017 Mercedes-Benz G350d Professional is a modern take on what the G-Wagen was originally designed as. Its rough and tumble attitude, combined with its very capable powertrain, 4WD system, locking differentials, and 9.6-inches of ground clearance, give it a certain honesty – a non-pretentious demeanor that suggests its owner isn’t the Beverly Hills type. In fact, it’d be rather easy to imagine James Bond or Jason Bourne flying around dirt roads through some third-world village in the pursuit of international criminals.

Regardless of my imagination, the G350d Professional is definitely a welcomed addition to the G-Class. It’s just too bad U.S. customers don’t’ have a chance at ownership.