Mercedes G-Class - Boot space, comfort & practicality

The old Mercedes G-Class was very much like the previous-generation Defender, because the size of the cabin didn’t really match the exterior dimensions. While there’s certainly more room in the latest G-Class, much as there is in the Land Rover Defender, it doesn’t offer the same amount of space as the other SUVs in the Mercedes range. Indeed, while the Mercedes GLE impresses us with its large cabin and third row of seats, the G-Class feels more intimate, and there’s no seven-seat option.

There are enough pockets and bins throughout the cabin, including a pair of removable cup-holders in the front, two in the rear, map pockets on the back of the front seats, an overhead sunglasses holder, and space for bottles in the door pockets.

Dimensions and size

The G-Class measures 1,969mm in height, 1,984mm in width (2,187mm including the chunky door mirrors), and 4,873mm in length (including the spare wheel on the back). This makes it a little bit shorter than the standard-wheelbase Range Rover, but almost as wide (5,052mm length and 2,209mm wide including mirrors). The G-Class still towers over the Range Rover by 100mm.

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Seats & space in the front

Despite the latest G-Class being 121mm wider than before, its huge centre console restricts the space in the front for two adults, compared with more spacious large SUVs such as the latest Range Rover.

All versions have electric adjustment and memory settings for both the driver and front passenger seats.

Seats & space in the back

Rear legroom is best described as adequate, and the G-Class would be a tight squeeze for adults sitting three abreast in the back, so you’re better off treating this as a four-seater compared with more spacious rivals. At least there’s not much of a transmission tunnel to rob those in the back of foot space.  

On the plus side, there’s a decent amount of headroom throughout the cabin, so you won’t need to remove your riding hat before driving home from the point-to-point. 

Boot space

The boot can swallow 640 litres of luggage with the rear seats in their upright position, extending to 2,010 litres with the 60/40 split-folding bench folded down. In comparison, a Range Rover offers 1,093 litres with the seats up and 1,976 litres with them down.

While those are some decent numbers for an SUV, the access to the G-Class’s boot is significantly hampered by a narrow door opening, plus the rear arches rob the boot of valuable width. The spare wheel mounted to the side-hinged tailgate door makes it rather heavy to open, which becomes a big issue if you have to get into the boot when the car is parked on a gradient with the front facing downhill. You also have to hope nobody parks too close behind you, otherwise you can’t get into the back without first pulling the car forward in order for there to be enough space to open the tailgate. 

Towing

Predictably, the G-Class is a formidable towing vehicle, with the G 450d, G 500, and G 63 offering a 3,500kg braked towing capacity. This places it alongside the likes of the Land Rover Discovery and Range Rover on the list of the best load-pullers – perfect for towing horseboxes, heavy equipment and, in the case of the G 63, a small petrol tanker! 

The all-electric G 580 isn’t rated to tow, although given how much pulling around a trailer or caravan impacts the overall driving range, and the difficulties involved with the charging infrastructure when needing to top up on long trips, we don’t expect many buyers of the EV version will be too fussed about this.