Who says X5 doesn't go offroad?

[Macky]

If you really want to impress me with a Teutonic Offroader.....gimme a Mercedes Gelandewagen :lol:

Here's and excerpt from Edmunds:

>>> We'll admit that when it comes to buying luxury vehicles, rationality isn't always the most prominent purchase factor. When you've got the money and you want something, practicality and common sense shouldn't get in the way.

We tried to keep that thought in mind as we drove Mercedes' latest SUV, but it didn't help matters much. There's little rationale for the existence of the G500 on our shores other than the fact that a few thousand silly Americans are willing to pay for it.

yup mee too! no stupeed ML Class for me..... Only a good solid G class. Eto uso ngayon sa US coz MB USA finally started selling it there after 2 decades....give or take.

I like it because of the cool styling!

Its military roots are what make it a thoroughly unappealing vehicle in our minds, rendering it nothing more than a dressed-up troop transport that is worlds away from the luxury sedans Mercedes built its reputation on in this country. Other than better-than-average rock-crawling ability, the G500 has little to offer aside from its big V8 and a look that says, "Hey, I wasn't designed in this decade, isn't that cool?" <<<

Hehehe.... bale in conclusion, it's an old but competent off roader (spelled as "not the best offroader") with better-than-average rock-crawling ability, it has no appeal (ofcourse, looks is subjective), it has little to offer and only a few thousand silly but rich people are willing to pay for it.

More excerpt:
>>> the suspension is an old design that employs solid axles front and rear and coil springs at each corner. Although this basic setup is the preferred design of hard-core off-road enthusiasts the world over, it's decidedly less impressive on the city streets where most Gs will spend the majority of their lives.

A few modern-day tweaks have made the live-axle setup bearable around town, but it's not enough to mask the low-tech design. The tall, upright body still exhibits significant body roll as you might expect, and road hazards come booming through the cabin with annoying frequency.

Even worse, parking lot maneuvers feel like a trip to the gym thanks to the recirculating-ball steering system that rivals the gas pedal for effort required and feedback returned. The one bright spot in the G's over-the-road repertoire is its ability to remain quiet on smooth roads at high speeds — a trait that was hard to overlook considering the near total lack of aerodynamic design.

All the outdated machinery is there for a reason of course. It gives the G exceptional off-road ability should you ever feel the need to subject your new $75K sport-ute to the rigors of the trail. In addition to the stout underpinnings, the G500 also boasts three fully lockable differentials as well as electronic traction and stability control. Our short jaunts on varying terrain were met with nothing more than a yawn from the G's overly capable hardware. In order to properly push this Mercedes' limits, you'll need some extremely difficult terrain and some very cool nerves as the G wagon's tall stance imparts a feeling of tippyness whether it's deserved or not. <<<

Interior:

>>> A high step-in height and small doors make for a tight squeeze into the driver seat. The doors themselves feel insubstantial, closing with a meager "click" rather than the usual thud of a Mercedes sedan. The 10-way adjustable seats allow for a comfortable seating position, but the vertical windows and ultrahigh roof make you feel like you're sitting in some kind of high-class tour bus.

The instrument panel and climate control switchgear are pulled straight from Mercedes' sedans, a good or bad sign depending on how you look at it. The gauges are large and easy to read but there's not a hint of style in any one of them. The climate controls look slick but they suffer from a poor interface that makes them more confusing than they need to be. The sight of Mercedes' awful COMAND audio/navigation system never fails to elicit a cringe, as it continues to use outdated CD-ROM technology and radio controls that require too much fiddling during everyday use. On top of that, the CD changer is located in the cargo bay and getting complete navigational coverage requires you to pony up $140 for the full CD set.

The rear quarters suffer from the same access problems due to the small doors and high step-in, but there's plenty of room to stretch out once inside. The seats themselves are comfortable for three adults with individual headrests and heaters for the outboard positions. The seatbacks are split 60/40 and fold easily to reveal up to 80 cubic feet of total cargo capacity. The swinging rear door is a bit heavy and awkward, but at least the hinges are on the driver's side for easy curbside loading.

Although the cabin is swathed in plenty of leather and wood, there's still a lack of cohesiveness to the look of the interior. All the usual Mercedes hardware is there, but it looks a bit thrown together compared to the cabin in the M-Class. While this doesn't come as much of a surprise in view of the G's advanced age, when you consider the fact that the ML500 comes with the same engine and nearly the same size for $30K less, you can't help but wonder what you're paying for with the G500. <<<

i want the G500.


a true SUV with a luxury car interior.

Verdict:
>>> We're not quite as convinced. For the same amount of money we would score a 2003 Range Rover that drives better on the street, is equally capable in the dirt and has an interior that looks as though it belongs in a luxury vehicle. :cry:

A luxury sport-utility for those with considerably more money than sense. <<<

BTW, the G500 is 23 years old :shock: but only made it in the US :roll: recently.

[papa tots]

but still, i'd pick the G500 because,



it's a MERCEDES-BENZ. 8)

[OTEP]

The G500 has a lot in common with our LC II (okay, so our LC II doesn't have a V8). Same suspension, same layout, etc. But I'd still take it over my Pajero on any given day.

G-Class details I especially like:
*Front turn signals are on top of the fenders less likely to be taken out by trees and brush (especially when equipped with the optional lamp guards).
*The bumper ends are sloped to improve diagonal approach and departure angle.
*The doors are exterior hinged to allow for a wider door opening and simplify removal (you're bound to get it bashed off-road at one time or another).
*All glass panes use generic flat glass for ease of replacement (although the antenna is embedded in one of the panes ).
*The mudguards are unpainted and very flexible.
*Three differential locks (need I say more?).

I'm no urban sissy like those magazine writers. I'm willing to live with the compromises. In fact I love most of the compromises...

Make my G-Class a diesel.

[pajerokid]

Hear Hear!!!

Those american mag writers are forcing the issue... they want friggin TRUE SUVs to act like Camrys and Accords!!! :lol:

Oh boy! As they say, you cant have your cake and eat it too! Lets see the ML, or the X5 go up against a G in a rainforest or in a desert or something... lets see what those magazine writers will do if theyre stuck in a friggin mogul!

We know the Gelandewagen is 23 years old!!! But think, why so we still want it?


OFFROAD FUNCTIONALITY BABY!!!!:D i think a lot of people are forgetting that SUVs arent made for the road....

Oh, and you shun solid axles because theyre not smooth on the road? oh boy...BUY A FRIGGIN CAMRY!!!!!!!! :D

true offroad vehicles are indeed dying out because of Market demands... just look at the GenIII Pajero/Montero. Indeed, very beautiful and with a powerful diesel engine to boot. But without a ladder frame and with independent suspension? People who REALLY go offroad would tell you that this isnt the ride for them.

something similar can be said for the famed Gelandewagen. Its not for everyone.......BUT IT IS FOR ME!!!!!! :lol:


oh and did anyone menthion that its a MERCEDES :lol:

[OTEP]

Hmmm...Magkapresyo? I never buy brand-new so price is not an issue for me. And since used na, I wouldn't hesitate using it off-road.

I still don't think the Range Rover (latest generation) will match the G-Class off-road. The Range Rover will survive (most SUV's will survive) but if it will survive unscathed is another story.

Even if the G-Class was badged as a Pinzaguer (spell check!) just as it is in Austria, I would still take it. I've never been a badge-sensitive person (I even had a Kia).

What is your idea of off-roading? Rocks? Matagal nang debate iyan. And the bottom line was, if your average car can't tackle it then it's off-roading. Be it rocks, mud, snow, water, sand, or (lalo na dito sa atin) volcanic ash. If you think the mud we run on is flat, it is anything but. Nauubos travel ng suspension ko trying to attack the terrain. My underbody armor has had its shares of hits from banging on the uneven ground.

May run ulit sa October 27, 2002. Hope to see you there.

[Litespeed]

Hear Hear!!!

Those american mag writers are forcing the issue... they want friggin TRUE SUVs to act like Camrys and Accords!!! :lol:

Oh boy! As they say, you cant have your cake and eat it too! Lets see the ML, or the X5 go up against a G in a rainforest or in a desert or something... lets see what those magazine writers will do if theyre stuck in a friggin mogul!

We know the Gelandewagen is 23 years old!!! But think, why so we still want it?


OFFROAD FUNCTIONALITY BABY!!!!:D i think a lot of people are forgetting that SUVs arent made for the road....

Oh, and you shun solid axles because theyre not smooth on the road? oh boy...BUY A FRIGGIN CAMRY!!!!!!!! :D

true offroad vehicles are indeed dying out because of Market demands... just look at the GenIII Pajero/Montero. Indeed, very beautiful and with a powerful diesel engine to boot. But without a ladder frame and with independent suspension? People who REALLY go offroad would tell you that this isnt the ride for them.

something similar can be said for the famed Gelandewagen. Its not for everyone.......BUT IT IS FOR ME!!!!!! :lol:


oh and did anyone menthion that its a MERCEDES :lol:

apples and oranges.
Can't really compare X5 to G. 98% of people who bought X5 never use them offroad but for it's funtionality and safety. X5 doesn't drive like a truck but handles like sports car. BMW did not built X5 for offroading. X5 is not SUV but SAV. Ultimate Driving machine.

Cheers

[OTEP]

But still, BMW made the X5 to compete in the SUV market. If I wanted functionality and safety, I'd get myself a minivan. The only explanation I have for the existence of the X5 (and other similar machines) is that the manufacturers want to cash in on the SUV market. Nothing wrong with that. I just hope not all SUV's end up becoming RX300's, ML320's, etc.

At least the Nissan Patrol is still here and ready to do some work.

[Litespeed]

mawalang galang na po pero theory pa rin yung sinasabi nyo. yung mga sinasabi nyo na sissy writers sa edmunds mag na gusto ng camry at accord out of an suv kahit papaano na-test nila personally yung mga nabanggit na sasakyan. matanong lang po kita, nagamit nyo na po ba off-road yung mga nabanggit na sasakyan? bago lang ako dito at hindi kita kilala pero ano po ba ang meron ka para sa iyong mga theories ako maniwala kesa sa mga taong may actual experience sa mga nabanggit na sasakyan?

Is this Q meant for me, brother?

[OTEP]

ser Lite,

Sa akin po iyon. hehehe. Pero yung iba kay Professor pajerokid (ano na nga ba tinuturo mo?)

Remember, most car magazines test SUV's mainly based on how they perform no the tarmac. A lot of them aren't willing to live with the compromises that come with off-roadability. Kaya ako naiinis sa kanila.

Yep, I do test vehicles (not just SUV's). Siyempre iba ang criteria when evaluating cars from when evaluating SUV's in the same way na iba din ang set criteria when evaluating trucks. I never took the SiR off road when I tested it and I never went drag racing in the Pajero (that would have been a bag of laughs, aliw!).

You don't really need to test drive a Range Rover to know that the plastic bits hanging underneath will bang on the trail. Common sense will tell you that. And that having road biased tires will not get you far. I've never made any comment on driving them. On how the steering feels or how the gearchanges work. If I did, then yun ang theory. :mrgreen:

[Litespeed]

Hers' my take on X5 and ML...

1) It was rated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety the best SUV ever tested. and if you go now and compare it with the benz, you'll see that it is rated higher.
2) It is THE BEST HANDLING SUV in the world and no one can claim nothing but that. Handles far better than the ML

3) The X5 looks sporty and masculine while the ML looks like a family minivan

4) You get 19 inch wheels on the X while you get 16 or 17 on the ML.

Do I have to say it again that the ML looks like a MINIVAN !! I don't know how people can choose it over the X5.

I will probably choose Acura MDX over ML320 or RX300 (which appeals more to a women drivers as surveyed.


Cheers.

[OTEP]

Siyempre you're entitled to your own opinions naman. Limot ko na trail rankings pero yung ginagamit nila is obviously nasa A-B 1-2 palang, eh. That wouldn't really maximize the potential of a three-locker vehicle, wouldn't it? Kayang kaya pa iyan ng ABS/throttle based torque retardation.

Nakita ko na rin naman ang G-class, ha. Meron yung kapitbahay ko. Kaso SWB and lever operated ang lockers. hehehe. Diesel nga pala yun.

[OTEP]

Hers' my take on X5 and ML...

1) It was rated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety the best SUV ever tested. and if you go now and compare it with the benz, you'll see that it is rated higher.
2) It is THE BEST HANDLING SUV in the world and no one can claim nothing but that. Handles far better than the ML

3) The X5 looks sporty and masculine while the ML looks like a family minivan

4) You get 19 inch wheels on the X while you get 16 or 17 on the ML.

Do I have to say it again that the ML looks like a MINIVAN !! I don't know how people can choose it over the X5.

I will probably choose Acura MDX over ML320 or RX300 (which appeals more to a women drivers as surveyed.


Cheers.

The optional external spare tire carrier of the ML looks stoopid, too. :D

[pajerokid]

First of all... PEACE!

Yup yup yup!

I say : TO EACH HIS OWN!!!!!!!!

I guess Sir Otep and Myself are on the same page as to what we want in an SUV. Kasi po, we live in the reality called METRO MANILA where you dont really need to go offroad to go offroad :lol: Everywhere is OFFROAD! :lol: If you want low profile wheels here well thats your trip. SUV SAV SUT whatever...... As far as i know, The LTO only has the SUV classification, as SAV is only a BMW marketing word.

Basta ako, I need a real SUV that can take me to work, parties and to our farm which in the rainy season, liquefies to 6 inch deep MUDD!!!! An X5, ML, CRV, RAV4 would sink in SECONDS without any hope of getting out sans a winch! Our RAV sank, Our Terrano and my Pajero didnt I could already forsee my next car.... a GR PATROL DIESEL!!!


Sir Otep: i teach a plethora of computer subjects I used to be a Network Engr for a very big cell company. But i got tired of all that and im quite content with my current "no pressure" job :D

Nakakatuwa yung Merc G class no? Tibay talaga construction. Yung mga fenders designed para apakan! Something na imposible atang gawin sa auto natin w/o damage

[HBOY]

G-wagen pa rin ako..:P

to each his own...

[pajerokid]

oy guys... take note lang ha..... there were G's entered in the Paris-Dakar-Granada rallye..... talo sa PAJERO!!!! :lol::lol::lol:

But of course privateers lang po yan at hindi factory supported.



No offense to anyone but i dont rely on other people or magazines to make my decisions for me. I ACTUALLY go offroad quite often and i personally know what counts and what doesnt outside of your comfy roads. again peace :D

meanwhile... enjoy these G pics from

http://www.geocities.com/Baja/Canyon/7028/Photogallery2.htm

[papa tots]

to each his own talaga.


i'd get a volvo v70 XC over the x5 or ML.

i view it as a true "no nonsense" vehicle. i view all volvos the same way. and mas sulit para sa price nya kesa sa x5.

[OTEP]

pajerokid,

Even the bumpers were designed to be stood on. You can even use them as jacking/towing points. Way cool!

[Macky]

Hear Hear!!!

Oh, and you shun solid axles because theyre not smooth on the road? oh boy...BUY A FRIGGIN CAMRY!!!!!!!! :D

pajerokid,
First of all, the article was from Edmunds.com and not from a mag. Secondly, I don't shun solid axles. OTEP knows that the 2 most offroad capable monsters has independent suspensions (Tanks and Hummers, heck even the offroad-respected Jeep Liberty has them). No IFS nor BUTS about it. Now would your pajero stack it up against any of them? I think not!!!

Joel,
I am a practical person. I value safety above anything else as a family man. The thing I noticed about OTEP and the other offroading community (from kotse) was that they are NOT practical (unlike me) and they really love what they do. I respect that and have come to live with it. I can't please anyone but I try to impart info I have come up accross once in a while and with the short time that I have known them, "buying a car that suits your need" becomes clear. Now unlike OTEP, I can only test drive the cars I am considering to buy. Test drives gives me a lot of feed back but net information (specially on the the vehicle's safety tests and reliability thru TSB and recall infos) plus those car and truck mags (for real world test driving impressions) do help a lot. This is why I understand your point about info credibility. To be fair naman with OTEP, this guy really knows what he's talking about and he's earned the respect of local offroaders.

PS
I do agree with Edmunds though that the range rover is a more practical buy than the MB G-Class :P

[OTEP]

Macky,

Ikaw ba 'yung nasa avatar mo? :D

Pwede namang hindi puro capital ang name ko. Ahehehehe. Wala lang.

Yep, I'm not practical. I remember the days when I used to drive a 72 bhp Pajero. Pucha ang bagal! Hehehe. Pero at least 4WD. Then came the time I exchanged my Benz for a 12-seater Kia. How fun was that? :mrgreen:

[Macky]

OTEP,
Babalik na ako sa MDX kaya ibinalik ko yung luma kong avatar. Nag-DP na ako for a 2003 at sana naman before the year ends, makuha ko na. Di na kasi ako makatulog sa sobrang excited ko :mrgreen:

As I alway say: Different strokes for different folks :wink: