Mercedes-Benz G350d review

The last time she saw one was when I collected her in a G63 AMG,  an event she described as ‘literally the best day of my life, including the one on which I was born’, and the absence of a 4-litre twin-turbo engine under the bonnet of this 3-litre diesel model dampened her enthusiasm not one bit. It’s a G-Wagon and beside that one shining fact, nothing else matters at all.

She has a point and, after I’d spent a few days in the G350, so did I. For this is actually a far better car than the G63: it feels a lot less precarious without 577bhp under your foot, will go at least half as far again on a tank of fuel and it won’t earn you the permanent enmity of your neighbours. It’s fast enough, and quiet and effortless on a long run.

And it’s a G-Wagon, which means it’s built and has a character like no other. It turns every journey into an occasion. And you know that as the years elapsed and it became ever more dog-eared, your enjoyment would only be augmented. Put it this way, if I had to have a full sized SUV, this would be it without the slightest scintilla of a doubt. And I would keep it forever.

Mercedes-Benz G350d

Engine: 2925cc, 6-cyl, turbodiesel
Transmission: 9-speed automatic, 4WD
Power: 282bhp @ 3400rpm
Torque: 442lb ft @ 1200rpm
Weight: 2451kg

Power-to-weight ratio: 115bhp/tonne
0-62mph: 7.4 seconds
Top speed: 124mph
Price: £94,065

Ti rating: 9/10