Amber turn signals, classic-look five-spoke wheels, grey plaid seats and optional agave green paint make the already retro G450d and G500/G550 look even more nostalgia-fulled
April 16, 2025 at 19:50
- Mercedes has launched a retro-look G-Class, the Stronger Than The 1980s.
- The SUVs come with a choice of classic agave green or Colorado beige paint.
- Only 460 examples will be built, each based on the G450d diesel or G500.
Cast your mind back to 2023 and amid all the chatter about an electric G-Class you might recall Mercedes celebrated production of the 500,000th G with a tasty retro tribute to the 1980s 280GE. That SUV was a one-off but two years later the same ideas have reached the street in the form of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class Edition Stronger Than The 1980s.
Yes, it’s a terrible name, but there’s nothing terrible about the idea behind it. We love that Mercedes was able to create an all-new G-Class in 2018 that retained all the spirit of the original, and this fusion of new-G technology and OG style really hits the mark.
Related: Mercedes Kills Its Only Hatchback To Make Room For More SUVs, Including Baby G-Class
Benz is building 460 examples of the 1980s-themed G-Class, each one based on either the G450d diesel or the petrol-powered G500 (G550 in the US). Buyers get a choice of two classic-look Manufaktur paint schemes, both of them highly evocative of the first-generation SUV’s heyday. One is agave green, the same color worn by the 500,000th G-Class in 2023, and the other is Colorado beige, which make us imagine dodging camels on an adventure through North Africa.
Other old-time cues include orange, rather than clear, turn signal lenses on the fender tops, five-spoke alloy wheels and black magno trim for the grille, bumpers, arch flares and mirror caps. The Mercedes star on the hood also gets the retro treatment and there’s an authentic brand badge from the 1980s parts bin on the rear.
Open the door and step over the “G – STRONGER THAN TIME” puddle light projection and you’re greeted by part-leather seats whose center panels are upholstered in gray plaid fabric in another nod to Mercedes’ past. But unlike clunky old, utilitarian 1980s Gs, the new ones have a Nappa-leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel, Apple CarPlay and a Burmester 3D surround sound hi-fi. The final touch is “1 of 460” lettering on the center console.
The G-Class Edition Stronger Than The 1980s is available to order in Europe now and costs from £152,815 (equal to $202,300 at current exchange rates) in the UK. No US prices are currently available but expect the G550-based model to costs a chunk more than the $148,250 a stock G550 commands.
