2025 Mercedes-Benz G450d off-road review

Mercedes-Benz Australia has reinstated a diesel-powered G-Class wagon to its line-up of G-Wagen models.

The new G450d joins the popular AMG G63 and all-electric G580 in the exclusive stable of premium off-roaders. The G450d lands with a starting MRLP of $214,900, but that figure soon climbs once you add on-road costs or tick any of the Mercedes-Benz option packs.

Mercedes-Benz option packs

Optional packs include the MANUFAKTUR Exterior Package at $4100 (MRLP), which adds paint finishes in either Obsidian Black or Night Black Magno, with matching bumpers and flared wheel arches.

The Interior Comfort Package ($8500 MRLP) brings a heated windscreen, heated steering wheel and heated armrests for the driver and front passenger, while rear occupants benefit from the MBUX High-End Rear Seat Entertainment System featuring two fully integrated 11.6-inch displays connected to the main multimedia platform.

The PROFESSIONAL Exterior Package ($15,900 MRLP), while the AMG Luxury Package ($18,000 MRLP) adds silver under-tray protection, AMG brake calipers, a silver chrome radiator grille and protective strips with aluminium-look inserts. Illuminated stainless-steel door sills, stainless-steel rear loading-sill protection and AMG-branded floor mats lift the cabin, while a spare wheel cover in body colour with a stainless-steel ring keeps the rear design distinctive. 

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Inside, a multifunction sports steering wheel in Nappa leather, black microfibre roof liner, ionisation of interior air and a leather-trimmed upper dashboard reinforce its premium focus. Completing the package are 20-inch AMG 5-twin-spoke light-alloy wheels and side running boards for easier entry.

Finally, there’s the Night Package ($5600 MRLP) – available only with the AMG Luxury Package – or the Superior Line Interior Plus Package ($14,200 MRLP), also available exclusively with the AMG Luxury Package. Still, the G450d is the most affordable model in the G-Class range, with the AMG G63 priced at $368,400 (+ORC), the new AMG G63 Offroad Pro at $383,900 (+ORC), and the all-electric G580 starting at $249,900 (+ORC).

What the G450d offers

Prior to the introduction of the G450d, the last diesel-powered G-Wagen offered in Australia was the G400d back in 2021, but that model was short-lived.

Significantly, the G400d was the first G-Wagen with an independent front suspension and a wider cabin designed to enhance interior comfort. For the 40 years before that, G-Wagens always ran live axles front and rear. The independent front suspension carries over to the G450d, and that’s a good thing for overall driveability and handling. It gives the G-Class characteristics more in line with its target market’s expectations.

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Likewise, the well-appointed wider cabin delivers a luxurious feel while retaining that vault-like solidity when you close the doors. The G450d’s interior benefits from the model update that followed the G400d, introducing a new dashboard, multimedia system and overall cabin fit-out. These updates were first seen in the G63 and G580 models currently on sale.

The G450d retains the 3.0-litre OM656 inline six-cylinder engine previously used in the G400d, but it now benefits from an integrated starter-generator and a 48-volt electrical system, lifting claimed combined outputs to 270kW and 750Nm – up from 243kW and 700Nm in the G400d. This mighty engine is still paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission, full-time four-wheel drive and triple diff locks for supreme off-road capability. Unfortunately, most G-Wagen buyers will never fully appreciate the vehicle’s off-road abilities.

Driving performance

We had the opportunity to test the G450d’s capability first-hand with a day trip to Bunyip State Forest, near Melbourne.

Climbing into the G-Wagen brings a welcome sense of familiarity despite the years since we last experienced the model. The cabin isn’t large but offers ample space and feels more accommodating than earlier versions. The doors close with a solid clunk, giving the impression the G-Wagen has been carved from a single billet of steel. The plush leather seats and rich interior trims soften that metallic edge, delivering the comfort expected of a luxury Mercedes. High equipment levels and a premium multimedia system further reinforce the upmarket feel.

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The G450d feels smooth and composed on both highways and backroads heading out of town. The engine is silky and its torque delivery seamless, pairing perfectly with the nine-speed transmission. This could be the best diesel engine I’ve ever driven — and that’s saying something, considering I was behind the wheel of a Cummins-powered Ram just days earlier. Benz’s OM inline-six does a superb job of masking any diesel clatter or vibration, continually feeding that syrupy-smooth wave of torque.

The G feels heavy in tight turns when the mountain roads get twisty, but you don’t need to wrestle it like the old live-axle G-Professional models. The 18-inch wheel and tyre package strikes a great balance between ride quality and handling, while still offering enough sidewall height and all-terrain tread for off-road travel. This was especially appreciated when the forest roads turned to gravel and the Benz never put a foot wrong, and there was no excessive ADAS intervention. 

The G-Wagen’s platform is stiff and doesn’t allow a lot of wheel travel, but the rear axle still slinks through deep ruts while the independent front suspension is surprisingly competent. When things got rougher, we made use of the diff-lock buttons in the centre of the dash, engaging the centre and then rear diffs as needed, without ever requiring the front locker on these tracks.

Verdict

The G450d adds a more practical option to the G-Wagen range in Australia.

It maintains the luxury and capability of the iconic Geländewagen, but with the efficiency of its superb diesel powerplant and sensible all-terrain tyres. The AMG G63 might be the ball-tearing hot rod of the G range, and the G580 might give you that warm, fuzzy feeling of saving the planet, but the G450d delivers the happy medium for any and all adventures.

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2025 Mercedes-Benz G450d specs

AMG G63 Offroad Pro

Around the same time the G450d landed in Australia, Mercedes-Benz also introduced the AMG G63 Offroad Pro model to the range.

The Offroad Pro takes the stonking AMG G63 — with its bellowing 430kW twin-turbo V8 — and adds extra off-road prowess thanks to clever technologies within the AMG Active Ride Control and Traction Pro systems.

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The AMG Active Ride Control suspension with active hydraulic roll stabilisation uses specially tuned dampers with increased piston diameters and larger pressure reservoirs, claimed to enhance axle articulation and overall stability. AMG Active Balance Control further refines handling by allowing roll stiffness to be adjusted in three stages (LOW, MID, HIGH), tailoring stability for everything from loose rock to fast sand tracks.

Traction Pro enhances the electronic traction control system to better cope with rough terrain, while the G63 retains its triple diff locks for ultimate traction — even on the standard 20-inch wheels and tyres. The Offroad Pro kit also includes rubber floor mats, mudflaps and a flat alloy roof platform with access ladder.

We’re not sure there are many G63 owners who’ll actually take their AMG off-road, but at least with this kit, they’ll look like they can.