2011 Mercedes-Benz G-Class Interior

While the interior of the G-Class is outfitted in true Mercedes-Benz style, reviewers say that it’s not as comfortable as other luxury SUV options. The G-Class has a cramped backseat and small cargo space, and its old-school layout dictates the strange locations of some switchgear. However, test drivers don’t complain about a lack of interior features: The G-Class doesn’t offer any options or package add-ons because everything  comes standard.

• "It's amazing how Mercedes managed to line the previously Spartan G-wagen with a fully modern Mercedes interior; anyone who has driven a new Mercedes in the past fifteen years will immediately be at home in this luxurious cabin, as everything will be familiar." -- Automobile Magazine 
• "Interior quality is excellent, but space is a different matter.” -- Edmunds
• "Though it competes with luxury giant Land Rover's Range Rover, the G550 does not return the same refined ride or quiet cabin." -- Kelley Blue Book

Seating

The Mercedes G-Class has seating for up to five people. Reviewers say the front seats are firm and comfortable, although some note that there is limited legroom for the driver. A few mention that there isn’t much leg room in the back seat. One reviewer said that a center armrest in the back seat is sorely missed. Overall, reviewers feel that the G-Class offers surprisingly little passenger space for an SUV that looks so big from the outside. For a luxury large SUV with a comfortable back seat and similar billy-goat off-roading capabilities, take a look at the Land Rover Range Rover.

• "Sculpted bucket seats help keep the driver and passengers in place when the off-roading gets tough  . . . You'll find the G550's seats to be very tall and upright and somewhat firm, in traditional Mercedes fashion." -- Kelley Blue Book
• "There's plenty of front-seat headroom, and front passengers get an enormous, panoramic 180-degree view of everything. The A-pillars are skinny, and the windshield is so close you feel like you can reach out and touch the hood. Rear passengers don't fare as well, as rear-seat legroom is skimpy." -- Automobile Magazine
• "Front-seat legroom is insufficient for taller drivers, and the backseat could use some more legroom.” -- Edmunds

Interior Features

Mercedes packs the G-Class’s interior with so many features that there aren’t any options or packages to tack on – everything is included on the base model. The G-Class comes with a hard-drive navigation system, a Harman Kardon sound system, a 4GB hard drive for music, and interior surfaces covered with leather and trimmed with wood.  Unfortunately, all of these high-class standard features still don’t add up to make the G-Class a bargain. A similarly-equipped Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged still comes to $99,015, with the ability to add even more luxury and high-tech options.

As luxurious and comfortable as the G-Class’s interior is, reviewers have a number of complaints as well. They dislike Mercedes’ finicky COMAND audio and navigation interface system, which they say is difficult to use. Multiple reviewers said that their biggest complaint was the strange placement of some controls.

• "Although modern Benz electronics and climate controls are fitted to the G550, there's no getting around the utilitarian truck architecture. The navigation system and its fussy COMAND interface (which mostly relies on a four-button directional pad) are located at knee level; the simple climate controls are at your shins. Some features can be operated with steering-wheel controls, but in general, all other high-end luxury SUVs are more ergonomically friendly.” -- Edmunds
• "There are a few other age spots, too. The controls for the air-bladder seat adjustments look and feel like they came out of a two-generations-old Korean parody of a luxury car. The stubby dash puts the seating position so close to the windshield that, if the prospect of licking the suction cups on your radar detector grosses you out, you can simply lean forward and lick the windshield instead." -- Car and Driver

Cargo

The Mercedes-Benz G550’s large exterior is misleading: It does not offer much space for your stuff. Its maximum 79.5 cubic feet of cargo space is bested by Mercedes’ own R350 crossover’s 85.0 cubic foot maximum, and is easily trumped by the Lincoln Navigator’s maximum 103.3 cubic feet.

• "Flipping the rear seats forward provides 79.5 cubic feet of cargo space, but large humps on each side of the trunk (which resemble rear benches for seating troops) make fitting wider items like golf clubs difficult.” -- Edmunds