2012 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 back seat and relatively 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.

• "Impeccable build quality.” -- Car and Driver
• "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 taller drivers and that the back seat is smaller than most. Overall, reviewers feel that the G-Class offers surprisingly little passenger space for an SUV that looks so big from the outside.

• "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
• "Front-seat legroom is insufficient for taller drivers, and the backseat could use some more legroom as well. On the upside (literally), there is no shortage of headroom, and the range of height adjustment for the power front seats is astounding.” -- Edmunds
• “Highs: Comfy seats … Lows: Small back seat.” -- Car and Driver
• "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

Interior Features

Mercedes packs the G-Class’ interior with so many features that there aren’t any options or packages available. Nearly everything is included on the base model. That’s as it should be, however, considering the G’s high starting price. The G-Class comes with a hard-drive navigation system, a premium 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 costs about $8,000 less, with the ability to add even more luxury and high-tech options.

As luxurious and comfortable as the G-Class’ interior is, reviewers have a number of complaints as well. They dislike Mercedes’ finicky COMAND audio and navigation interface system, which they say is cumbersome. Multiple reviewers said that their biggest complaint was the strange placement of some controls that is a result of the G550’s 30-year-old architecture.

• "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 user-friendly.” -- Edmunds

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 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 cargo floor (which resemble rear benches for seating troops) make it difficult to stow wider items like golf clubs.” -- Edmunds