2020 Mercedes-Benz G-Class

The 2020 Mercedes-Benz G-Class has a handsome cabin full of elegant materials, including soft-touch leathers and wooden accents. Passenger space is tremendous, and the infotainment system is easy to use. However, the cargo hold is relatively small for the class.

• "Luxury has been heightened considerably with the newest G-Class, thanks largely to the use of top-quality leather and attractive wood veneers." -- Kelley Blue Book
• "The materials are exceptional, with buttery soft leather creatively stitched everywhere in the cabin - even the bank vault swing-gate has diamond-quilted leather trim." -- Autoblog (2019)
• "Every touchable surface has the sort of look and feel you'd expect from a six-figure Mercedes-Benz. … Taken as a whole, the G-Class boasts one of Mercedes' finest interiors, full stop. And that's before you get to the richer two-tone, AMG Line and Designo options." -- CNET (2019)

Seating

The five-seat G-Class comes standard with leather upholstery, heated front and rear seats, and power-adjustable front seats. Ventilated and massaging front seats are available, as are upgraded leather upholstery and a heated steering wheel. For securing child safety seats, the G-Class has two complete sets of LATCH connectors for the rear outboard seats.

There’s ample head- and legroom in both rows, and the seats are comfortable and supportive, even on longer drives.

• "The 2020 G 550 is 2.8 inches longer and rides on a wheelbase also increased by 2.8 inches over the previous generation. As a result, Mercedes has found nearly six inches more rear legroom than before, plus an extra 1.5 inches up front. There’s also 4.8 inches more shoulder room inside the new G. All this extra space is much appreciated, as is a new rear bench seat that folds and splits 60/40." -- Kelley Blue Book
• "The cabin is comfortable, spacious, open, and airy front and rear. The optional Active Multicontour Seat package rivals Volvo's seats for comfort and support." -- Motor Trend (2019)
• "… there is sufficient shoulder room for three adults in back. And a huge 6-inch increase in legroom allows the trio in back to also bring their legs, thus righting one of the old G's greatest wrongs." -- New York Daily News (2019)

Interior Features

The standard COMAND infotainment system features a 12.3-inch display, a touchpad controller, navigation, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth, satellite radio, two USB ports, and a 15-speaker Burmester surround-sound stereo. The base G-Class 550 also comes with three household-style power outlets, a sunroof, tri-zone automatic climate control, proximity keyless entry, and push-button start.

Available upgrades include a Wi-Fi hot spot, remote start, and a rear-seat entertainment system with two 10-inch screens and a 12.3-inch digital instrument display that replaces the traditional gauge cluster.

Despite not having a touch screen, the infotainment system is fairly easy to use. It has a large screen, and the controls are straightforward. The available 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster is a driver-focused setup that mitigates the need to look away from the road while driving.

A bevy of safety features come standard, including lane keep assist, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, a rearview camera, traffic sign recognition, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, forward collision warning, pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, a park assist system, and a driver condition monitor.

See 2020 Mercedes-Benz G-Class specs »

• "We’re glad Mercedes retained the prominent grab bar for the front passenger, and we also like how the traditional instruments have been replaced by an attractive and easy-to-read digital screen." -- Kelley Blue Book
• The optional, high-resolution instrument cluster is gorgeous, as is the massive 12.3-inch central display. The latter still isn't touchscreen, but is easy enough to navigate through the console-mounted touchpad and rotary selector." -- Automobile Magazine (2019)
• "The same massive 12.3-inch COMAND display makes its way from the S- and E-Class, along with a second 12.3-inch display that can replace the standard double-binnacle gauge cluster. The rest of Mercedes' extensive infotainment and safety tech menu brings the G fully into the 21st century." -- Autoblog (2019)

Cargo

The G-Class has 38.1 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats and 68.6 cubic feet behind the front seats. Those totals are on the low side for the class, but it’s important to note that while the G-Class only has two seats, just about every rival in the luxury large SUV class has third-row seating.

Additionally, the cargo hatch swings to the side instead of lifting upward. The rear seats don’t fold completely flat, and the floor is high, which can make it hard to load cargo.

• The cargo area grows some for the new generation, and while the rear seats fold in a 60/40 split, they don't fold flat as the rear axle impedes a bit into the cargo area." -- Motor Trend (2019)
• "Opening the big tailgate still feels tantamount to swinging out a wall, and it still grants access to a cargo floor as high as your waist. So, if you're a G-Class customer who brings a lot of stuff with you, make sure you park with a lot of room behind you, and don't cancel your gym membership." -- New York Daily News (2019)
• Cargo space suffers slightly, but swing open that rear door and you're still greeted with a wealth of usable cargo room." -- CNET (2019)