MOST READERS OF THE MAGAZINE HAVE ALREADY HEARED THE WORD "GELENDWAGEN", RESPECTING THROWN THROUGH THE PROSPECT "MERCEDES", often called the "GERMAN UAZ". BUT FEW WHO KNOW THAT "GELÄNDEWAGEN" IN TRANSLATION FROM GERMAN MEANS "SUV"
It would be foolish to expect a different name from the straightforward and unpretentious Germans for a car of the "SUV" class. Hence the letter "G" in the designation of one of the Stuttgart all-terrain vehicles - Mercedes G Klasse (Geländewagen). And by the way, if we climbed into the jungle of linguistics ... Do you know that the name of the city of Stuttgart, in which the headquarters of the Daimler concern is located, comes from the German word "stutengarten" (mare’s garden)? Agree, it was difficult to choose a more suitable habitat for those who know how to hide whole herds of horses under the hoods of their creations.
So, knowing my love of German cars (and beer!), Our editorial team suggested taking a Mercedes for the test for several days. That’s how the masters of the word called the brainchild of the Stuttgart car industry with GL letters aft. Refusing to follow our traditions, therefore, at the appointed time, I received at the office of Gargash Enterprises, the general distributor of Mercedes in Dubai since 1958, the keys to the beautiful Mercedes Benz GL500 that smells of factory paint and fresh skin. On the speedometer - 180 kilometers traveled. Apart from the technicians who prepared the car for operation, I was the first to get behind its wheel. The number 5 in the name of the model, in theory, should have said about the volume of the engine. But the actual cubic centimeters for testing turned out to be almost 400 less - 4663. However, 435 mares were hidden in the eight cylinders of the engine, who were just waiting for the moment to show what they were capable of in skilled hands! The letter "G" reminded me that there was an SUV in front of me, and the letter "L" (from English long or German lang) - that it was longer than its close relative, the standard "Gelendvagen" (if you believe the technical characteristics - five meters and twelve centimeters). Considering the fact that the price of a “dzhielka” as standard was determined by the dealer at 370 thousand dirhams, almost 200 dollars were left for each running centimeter of this creation.
By the way, some claim that the letter "L" in the name allegedly means "Luxury". It may well be - in terms of comfort, the GL is indeed an order of magnitude higher than a G-class car.
The representative of the company, having learned that in ordinary life I drive a Mercedes S-Class in 221 bodies, assured that the briefing would be superfluous and simply wished me a happy journey. I immediately became convinced of the truth of his words, I barely got behind the wheel - the main governing bodies of an SUV are located quite standard.
Like the executive sedan, instead of the gearshift lever, there is a “rocker” to the right under the steering wheel (German “deflection” under the American market). To the left under the steering wheel is the control lever for the "turn signals" and the wipers. Next to it and a little higher is a thin “twig” of cruise control. To the left and right under the fingers of the palm are the levers of a manual gearbox. The dashboard, like the central control panel with a bright screen, is also completely standard. Mercedes. It would be foolish to list other “identities,” so I’ll go straight to the differences ...
The main thing is the dimensions of the cabin. Yes, you can’t call the Mercedes S-Class close, but even compared to it, the test sample has an incredible amount of air inside! The cabin, designed for the driver and six passengers, is higher and much longer - for a number of seats and a luggage compartment.
The second difference, of course, is the engine: 8 cylinders against my 6 and 435 horsepower versus 305. This is enough to ensure that a colossus weighing more than two tons (2375 kg) is almost as dynamic as its lighter counterparts. The third and very important difference is the suspension and transmission control system. On the Sklass it is almost absent (two modest buttons), but on the GL it is presented in all its splendor - after all, an SUV with all-wheel drive is put by status! Here, and ride height adjustment, and differential lock (center and rear), and suspension stiffness control, and "mountain lotions."
Unfortunately, it was not possible to test all of these buttons in an environment close to combat (in the desert), but their very presence suggests that the GL is far from being a SUV.
One could talk for a long time about heated and ventilated seats with massage, rain sensors and airbags, about electronic stuffing, perfect soundproofing and fantastic sounding of the onboard audio system, but the magazine format is not suitable for this - we are not writing about technical features. We try to convey the style and feelings to readers. In the end of the review, I note: for a day I gave the "gzhelku" ride to my colleague, a girl from the marketing department. Returning the keys, she did not talk about gas mileage, about the "dead zones" indicators on the side mirrors or about cameras with a 360-degree view. She simply said that her next car would be the Mercedes GL. And she went to check the availability of the required amount in the account. And I, returning the car to dealers, and reseeding in his native "escu." I thought it would be nice to test the GL in picking 63 AMG - and what if she is worthy to become my next companion on the road!
The Russian Emirates Publishing House thanks Gargash Enterprises and the BDM Middle East PR agency for their help in organizing the test drive.
