Okay, okay, so the “inside scoop” part of the headline couldn’t be more literal; all we’re allowed to talk about regarding the next Mercedes-Benz G-class at this point is its interior. The current G550, G63, and G65 are heavily tweaked versions of a vehicle that can trace its lineage all the way back to 1979 and the initial military version, which means the 2019 model, which will make its debut at the 2018 Detroit auto show, marks the first major redesign in the G-class’s storied history.
Most G-class owners will agree that the current interior leaves a lot of room for improvement given the restrictions inherent to its militaristic roots. The new model is slightly longer and wider overall, with an ever so slightly raked windshield. Benz knows the G’s shape, although a couple of decades younger, is just as iconic as a Porsche 911’s. The windshield is the only piece of curved glass on the car, and you really have to look closely to detect its arc. Benz didn’t want to mess with a good thing, no matter how much the aerodynamicists pleaded for a non-Lego-ish shape, and from what we could gather during our private preview, it has succeeded.
The cabin, of which we can show some images, is modern but also unmistakably G-wagen, with a shallow-section dash and a girthy grab handle for the front-seat passenger. The instrument panel incorporates the newest Mercedes-Benz infotainment system with redundant touchpad cont...