Should you buy one?

The Mercedes-Benz G-Class has a peculiar mix of jobs to do. Over its 45-year life it has expanded its customer base from farmers, adventurers and aid agencies to also include urban posers, school-run parents and those who want an utterly dependable and rather stylish workhorse.

It’s never been cheap, and now it’s out-and-out expensive. If you have a notion in the back of your mind that the G-Class is a bit agricultural, like a previous-generation Land Rover Defender, or current Jeep Wrangler or Ineos Grenadier, forget it.

It’s transitioned well beyond old Defender and is now much more akin to the current Defender, or indeed the Discovery. But its appeal is all its own – a mix of architectural sturdiness, artfully evolved traditional engineering, and cleverly integrated new technology.

The diesel G450d is superb, and the one to have. It may not grab so many headlines, and doesn’t do party tricks, but it’s ultra-functional, highly capable, and feels like it will serve you to the end of time (or until diesel is banned, whichever comes sooner).

The G500, based on a brief road-only drive, doesn’t stand out. The AMG 63, which we drove extensively on and off road, is a lot of fun on both (so long as you have tyres appropriate to the conditions) but seems caught up in its own paradoxes. If you really want a 585hp AMG that can get to 62mph in 4.3 seconds, why do you want it to be in an SUV body?