It has been the definitive cross-country vehicle since 1979. It has won the Paris-Dakar Rally, is deemed a worthy means of transport for the Pope, ranks as an automotive design icon, is a serial winner of readers' polls and constitutes the gene pool for a Mercedes-Benz SUV family that now numbers four model series in all. It is, of course - the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. It has been in production for 29 years now, making the Mercedes-Benz G-Class by far the longest-serving passenger car model series there has been since Mercedes-Benz came into existence in 1886. And its haul of superlatives is set to grow still further, because the Mercedes-Benz G-Class is subject to continual updating that keeps it in touch with the very latest motoring technology. This time, once again, the exterior has only been modernised to a limited degree quite deliberately. The advances mainly centre on the vehicle's telematics, along with the new 5.5-litre V8 engine that is available for the G 500.

From the outside, the newest generation of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class can be identified by its restyled, three-fin radiator grille, with the G 500 sporting new-look 18-inch light-alloy wheels as an additional distinguishing feature. The model range continues to comprise three different body variants (short-wheelbase Station Wagon, long-wheelbase Station Wagon and Cabriolet), which are either powered by the fuel-efficient V6 CDI engine generating 165 kW/224 hp and 540 newton metres or a new, mighty 5.5-litre V8 petrol unit with an output of 285 kW/388 hp and 530 newton metres of torque. This new engine propels the Mercedes-Benz G-Class to sports-car-like performance: the dash from 0 to 100 km/h is completed in just 5.9 seconds.

• New telematics generation with useful extra functions
• COMAND APS standard on G 500
• Mercedes-Benz G-Class: a success story that spans three decades