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Watch Donut Media Compare the Oldest and Newest G-Wagens

How does a 1980 Mercedes G-Wagen stack up in 2023?

August 25, 2023

These are the same car. No, really.Donut Media

It’s easy to forget when you look at a 2023 Mercedes G63 AMG or G550 that the boxy, ultra-luxury, high-performance SUV began life as a bare-bones utility machine aimed at militaries. But with even a tiny amount of digging, you’ll discover that it wasn’t until the G-Wagen was officially introduced in the US in 2002 that it fully evolved into the status symbol it is today. Back in the ‘90s the legend was nascent, and before that G-Wagens made Land Rover Defenders look like Rolls-Royces.

It might not have 800 hp, but we’re head over heels for the original Geländewagen.Donut Media

Donut Media illustrated that beautifully recently, pitting an 800 hp 2023 Brabus G800 Widestar, which is the most ludicrous G-Wagen on the market today, against a 1980 Mercedes Geländewagen three-door, essentially the most basic G-Wagen available. The differences are stark, but the similarities are certainly there.

Big, brash, garish, and scary fast, the Brabus G800 is a rolling monument to pure id. It is glorious.Donut Media

Perhaps the coolest thing about the video is to see two vehicles with polar opposite personalities and appeal that are built on the same platform and are equally appealing in their own way. We’ll let Donut explain the rest, but please check out the clip, it’s well worth the 11 minutes.