Mercedes is offering exclusive factory collections of the G-Class in Graz for 2023. Part of this is a detailed field test and a factory tour.
The factory collection is undoubtedly the most spectacular part of buying a new car, which many customers treat themselves to if possible. Depending on the make and model, the handover of the new vehicle is celebrated more or less spectacularly. But it's always clean and classy, even at Mercedes, at least until now. From now on, a small group of future G customers can treat themselves to the experience of a species-appropriate G-Class in its natural habitat.
Around 200 appointments can be booked for this, initially exclusively for customers whose cars are registered in Germany. Between April 17 and November 16, they can then go on a short trip to Graz, the birthplace of the G-Class. There, a sophisticated dinner awaits, followed by an overnight stay in a hotel in the beautiful capital of Styria. The next morning, the VIP shuttle takes you to the Experience Center next to Graz Airport (see video above), where customers can try out what the G's got it. However, this is a "can" and not a "must". If necessary, you can also be rocked over the obstacles by an experienced instructor.
The next item on the program is the (particularly exclusive) factory tour in the "sacred halls" at Magna Steyr, where the G-Class has been built for over 40 years. Here, too, you will be accompanied by your personal instructor, who will explain the secrets of the manufacturing process. For lunch, it's back to the Experience Center, where additional driving experiences are possible without dirt and dust. There are also driving dynamics test tracks on asphalt on the site.
The actual handover of the new car is also very exclusive in the Experience Center: the keys are handed over at a glass cube in which the new car is parked covered. And grandpa makes sure that everyone behaves properly: In the Experience Center, a G-type 460 from the first year of manufacture in 1979 sits enthroned in a synthetic resin block weighing more than 44 tons as the central element of the history exhibition.
Factory delivery can only be booked through Mercedes dealers at a rate that is appropriate for the product: 2,521 euros net must be paid in Austria, plus sales tax in Germany. In view of the G prices (G 400 d from 118,256 euros, AMG G 63 from 187,247 euros), this no longer plays a significant role.
Conclusion
Factory collection with a difference: Mercedes combines the experience of handing over a new car with a spectacular off-road driving experience. That fits the topic, after all it's about the Mercedes G. But nobody has to get into the mud with their new acquisition, there are enough test cars available from the Experience Center.
