Description: Full-Size Luxury Sport Utility Vehicle
Base MSRP Range: $78,900 - $101,400
Invoice Price Range: $73,377 - $94,302
Where built: Austria

From a Mercedes assembly plant in Graz, Austria, the hand-crafted G Class wagon rolls out in limited numbers as a no-compromise off-road SUV capable of venturing far away from pavement where conventional 4WD vehicles dare not tread.

G500 carries every mechanical armament -- a full-time 4WD system, traction control, vehicle stability system, three differential locks (center plus rear and front), anti-lock brakes and electronic brake force distribution (EBD) -- then flexes muscle from the Mercedes 5.0-liter V8.

Despite a rugged exterior design and the hardware of an ultimate off-road warrior, G500 has a cabin lined with luxurious appointments like leather-clad seats and trim in burl walnut wood.

The G55 AMG performance variation carries an AMG-built 5.5-liter V8 with supercharging and inter-cooling to generate 469 hp. G500 Grand Edition also emerges with special badges in numbered issues.

Mercedes-Benz with headquarters in Germany makes luxury and performance vehicles that span the scale in size and type with multiple options for power and traction. The vast collection includes souped-up performance variations in many categories built by the Mercedes super-tuner AMG. But there are three new Mercedes classes for 2006 -- the elegant CLS Class of four-door coupes, the large-scale R Class sport tourer wagons and a new generation of designs for American-built M Class of sport-utility vehicles.