THE rugged design of the Mercedes G-Class SUV has remained almost unchanged for more than 30 years.
Like the Range Rover, it is an icon of the 4x4 world and comes with an eye-watering £83,000 price tag.
Add some extras such as AMG flared wheel arches and some chrome plus creature comforts like flat screen video players and you can easily push up the price to nigh on £100,000.
In every way, the G-Class is up with the elite in the off-roader market and the latest version combines heavy duty, go-anywhere ability with a touch of class.
The G350 we tried cost £97,010 in long wheelbase format and now comes the some executive class refinement straight out of Mercedes' luxurious models.
Leather upholstery and a comprehensive instrument panel featuring a full colour display screen, Internet connectivity and steering wheel mounted gear shift paddles are part of the garnish which sits on top of military grade underpinnings.
Low ratio gears, three lockable differentials and plenty of ground clearance make the G-Class a king among off-roaders.
On the road it is heavy metal in every sense, tipping the scales at 2.5 tonnes.
Its three-litre V6 diesel has plenty of pull but expect only around 22 to the gallon in everyday use.
Mercedes itself claims it is good only for 25mpg on average with emissions high up the scale at 295g/km.
The seven speed auto box can be shifted into low range at the push of a button and a conventional handbrake is positioned to the left of the gear selector.
Sitting up high the limits of the car are defined by the pronounced indicator lenses which sit on top of the wings. The dash itself is straight up and down in design and above a rather tiny glovebox is a grab handle for the front seat passenger.
It's all very functional although the centre of the instrument panel is quite car like and similar to that you will find in an E-Class saloon.
Despite the weight the engine delivers a fair amount of performance. With 211bhp and masses of torque from as low as 1,600 revs the G-Class can manage 0 to 60 in around nine seconds and can top out at 108mph.
And in keeping with its utility status the fuel tank is close on 25 gallons giving a range of around 600 miles.
You are paying very much for the engineering rather than the refinement, although the latest G-Class is a huge step forward from the original G-Wagen when it comes to creature comforts.
As a status symbol it's unmissable, as a go-anywhere vehicle it is almost unstoppable but compared to the latest luxury SUVs such as the new Range Rover