Brand new classic: Mercedes-Benz updates G-Class Professional

Want a Mercedes-Benz G-Class but prefer it in a more blue-collar uniform? Well, you're in luck, that is if you live in Germany, the Middle East or Australia. The German automaker still offers the classic (read: more utilitarian) G-Glass.

Dubbed the G-Class Professional, it's been around since 2013 but it's been given a mild update. It rides on the model that was revised back in 1990. That means live axles at the front and rear, along with a no-frills cabin and hard-edged looks. The G-Class Professional is primarily aimed for commercial customers and government fleets. Of course, Mercedes-Benz can still sell you one even if you are a civilian.

The G-Class Professional starts out as a bare-bones model with customers piling on optional equipment to suit their needs (or wants). Some of the options include a steel front bumper, a bull bar, headlight guards, raised suspension and, if you want to make it look slightly upmarket, a set of alloy wheels. If you plan on dunking the G-Class Professional in high water, most models come standard with a snorkel.

Forget all notions of luxuries inside as the G-Class Professional comes with a hose-down floor and is devoid of all leather and wood trimmings. It doesn't even come with power windows standard. Instead, you get an old Mercedes-Benz steering wheel, a full plastic center stack and a single-DIN stereo. No hi-fi audio system or a touchscreen in here either, but you do get a driver's information display.

In the G-Class Professional, there are three body styles to choose from. It starts with the long-wheelbase, three-door model and moves up to the long-wheelbase five-door. For those who need to haul more cargo, the big SUV can be specified in cab-chassis form with the bed sold separately. As a pickup, the G-class Professional has a payload capacity of a whopping 2,085 kg.

As bare as it is, it packs a emissions-complaint engine. Under the hood is Mercedes-Benz's 3.0-liter V6 turbodiesel. That engine normally makes about 265 PS but it is detuned for the Professional. Output is instead rated at 184 PS with a torque rated at 400 Nm. The lone transmission choice is a five-speed automatic transmission. All G-Class Professional models come with permanent four-wheel drive with locking differentials at the front, center and rear.