Mercedes-Benz G-Class · 1st generation W463

W463

The Geländewagen becomes a luxury icon.

Production: 1990–2018
Built: 59,971
Drivetrain: Permanent 4×4
Body: 2/3/5-door, cabriolet
Top model: G 65 AMG

Introduced in April 1990, the W463 transformed the Geländewagen from a utilitarian off-roader into a permanent four-wheel-drive luxury SUV — ABS, three locking differentials, and a wood-trimmed cabin that rivalled the S-Class.

Over 28 years it accumulated the widest engine range ever fitted to a single Mercedes-Benz model series — four to twelve cylinders, naturally aspirated, turbo, supercharged and twin-turbo — while AMG variants from the G 55 to the G 65 turned it into a celebrity status symbol, especially after the official US launch in 2002.

Body styles spanned short-wheelbase two- and three-door wagons, long-wheelbase five-doors, cabriolet and numerous specials (500 GE, 6×6, 4×4², G 650 Landaulet); production ended in 2018 when the ground-up second-generation W463 entered series build at Magna Steyr in Graz.

W463 interior — Wood, leather and COMAND — a long way from the hose-out cabin of the W460.

Every model.

Key series across 1990–2018 — from the early GE/GD fours and sixes to the twin-turbo G 63 and G 65 AMG — identified by chassis and engine codes where published.

Model	Model years	Chassis	Engine	Total
200 GE / G 200	1990–1994	463.220	102.965	included above
230 GE / G 230	1990–1995	463.224	102.989	included above
300 GE / G 300	1990–1994	463.227	103.987	included above
250 GD	1990–1992	463.324	602.931	included above
300 GD / G 300 D	1990–1994	463.327	603.931	included above
G 320	1994–1997	463.230	104.996	included above
G 320	1997–2006	463.244	112.945	included above
500 GE	1993–1994	463.228	117.965	2,806
G 500	1998–2008	463.241	113.965	4,438
G 550	2008–2015	463.248	M273	9,141
G 500 / G 550	2015–2018	463.234	M176	included above
G 55 AMG	2001–2004	463.241	M113 E55	included above
G 55 AMG Kompressor	2004–2012	463.271	113.993	included above
G 63 AMG	2012–2018	463.273	M157	included above
G 65 AMG	2012–2018	463.275	M279	included above
G 270 CDI	2002–2006	463.323	OM612	2,123
G 320 CDI / G 350 d	2006–2018	463.340	OM642	included above
G 400 CDI	2001–2006	463.333	OM628	4,147

* The published production figure covers every series of that model; the source does not break it down further.

722.6x 5-speed automatic722.9x 7G-Tronic 7-speed automatic

The long-wheelbase five-door that defined the civilian G-Class for a generation.

Year by year.

Nearly three decades of facelifts, engines and special editions. These are the milestones that matter when dating a first-generation W463.

1990
- W463 debuts: permanent four-wheel drive, ABS, three locking differentials and a wood-trimmed luxury cabin; early engines carried over from the W460.
1994
- Renamed G-Class with G-prefix model names; G 320 replaces G 300; driver airbag; manual transmission dropped from the civilian range.
1997
- Inline sixes give way to the M112 V6; G 500 V8 returns to the catalogue; dual front airbags.
2002
- Official US launch (G 500 and G 55 AMG); clear-lens lighting and updated COMAND.
2006
- G 320 CDI (OM642) replaces G 270 CDI and G 400 CDI.
2007
- Major facelift: bi-xenon headlamps, tire-pressure monitoring, reversing camera; 7G-Tronic on the G 500.
2012
- G 63 AMG (M157 biturbo) and G 65 AMG (M279 V12) join; ML-derived interior redesign.
2015
- G 500 / G 550 switch to the M176 4.0-liter biturbo V8; G 500 4×4² special.
2018
- First-generation W463 production ends; second-generation W463 enters series build at Graz.

W463 rear three-quarter view — Spare-wheel carrier and upright tailgate — unchanged in silhouette, refined in every detail.

Four cylinders to a twin-turbo V12.

The widest engine range ever fitted to one Mercedes-Benz series — petrol and diesel, from the early M102 four to the M279 V12 of the G 65 AMG.

M112

112.945 3.2 L · 3,199 cc
218 PS
160 kW · 215 hp at 5,600 rpm
300 N·m
221 lb·ft at 2,800 rpm

M113

113.965 5.0 L · 4,966 cc
296 PS
218 kW · 292 hp at 5,500 rpm
456 N·m
336 lb·ft at 2,800 rpm
113.993 5.4 L · 5,439 cc
476 PS
350 kW · 469 hp at 6,100 rpm
700 N·m
516 lb·ft at 2,650 rpm

M273

M273 5.5 L · 5,461 cc
387 PS
285 kW · 382 hp at 6,000 rpm
530 N·m
391 lb·ft at 2,800 rpm

M176

V8 biturbo

M176 4.0 L · 3,982 cc
421 PS
310 kW · 416 hp at 5,250 rpm
610 N·m
450 lb·ft at 2,250 rpm

M157

V8 biturbo

M157 5.5 L · 5,461 cc
571 PS
420 kW · 563 hp at 5,500 rpm
800 N·m
590 lb·ft at 1,700 rpm

M279

V12 biturbo

M279 6.0 L · 5,980 cc
630 PS
463 kW · 621 hp at 4,800 rpm
1000 N·m
738 lb·ft at 2,300 rpm

OM642

V6 diesel

OM642 3.0 L · 2,987 cc
245 PS
180 kW · 241 hp at 3,600 rpm
600 N·m
443 lb·ft at 1,600 rpm

M102

Inline-4

102.965 2.0 L · 1,996 cc
118 PS
87 kW · 116 hp at 5,200 rpm
172 N·m
127 lb·ft at 3,500 rpm
102.989 2.3 L · 2,298 cc
126 PS
93 kW · 124 hp at 5,000 rpm
190 N·m
140 lb·ft at 4,000 rpm

M103

Inline-6

103.987 3.0 L · 2,980 cc
170 PS
125 kW · 168 hp at 5,500 rpm
235 N·m
173 lb·ft at 4,500 rpm

OM602

Inline-5 diesel

602.931 2.5 L · 2,497 cc
94 PS
69 kW · 93 hp at 4,600 rpm
158 N·m
117 lb·ft at 2,600 rpm

OM603

Inline-6 diesel

603.931 3.0 L · 2,996 cc
113 PS
83 kW · 111 hp at 4,600 rpm
191 N·m
141 lb·ft at 2,700 rpm

M104

Inline-6

104.996 3.2 L · 3,199 cc
210 PS
154 kW · 207 hp at 5,500 rpm
300 N·m
221 lb·ft at 3,750 rpm

M117

117.965 5.0 L · 4,973 cc
241 PS
177 kW · 238 hp at 5,000 rpm
375 N·m
277 lb·ft at 3,500 rpm

OM612

Inline-5 diesel

612.966 2.7 L · 2,685 cc
156 PS
115 kW · 154 hp at 3,800 rpm
400 N·m
295 lb·ft at 1,800 rpm

OM628

V8 diesel

628.962 4.0 L · 3,996 cc
250 PS
184 kW · 247 hp at 4,400 rpm
560 N·m
413 lb·ft at 1,700 rpm

Original brochures.

Factory sales literature for the G-Class, exactly as it left the dealership — free to download as PDF.

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