Age of Wisdom: Welly 1:24 2003 Range Rover vs. Mercedes-Benz G500

Age of Wisdom, that's what these two off-roaders represent for the European countries of Great Britian and Germany.  They have done service to their country in the military and now today they serve as posh SUV's.  The Range Rover may have not serve its military duty like the Land Rover relatives but at least it shares the same cosmetics.  Welly has the newest Range Rover offered, but I still have a liking to this 2003-generation body style.  The Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen has served its duty and now serves those who have the money to own one; in fact, it's the reason why it's still in production.  While i've reviewed the wild G63 6x6 truck from Jada Toys last year (and now Welly offers one as well in 1:24), it's time to see what the typical 5-door, 4-wheel SUV can do against the Range Rover.

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Mercedes-Benz G500

The G-wagon dates back to the 1970's when the need for military vehicles by Iran to Mercedes created the G-wagon.  Since then the G-wagon has moved from rough and tumble to a posh SUV.  Each update incorporates features found on other Mercedes models, mostly from the S-class.  The one shown here was likely a mid-2000 model, just before the 2012 update, as the interior with the 4-spoke steering wheel, speedometer with nav screen inside of it, and center stack with a rather small navigation screen is from the 2000 S-class.  Other details inside include three stalks on the column that are for the turn signals, wipers, and cruise control; pedals that I added silver to spruce up the interior (if this was a 2012 model more silver trim would adorn the dashboard); controls in the center stack, aside from the typical radio and HVAC controls, contain switches to lock the three differentials; grab handle on the passenger-side; shifter just ahead of the power window controls, and detailed door panels with seat controls.  The rear has seating for three and all passengers ride high in the commanding view of the boxy shape.  Sadly the rear door does not open, so the exposed cargo area is out of reach, but at least it's there (unlike the Range Rover) and the chrome trim around the spare tire cover is a nice touch.

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The exterior has not changed much over the years, just a bit more posh.  The front has round headlights with signal lights on the fenders, center grille with chrome trim and three-pointed star, and foglights on the bumper with the G-class plate.  The hood has vents on them, while the windshield has wipers resting on the window.  The sides have black trim and square lines typical of a military truck with fancy mirrors with integrated turn signals and chrome running boards.  The wheel choice could be better: 6-spoke wheels with detailed brake calipers behind, but I think the 5-spoke wheels would be a better choice.  At the rear taillights sit low next to the door and the reverse lamp is to the back of the rear bumper.  Being a tight engine bay there's not much room for detail: just the engine cover and a few resovoirs for the 5.0L DOHC V8 that produces 288 hp and 366 Ib-ft of torque through a 7-speed automatic.  The interesting tidbits is below on the base where the body-on-frame construction continues, as does the live front and rear axles with torsion bars front and trailing links rear, locking differentials on both axles, and driveshafts that line up instead of off-shooting like typical 4x4 longitudinal-mounted engine SUV's do.  The front shows off the oil pan and steering mechanisms (still uses recirculating ball steering), transmission pan, and transfer case cover which also has a locking differential in the center.  Finally, at the rear you'll note the location of the fuel tank that is large, so the exhaust takes a peculiar route: catalytic converters enter the passenger-side, loop over the center, then go to the muffler on the driver's side and exit.  Adding detail here shows how the whole process works.  The steering works but feels like it has a lot of play (turns to easily).

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2003 Range Rover

The Range Rover was created by interest of a few at Land Rover who wanted to do a road version of their series II line.  Work started in the late 1960's with the first Range Rover on the road in the 1970's.  At the time it rivaled the Jeep Grand Wagonner for the most luxurious SUV at the time; look at us now with all the high-end SUV's out there!  This third-generation is more advance with help from the brief BMW partnership.  The look is modern, yet still recalls the original Range Rover styling.  This silver casting may be the same size as the G500 but it looks a bit bigger.  The front has the typical silver grille with Land Rover badge and Range Rover letters on the hood, clear headlights with detailed lighting inside of them and wipers, and a lower bumper with Range Rover plate, front parking sensors, and foglights.  The hood and side vents seem to share a different color than silver, oddly, but then again so does the real truck.  On the sides the door handles are nice and thick, the ground clearance more than the G500, and all the pillars around the windows are black to give the Range Rover an airy feel from the interior.  The wheels are 6-spoke design and are rather large, but they lack the detailed brakes, steering, or individual movement like the G500.

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At the rear the taillights are clear and featured detailed lights (did you know the brake lights activate in the orange lamp not the red lamp below?), reverse lamps next to the plate, third brake light on the top part of the hatch, black bumper trim with parking sensors and red reflector lamps.  Like the G500 it has the boxy looks, but at least it looks more modern.  The engine bay, while again not showing much, at least has more room and an attractive silver engine cover with detailed resovoirs and airbox nearby; BMW fans will recognize the engine: 4.4L DOHC V8 that produces 282 hp. and 325 Ib-ft of torque through a 5-speed automatic.  The chassis underneath shows a more straightforward approach for drivetrain setup than the G500.  The suspension is all-independent with air springs, the transfer case is a typical rear-wheel drive SUV layout, like the G500 there's little of any skidplate protection aside from the front, and the exhaust is more streamline, yet ends in a muffler that has tips that exit far to short as they are not visible unless you look under the rear bumper; good news that there's space for a trailer hitch at the rear.  The Range Rover also comes with adjustable settings that control vehicle speed, sensors, and traction controls for varying degree of terrains, all controlled by a knob on the console.

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The interior is more airy thanks to larger windows and a sunroof (the G500 has a sunroof, but it is in the closed position).  The seats are comfy with seat controls detailed on the seat.  The rear bench seat is supportive and all door panels get the silver handles and detailed window controls.  Seating position is high, but the cargo area is covered off and some plastics (especially the rear seat) look faded like they've been in the sun for a while.  The niftiest feature is at the front seats where the arm rests for both seats can be folded up or placed down.  The 4-spoke steering wheel is thick and has controls on them, the gauges detailed, the dash lined with silver trim accents, larger navigation screen in the dash with radio and HVAC controls below in silver trim.  The console has the detailed shifter and buttons nearby, while the floormats are detailed just below.

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The verdict between the two is which one is the best off-roader.  The G-wagon has some neat bodywork and more modern Welly details than the Range Rover, but the Range Rover looks better and has more interior detailing, plus it has more off-road capability where the G-wagon's extra bling tends to get in the way.  Either way both are capable off-roaders that serve their country well and will continue to serve customers for many years to come.

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