The Mercedes that Ranbir Kapoor drives Katrina Kaif around in - GQ India
When the G-Class geländewagen was born in the early Seventies, it was the first to be called an SUV (the German term translates to exactly that). Forty years later, that ubiquitous class of high-riding all-wheel-drive machines is manufactured by every major auto brand in the world, and has somehow caught the fancy of everyone from heads of state to off-road junkies. Built before the Iranian Revolution on the recommendation of the Shah of Iran (he was a major Mercedes shareholder at the time), the G-Class was initially manufactured only for the German army. A slightly more luxe version was presented to the Pope the following year — the first “Popemobile” — and was affectionately ordained “Papa G”. Thing is, in the nearly four decades since, the calling card of this automotive anachronism hasn’t... Sure, there’s fine cross-stitched buttery leather in the interiors, a high-res infotainment screen up front and a genteel automatic transmission. But there’s also the stuff you’re unlikely to find in any other modern-day SUV : oversized grab handles on the dash on the passenger side, a mechanical handbrake and, our favourite bit, chrome switches below the infotainment screen that customize... Never mind that most civvies (over 30 armies already stock G-Class SUVs around the world) will be more likely to fiddle with. Source: www.gqindia.com
