Iceland Van Tour - Converted Mercedes G Professional 2017
Lou and I spent two weeks living the van life dream in Iceland all thanks to this incredible vehicle named Gregor. Before we get into the details of this converted Mercedes G-Wagon, I have to say an enormous thank you to Lou’s cousin Tim and his wife Rike for letting us use their van for this off-roading trip. We were so impressed with how well prepared the vehicle was for any adventure from first aid kits, to tools, to Maxtraxs, to an air compressor, there was nothing they hadn’t thought of when kitting out Gregor.
[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-7OV65-vdk&w=854&h=480]
Since we started posting videos about this trip, there have been a lot of questions about the vehicle so we reached out to Tim and he answered a lot of the comments:
VAN FAQ
What kind of car is this?
Generally, it is a G 350d Professional. The entire body was cut, the chassis was made longer up to the new wheelbase (which would have been available as stock in Australia, but Australian G models are not road legal in Germany. The entire Suspension was upgraded. New coil springs, Bilstein shock absorbers with a separate reservoir, a slight lift, new max weight of 3.5 ton. 33inch tires (BFG KO2) on 16inch rims. The entire cabin is carbon, all cupboards are as close to the floor as possible in order to keep the center of Gravity down. Stabilizers have been fit to keep the car better in track. For max. suspension travel I would have to unhook them manually, but has never been necessary. The interior is Aluminum Frame with covers of Pappelsperrholz. Very Modular and can (and has been) altered very easily. Lights have been upgraded, the second fuel tank of about 130 liters (110 are useable in offroad conditions). No Gas, everything is done by electricity, the Lithium battery is charged by driving and by solar. The entire electric / electronic system is a system which is used for boats, it is called Mastervolt. Very Modular and very modern. Everything can be added. Solar is fixed on the roof but there is a plug for a portable panel, which by now has not been necessary even though the induction cooktop takes quite some energy. 80l Water tank, Water is filtered by Superdyn, Heater is diesel. Warm Water is electric or Diesel, depending on the choice of the Inhabitants. No gas, so no gas checks and no running out of gas….
Who did the van conversion?
A German company called ORC.
What is the weight of this car?
3.2to inc. Driver and all liquids. 3.5to max.
Nice video, to be honest, I wouldn't bother about the tire pressure and just run a set PSI all the way… (I mean you don't need a very big footprint for such 'easy' off-road. I mean it is easy for this truck). If you really would like to lower and higher the pressure maybe look for a pump which plugs in a 12 volt socket.
Lower tire pressure is WAY more comfortable on Gravel! Pump that plugs in takes forever. I actually wanted a fixed built-in Pump with outlets left and right behind the doors. But if we go in really deep water crossings (>1m) the floor tends to flood slowly so I opted for not having electric stuff there.
This seems really expensive, why wouldn’t you have just done a self-build?
What would work in the wild wild west wouldn’t work in Germany. There is no way a self-built car would make it through TÜV. This build is 100% road legal in Germany. So everything has to be done by certified People with certified parts and the right paperwork.
Please could you do a tour of Gregor? Does he have a loo?!
Yes, it does, here is the van tour!
Awesome van and Iceland is just beautiful!! But I guess your G-Wagon is the Luxury one. Your Rig is too expensive inside for Military grade?
It is not the military version, it is the „Professional“. The military version would be banned from quite a number of German areas due to emission standards. The „Professional“ has the exact same offroad features as the military version regarding waterproofed electronics, fuel filters, etc. but matches the German emission Standard „Euro 6“ which is currently the highest.
What year is the G Wagon?
It's from 2017 but it’s not the same as the G that is sold in Australia. They still sell the W461. This is a W463. W461 does not meet German Emission standards, but the W461 can be bought as a UTE, so you wouldn’t have so much cutting to do. This is done by Earthroamer Australia, they also mod Gs to a Camper, but a setup that would not be fit for Europe.
What kind of G is that? Looks like a G350d but with 3428mm wheelbase?
Correct. It is a G350d Professional. The Chassis has been cut and the parts that were made for the military 3428 Wheelbase are still available. So the Chassis was made a bit longer….
Why does your car have two intake pipes?
The car was developed many, many years ago for engines, that were much smaller. When they fitted the OM642 in there there is not enough room in the engine bay for internal piping. So the air intakes are on both sides in order to get in the huge amount of air that this engine needs. Two inlets means two high pipes, two dust filters and so on….
It's not German engineering... It's Austrian...
The G is built in Austria, but the modifications were made in Germany.
Vehicle Specifications
Car:
Mercedes G Professional 2017
G350D
6 cylinder engine
Euro 6B
245 Horsepower
Maximum Torque 600 Newton Meters
Car Measurements:
Height: 2.365m
Width: 1.49m, mirrors 1.99m
Wheel distance side to side: 1.85m
Length: 5.77m
Tanks and Electronics
Primary fuel tank 96l (87l record for filling)
Secondary fuel tank 110l (106l record for filling)
Ad Blue 15l tank
Fresh water tank 80l
Lithium Battery 180ah Mastervolt
3000W Mastervolt Inverter
Phillipi display
Boiler 7l
Dometic CRX 3 in 1 Fridge 80l
Votronic battery charging from the car driving
Dometic sink
Domino induction stovetop
Water Crossing Depths
Factory wading depth is 60cm
Tested wading depth is 80cm, and at 80cm water starts coming in slowly (get out of river quickly)
Build
ORC, Off-Road Center, did the entire build, in Holzgerlingen, Germany
I hope this blogpost answers all of your questions about this vehicle!