Mercedes recently revealed its new G-class at the Detroit motor show and while it might look fairly similar to its predecessor its bodyshell is constructed from a host of new materials.

The 2019 G-Class has a new engine, interior and redesigned chassis components but Mercedes were obviously nervous about modernising the look of what has become a global classic. Because buyers have liked the design for some 40 years, exterior change is fairly minimal.

The new G-Class is actually 53mm longer and 121mm wider than the model it replaces, but neatly is actually 170kg lighter. Much of this is down to the use of new lighter materials in its construction. The designers used a digital prototype to simulated the service life of individual components and closed systems to find out in which places it would be possible to make use of lighter raw materials. The result is a mix of materials comprising strong, high-strength, ultra-high-strength steels and aluminium, as well as improved production processes at the Magna Steyr plant in Austria. The rigid body shell is now made of a variety of steel grades, while the wings, bonnet and doors are made of aluminium.

However, less weight in no way translates into less stability as the design has increased the torsional rigidity of the frame, body shell and body mounts by around 55 percent, from 6537 to 10,162 Nm/deg. Alongside improvements to the natural driving dynamics and comfort, this also results in enhanced quality in terms of noise levels, among other things, with the positive effect of significantly less noise and vibrations being noticeable in the interior when driving.