Ever since Mercedes-Benz brought back the monoblock wheel design with the 2018 Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe, my life has steadily improved. The GT’s wheel was so outlandish and ostentatious yet tongue in cheek, and just retro enough. Then came the GLS63 AMG in 2021, which got a 23-inch version of the monoblocks, and the G63 got its own monoblock wheel in 2022 — my favorite one yet. Now, with the G-Class’ facelift for 2025, the non-AMG G550 gets an excellent monoblock wheel option too.
Pricing hasn’t been announced for the G-wagen in the U.S. yet, but the configurator is live on the German website, which is where I discovered the new wheel. In Germany the 19-inch “Leichtmetallräder im 5-Speichen-Design” (Light alloy wheels in 5-spoke design) cost €1,071 and are available with the Exclusive or Professional Line styling packages. The former adds additional chrome trim to the grille and other exterior components, while the latter makes everything body color and gives you mud flaps and headlight guards.
The design looks similar to the wheels of the Concept EQG from 2021, which previewed the upcoming electric version of the G-wagen. (I’m sure those will get their own larger monoblock style.) In the U.S. the G550’s Professional package includes 18-inch wheels with all-terrain tires, a roof rack, a ladder and a tubular spare tire cover. Hopefully Mercedes will offer an all-terrain option for the 19-inch monoblocks; at the very least it wouldn’t be hard to buy them yourself. And don’t worry, the G63 is still available with the same wheels as before.
Along with the similarly retro monoblock wheels that Mercedes introduced with the Maybach S-Class and subsequent models, these fat-spoke dish designs have really grown in popularity, both from OEMs and aftermarket companies like Brabus. Just look at the Rolls-Royce Phantom and Genesis G90 They work especially well on EVs that need an aero boost but require less brake cooling, too. The more monoblock-style wheels that are put on cars, the more powerful I grow.