What's the news?

Mercedes has confirmed that the next generation of its evergreen G-Class, formerly known as the Geländewagen, will be bigger than the current model but also greener to boot.

An overhaul of the G-Class is scheduled for 2017, but so radical are the plans that the vehicle could be considered an all-new machine. It has had the same boxy-but-rugged looks since it surfaced in 1979, but it's actually not the hugest SUV you can buy, notwithstanding the outlandish G 63 AMG 6x6.

So Mercedes is going to make it wider by almost four inches, which in metric money is 101mm, taking the total breadth to 1,859mm. This is designed to make the G-Class more stable and to accommodate entirely new front suspension. It will also have the added benefit of increasing interior space, with Merc saying the quality of the cabin will be dramatically improved accordingly.

Referencing Land Rover once more, the G-Class will also undergo a weight-loss programme like the L405 Range Rover before it. The aim is to take almost 200kg out of a structure that weighs, for example, 2,570kg in current G 350 trim, with this decrease achieved through the use of aluminium and high-strength steel in the body.

There'll be a load of S-Class-esque tech shoehorned into the G and engines are said to include the two 3.0-litre straight-six units (one petrol, one diesel) that are being developed for the 2016 E-Class. It is also thought the nine-speed automatic transmission will be offered to increase fuel economy and slash emissions. And, in the news all enthusiasts want to hear, AMG variants will follow soon after the 'normal' models - the Affalterbach machines account for more than half the current G-Class's global sales, after all.

Anything else?

As to exactly what it will look like, that's not so clear. It is claimed the upright windscreen and set-square coach lines will be retained, although the rumour is that the overblown Ener-G-Force Concept shown at the 2012 LA Show could influence the 2017 G-Class. Cue many motoring reviewers brushing off their 'Tonka toy' synonyms...