Likewise, a driver who's always thinking about what might be up ahead appreciates the diff locks being 100-percent mechanical and driver-selected. And one of the three of them is at the front. It's almost refreshing that the design engineers trust you to use them when you need them and then disengage before the steering starts to feel odd.
In all the time I drove my G-Wagen, the biggest problem I had was when the drive-by-wire throttle light came on. The vehicle went into limp-home mode. Driving it home from 22o N to Munich, Germany, in that mode was not fun. Three months of discussions pinned it on a random internal harness short. Sad to say, the ECU interprets a blown fuse as a global systems failure. The quick fix was to cut and hotwire the suspect wiring and all is now well and ready for the next trip.
Will there be trip number six into the Sahara? Of course, and soon.
13 Tips for Sahara Trips
• Drive very carefully. Forget macho. Nobody's watching.
• Don't go solo--do as I say, not as I do.
• Nit-pick. Be a granny--list everything.
• Pack so nothing rattles. Tie it down and put it on felt.
• Must-haves: satellite phone, a registered EPIRB, rescue flares.
• Also bring sand mats, a trenching tool, and an axle-lift claw.
• Soft sand? Admit defeat early. Don't spin wheels. Back out.
• Bring window nets--slipovers to keep the moths out.
• Avoid A/C--it's heavy, power-sapping, and precludes acclimatization.
• Monitor fuel and water usage every night.
• Bring spare tubes and tire levers, and the best synthetic oils you can find.
• When it comes to navigation, don't jump to conclusions. Prepare maps and satpics.
• How to deal with the locals? It's their country. Be polite. Be an ambassador.