Mercedes Off-Roaders Suffer Setback in Rugged Australian Outback

It sounded like a great idea at the time: take some European off-road vehicles into the Australian Outback and have them make the first crossing of the historic, 1,900-mile (1,187-km) Canning Stock Route by a manufacturer.

The trek was delayed while Mercedes-Benz rushed parts to the expedition after six of its stock G-Class SUVs broke down during the attempt to tout the model’s off-road credentials.

Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV takes on Australian Outback.

Melbourne’s The Age newspaper reported 14 people, including two Mercedes technicians, were stranded for two days in the remote Great Sandy Desert in northern Western Australia.

The Age, which has a reporter on the drive, says the cars limped into a campsite at Well 36, where the expedition was halted while it waited for five new sets of shock absorbers to be flown in from Melbourne.

Mercedes-Benz Cars Managing Director Horst von Sanden is not discouraged by the Outback setback.

“When we undertook this journey, we were well aware of the punishment that the vehicles would endure,” von Sanden says in a statement.

“We put in place a group of very experienced Outback operators who have the expertise and logistical knowledge to cover off any eventuality. This planning has more than paid off in ensuring that we reach our goal of Halls Creek on Aug. 9. I have complete faith in the team out on the Canning, and the thorough logistics and preparation the team have put in place."

Corporate Communications Senior Manager David McCarthy, who is with the expedition, says the Canning Stock Route is in very bad condition in certain areas. “We have reduced the pace we are traveling at to ensure the vehicles remain drivable, which all seven of them currently are,” McCarthy says in a statement.

McCarthy says Mercedes technicians with the expedition have thoroughly assessed each vehicle, both visually and with portable diagnostic equipment.

“Our team has zero concerns about the vehicles’ ability to complete the trek,” he says. “Contrary to some reports, none of our vehicles are undrivable, and we are a very long way from being stranded.”

The Canning Stock Route, one of the world’s toughest and most remote tracks, runs to Halls Creek from Wiluna, both in Western Australia.

Halls Creek is 1,783 miles (2,853 km) northeast of Perth, in some of the remotest territory in Australia.

“No vehicle is unbreakable and we have the team to support our group in the Outback, and we will continue to travel the Canning Stock Route to reach our target, Halls Creek,” McCarthy says.

An update on the Mercedes website says the expedition has resumed, with the G-Class vehicles taking on sand dunes while falling just short of their goal of covering 120 miles (200 km). That leaves the trekkers with about 360 miles (600 km) to go.

Alfred Canning of the Western Australian Department of Lands and Surveys surveyed and built the trail between 1908 and 1910. He built 48 wells along the route in a project that cost the equivalent of A$2.6 million ($2.72 million) today.