This, ladies and gents, is an electric G-Wagen. A ‘normal-looking’ G-Class, then, with a 124kWh (116kWh useable) battery double stacked in the ladder-frame chassis, independent front suspension, and a solid rear axle. Oh, and the small matter of four independently controllable electric motors and a reduction (low-range) gearset attached to each one. Yes, it’s got a motor and gearbox for each wheel.
Here’s a car with 45 years of iconography to pillage and you need to make it electric, but it still has to be a G-Wagen through and through. That’s not an easy task. So, Mercedes-Benz has both thrown everything at it, and yet kept the soul of a G-Wagen, which is mightily impressive. As mentioned, the G580 weighs in with quad electric motors and all of its cells packed into the resolutely ladder-framed chassis and punting out about 450km of WLTP range—not that much for such a huge battery.
Said battery gets several inches of underbody protection—both composite and aluminum—strong enough to use as a giant rockslider off-road. Four motors and reduction gears for each unit enable both millimetric control and earthmover levels of torque, the need for traditional differential locks rendered obsolete by torque vectoring so fast, it never spins a wheel. Unless it wants to. But more of that in a bit.
The interior has been refreshed along with the more traditional G lineup, and there’s also some aero kit to try and help, like new airflow-tweaking mini-spoilers around the A-pillar and the top of the windshield, as well as a new slot in the rear wheel arch. They probably do make a measurable difference, but it’ll be marginal, given that the G has the aerodynamic profile of the blunt side of a house.
The good stuff is both in the tech and the ambient cleverness. The inside of the G580 is pretty much exactly as spacious as the internal-combustion versions (bar what looks like a 10mm rise in the cargo floor), while the outside looks like a normal G bar a grille and a slightly raised hood line. It’s not an ‘EQ’ car, just an electrified G-Wagen.
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But it’s got tricks. You’ve probably seen it on the internet, but we’re starting to see manufacturers play with what electric can offer. The G580 features G-Turn, where the motors on one side drive in the opposite direction to the motors on the other, allowing for a surprisingly graceful on-the-spot pirouette. Illegal to use on a public highway, likely not that useful on a tight trail, but fun nonetheless. Expect YouTube accidents.
The other—and far more useful—is G-Steer. That’s when the G reverses an inside rear wheel in the direction you want to turn at slow speeds (and also off-road), leading to a very neat pivot around a back wheel. Instead of spinning around a central point, you drive around the back wheel. Brilliant at getting through super-tight trails off-road.
There’s also a myriad of off-road modes, the ability to wade comfortably up to the rear wheel arches (which feels deep enough), and the complete negation of years of off-road driver training. Seriously, the electric G-Wagen is so clever, so poised, and so calm off-road, you can get around with the absolute minimum of fuss. That’s four-motor electric control for you.
It drives better than a regular G-Wagen, but let’s face it, this car has never really been a paragon of on-road dynamics. Better since the big refresh in 2018, granted, but it still felt cumbersome. The electric G absolutely feels like a G-Wagen: heavy, slow steering, languid body control. It’s not a sports car and doesn’t try to be; a weighty, long throttle needing plenty of intent to get the car to hustle. But hustle it can: It’ll hit 100kph in under five seconds.
Thing is, when you get to a corner or heavily on the brakes, you’re definitely aware of that super-three-tonne curb weight. Nimble this is not. It is, however, quite lovely. It feels dense and solid, impenetrable. The artificial ‘G-Roar’ produced by a soundbar under the hood (you can turn it off if you want), sounds utterly appropriate, like a digital burble of V8. We wanted to hate it, but it’s comforting and lovely.
There are some modes, too, but it’s best sampled in Comfort and a few extra seconds of travel time: There’s a general feeling of quiet competence, and swanning around is definitely the best version of this G. Interestingly, the G-Wagen doesn’t feature an ‘Eco’ mode in the settings. Mercedes thought it was just… silly. How refreshing.
Mercedes-Benz G580 on the road
Interestingly, given that this thing has four electric motors and therefore essentially infinite control of vehicle dynamics, Merc could have made the G580 handle very much like a very heavy G63, with instant torque vectoring for each wheel offering up a lot of fun options. But it hasn’t. The electric G is still very much a deliberate G-Wagen: long-travel throttle, slow steering, generous body movement. It’s not floppy as such, but someone who knows what a non-performance G-Class really feels like has been intimately involved in the development.
There are modes—and you can tighten the car up a little—but it’s best sampled at cruising speed in Comfort. The folks at Mercedes-Benz decided against an Eco mode because they thought it was pointless.
The one thing you do become intimately aware of is weight. Accelerate quickly—yes, you can—and there’s a feeling of immense density being propelled. Similarly, head into a corner or hit the brakes hard, and every sinew is taut trying to rein in that 3,085kg curb weight. Makes a decent noise with the G-Roar, too. Terrible name, pleasant experience.
Off-road is where the electric G really shines, and that makes it even more of a pity, mainly because not many people are going to seriously off-road a luxury SUV. But it really is impressive. Pretty much instant torque vectoring means diff locks are obsolete, and it barely spins a wheel at any point—just maintains traction and momentum. It’ll easily wade to just above the wheel arches, tromp through mud, and deal with rock climbs.
The only thing that even vaguely holds it back are approach/breakover/departure angles, and they’re not even bad. And the breakover situation isn’t an issue thanks to the battery protection underneath: It’s actually been designed to be strong enough to sit the car down onto and slide across rocks. Makes some wince-inducing noises if you use it as intended, though.
As for those turning modes, if you want to know if they’re actually of any use, the answer is both yes and no. G-Turn—the spin-on-the-spot thing is more of a party trick—most won’t use it in anger off-road, preferring to reverse down a tight trail. But it’s a bit of a showcase of what’s possible. Stick the car in Rock mode in low range, press the button, and hold the paddle in the direction you want to turn, use the throttle to initiate. Let go of the paddle or throttle out, and it stops. There’s a max of 720 degrees of spin to prevent endless donuts. It’s impressive, but largely pointless.
Of more use is G-Steer. Essentially a similar function to the G-Turn, but it reverses an inside rear wheel while driving the outside. Press the button in low range, and when you get to near full-lock on the steering, it engages at very low speeds, pivoting the car around the rear wheel as far as you need to go. Endlessly useful on tight off-road sections. Essentially, it’s like fiddle brakes on trials cars, where you have individually braked rear wheels on levers. Like having two handbrakes, one for each rear wheel.
Mercedes-Benz G580 on the inside
There’s very little in the cabin to tell you that you’re in a G-Wagen powered by electricity. The three buttons in the middle no longer house the diff-locks (front, center, rear), and now feature the G-Steer, low-range, and G-Turn options. There are different animations, but it’s very much like in the internal-combustion-engined cars.
There’s still a quite upright feel (so you can still see those indicator lights on top of the front wings) and a big handle on the dash in front of the passenger, and still relatively tight room in the back. The G580 doesn’t suffer in particular for space compared with the regular variants, either—just a 10mm rise in the cargo floor, but nothing to write home about.
The biggest change is the big 12.3-inch touchscreen in the middle of the dash, complementing the driver’s information screen directly up front. Connectivity is good, with advanced driver-assist systems all present and correct. Textures and materials are all still top-notch, though Merc’s light obsession with silver trim still irritates.
There’s a load of features, too. An ‘off-road cockpit’ that displays all the relevant functions (tire pressures, inclination, compass, torque-to-wheel), camera-based ‘transparent hood’ so you can see which rocks you’re about to scrape over, off-road cruise control...everything you might need. And the screens are clear, crisp, and fast. Maybe a little bit grandiose, but we’ll take it.
Now, about off-road range. Essentially, electric is much better at off-roading than anyone imagines. Torque, quiet, and control. But the one thing that people miss is that range really isn’t that much of an issue. You use brake recuperation more off-road, and you’re not pushing the car through the air all the time. The G580 also has a low-range ’box (actually ’boxes) as a torque multiplier, so the motors are less stressed.
It’s more about hours of operation than linear mileage. Most people aren’t seriously overlanding—more having a day out off-road—and the G580 will do more than 99% of people want or need. Just don’t ask about the paint repair costs when you take it down that green lane with brambles all down the sides.
Final thoughts
If ever there was a car more anachronistic and less in tune with the idea of a ‘green’ electric vehicle, it’s the G580 with EQ Technology. It’s a largely pointless exercise, very heavy, inefficient, and a bit mad. But it also had to stand up the pillars of ‘G-ness’ and some incredibly talented and interesting brains have made sure of that. It’s ridiculously capable off-road, and quiet, competent, and relaxing on it.
But more than that, Mercedes-Benz has achieved what it set out to do: create a ‘proper’ G-Wagen that just happens to be powered by electricity, rather than an electric car shaped like a G. Any owner of a traditional G will recognize the driving experience, marvel at this newfangled motivation. In its very narrow niche, it is brilliant.
More photos of the Mercedes-Benz G580:
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
