It has four motors, 579 horsepower, and an off-road heritage that surpasses the Rivian R1S, GMC Hummer EV, and Tesla Cybertruck. With the electric version of the military-grade G-Class, Mercedes-Benz promises more road freedom than any American-made flag-waving car, and it does it all. That’s by battery.
And it’s a departure for a brand that has committed to going all-electric but now says it will sell ICE vehicles within the next decade. Based on the latest thinking, an electric G-Class doesn’t have to happen, but it’s happening and it could prove Mercedes’ argument that electrification is right for all types of vehicles.
“If the G can go electric,” Mercedes vice president of marketing Bettina Fetzer told Green Car Reports and other journalists in late April before our drive, “any car can can run on electricity.”
Going electric doesn’t just bring updates to the G-Class. It makes the G-Wagen a better off-road vehicle, as I experienced during my first test drive of the G 580 with EQ Technology in southwest France, just a few weeks ago. The electric G is not only capable, but in many ways it is the best performing G-Class of the bunch.
Mercedes-Benz G 580 2025 with EQ technology
G-Class EQ: Battery floor
The electric G has the usual ladder frame construction, but instead of an ICE under the hood, it runs on a 116 kwh lithium-ion battery mounted in the floor. Housed in a bend-resistant case, the battery pack integrates with the frame and is protected by thick metal like a skid plate. The package combines 216 cells into 12 modules in two layers, cooled by three circuits. There is no mention silicon-anode battery chemistry which Mercedes is keen to showcase its fast charging times.
With a four-motor setup, each generating up to 108 kilowatts, the G 580 EQ reaches 579 horsepower and 859 pound-feet of torque. Each engine has its own transmission, allowing for low-mileage off-road mode and helping to reduce the need for the three locking differentials of its petrol sibling. Mercedes promises a 0-100 km/h time of 4.7 seconds and a top speed of 112 km/h, while also filling the cockpit with G-Roar, a set of programmed sounds related to the driving mode or event. It’s more noticeable to outsiders than to anyone inside the luxurious leather cockpit.
Mercedes-Benz G 580 2025 with EQ Technology electric SUV
A 6,800-pound aerodynamic brick wall is never going to fare well in range testing, and it’s no surprise that the EPA estimates the G 580 will land about 240 miles. It will come with a CCS charging port and will soon adopt the NACS standard. With the first 200 kw charge, Mercedes quotes a charge of 20-80% in just over half an hour. The company only said it will research future off-road charging stations with its current partners, and pointed out that off-roading itself offers plenty of opportunities to recharge through regeneration (a point which, while technically correct, seems completely oblivious to at least the G-Class’s role as an urban icon in America).
That regen is governed by the G 580’s paddle controllers. Auto mode selects the regen level based on cornering angle, speed and other data; D+ allows the front engine to decouple and the vehicle to move frequently for best efficiency. Normally, D- and D– dial regen, but the G 580 cannot stop itself by releasing the accelerator; it’s just less capable of using one pedal, as I found in street driving before putting the electric G-Class’s hardware to the dirt test.
Mercedes-Benz G 580 2025 with EQ technology
Electric G-Class: Runs well on the road
On a string of roads that wrap around top off-road territory near Narbonne, France, I drove the restomod G-Class and its largely unrefined body. A bumper cover here, a windshield spoiler there, externally it hasn’t changed much during the transformation.
It has been modestly updated in the suspension, combining double wishbones up front with the DeDion rear axle needed to clear the rear engine. Its brakes are still hydraulically assisted and the G-EV runs on 265/60R18 tires. In default driving mode, it takes a very SUV-like 44.6 feet to turn around.
The G 580 has a huge battery, which helps reduce its weight in the car. The result is that it’s more stable, and even without the electro-hydraulic suspension available on the gas-powered AMG model, its adaptive dampers still perform backup while muting almost any road surface. . The powertrain’s surge and its loud “G-Roar” synth sound motivated me to continually go faster, but good damping aside, the G-Class doesn’t encourage driving style. that car.
It almost slowed down. It filters the regenerative braking settings through information about vehicle speed and cornering angle, then decides how much energy to redirect to the underfoot pack, at least in Auto mode. Through the Normal, D-, and D– modes it adds more regen until it approaches—but doesn’t offer—full one-pedal driving. Flipping his paddle for the opposite result, D+ removes almost all regen for rowing mode.
Mercedes-Benz G 580 2025 with EQ Technology electric SUV
Mercedes-Benz G 580 2025 with EQ Technology electric SUV
Mercedes-Benz G 580 2025 with EQ Technology electric SUV
G 580 with EQ: Powerful on dirt roads
But the trails are where the G 580 shines brightest. With the windows rolled down as I approached dozens of kilometers of rocky roads, muddy ditches and clean slopes, the G 580 glided through a 2 meter deep riverbed filled with recent rains, with only the sound of rushing water accompanying the slog. . It wades better than the standard G-Class, at a depth of 33 inches compared to about 26 inches.
It also gets out of a rut better. With at least 9.8 inches of ground clearance, it’s up a few tenths over the gas G — and offers a competitive breakover angle of 20.3 degrees, approach angle of 32 degrees and departure angle of 30.7 degrees. With a carbon-reinforced chest plate underneath, the G 580 tackled the ledges with my colleague’s blessing. After all, it has been tested on Similar mountain trails in Schöckl like the standard G-Class.
Mercedes-Benz G 580 2025 with EQ technology
If off-roading has become a much simpler pursuit now that we have electronically controlled locking differentials and all-terrain traction programs, the electric G-Class is even Take down more knowledge barriers for safe off-roading and pay attention to maintenance. Its off-road cruise control implements carefully measured speeds through low, variable and fast crawl modes allowing it to safely traverse terrain at speeds of up to 5 feet. miles per hour, all through precise engine control. Essentially, the car can be controlled with steering controls and paddles, without the need for a differential lock. I encountered so few trails and obstacles that created any wheel spin—the combination of the complex engine control system and carefully selected off-road tires—that the road behind me had Looks almost the same as when I met it.
Cycling into Trail mode specifically allows for more speeds, but Rock mode is where I spend most of my trail time. It uses Low mode, which deploys a transmission paired with each engine to reduce the gear ratio to 2:1 and limit speed to about 53 mph.
Mercedes-Benz G 580 2025 with EQ Technology electric SUV
That mode also switches the G 580 EQ into two stunt driving modes. G-Steering enables all-wheel steering that reduces turning radius on low-friction surfaces, helping to reduce the risk of damaging someone else’s path when hairpins occur. Tank Turn feature similar to Rivian was canceled due to environmental concerns, although the GMC Hummer EV and related products The Sierra EV has a CrabWalk setup for cross driving. This allows for a much wider steering angle and swings the G 580 around a narrow dirt road between a literal rock and a hard place, with no drama. No other gas-powered SUV can do this thanks to its geometry.
But it’s the G-Turn that takes the electric platform’s potential to the ultimate party trick. In Rock and Low mode, the steering wheel is fully turned and the steering wheel is pulled out, all you need is a fully equipped accelerator to turn the truck in two complete revolutions at once, like like a Bobcat with a brick on the gas pedal. Mercedes only allows this function to be performed on flat, low-friction surfaces and instructs drivers to do it only when permitted and justified. Check all those boxes and you’ll never forget—and I’ve never forgotten—the feeling of being inside a leather-covered Speed Queen commercial dryer, minus the heat and noise. noise. Surely, it was a stunt. But that’s what draws attention to the battery-powered version of the G while the ICE models are consigned to history.
Mercedes-Benz G 580 2025 with EQ Technology electric SUV
G-Class with EQ Technology: Seems about right
About 7 inches shorter than the 2024 ICE G-Class, the G-Class EQ has very similar styling. It has a blackboard “grille,” a higher roofline, rear fender flares that serve as air curtains, and a rear roof spoiler.
Riding a 113.8-inch wheelbase, 182.0 inches long, 76.0 inches wide and 78.2 inches tall, the G EQ stands out on electronics among the usual power features, trim in open-pore wood and leather as well as ambient lighting. It lights up a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and a 12.3-inch touchscreen for infotainment, with standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Standard safety features include adaptive cruise control, active lane control, active steering with blind-spot monitor, and automatic parking. Its available surround-view camera system creates views stitched together to show the area directly around the vehicle for picking up around trails. Available Burmester audio, dual 11.6-inch rear-seat displays, dash cam and wireless charging pad, as well as 20-inch wheels, running boards and star logo, model name and badge lighting package EQ .
Mercedes-Benz G 580 2025 with EQ technology
Mercedes-Benz G 580 2025 with EQ technology
Mercedes-Benz G 580 2025 with EQ technology
The electric G-Class will be available at dealerships later this year. Pricing hasn’t been announced yet, but think big. In Euro terms, the standard G 580 with EQ Technology costs more than $150,000 and the Edition One costs more than $200,000. Even if you can’t buy one, find a good friend who can and give it a try. Two spins, when conditions permit.
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NOTE: This story has been updated from a preview version to one with dynamic on- and off-road driving impressions.
Mercedes-Benz paid our travel expenses so we could spin around silly on the G 580 and get our New Balance balance stuck in the mud.
