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The Mercedes-Benz G-Class is now available with an all-electric powertrain, promising impressive off-road capability if fitted with the right tyres; electric motors for each wheel enable a party trick of spinning the vehicle 360 degrees.
The Mercedes-Benz G-Class, or G-Wagon/G-Wagen, was originally developed as a military off-roader based on a suggestion by the Shah of Iran. The first armed forces in the world to use it was the Argentine Army in 1981, and at least one vehicle was captured by British forces in the Falklands war in 1982.
The first-generation civilian Mercedes-Benz G-Class was launched in 1979 – 47 years ago – and the current model can still trace its roots back to that model, although the chassis, powertrain, body and interior were revised in 2018, and now we have the all-electric G 580.
The G-Wagen certainly stands out compared to most cars on the road. It’s big, boxy, and still features elements such as very old-fashioned door handles with buttons (the doors need to be closed firmly), exterior door hinges, and a side-hinged tailgate.
The G 580 measures 4,624mm in length, 2,187mm in width, and 1,986mm in height – with a hefty kerb weight of 3,209 kg. There’s a very tall boot, offering 620 litres of space, which increases to 1,990 litres with the rear seats folded down. However rear legroom is tight for a car of this size, and two (optional) large media screens protrude out towards rear seat passengers. Although it has military roots, the G 580 has a luxurious interior.
The G 580 has body-on-frame construction and a 116 kWh (usable capacity) lithium-ion battery with four electric motors – one for each wheel – giving genuine all-wheel drive. It has a two-speed transmission with an off-road reduction gear for each motor.
Despite – or more likely because of – its 3,209 kg kerb weight, the G 580 has no official towing capacity.
The G-Wagen originates from a military off-roader, with a strong ladder frame chassis and high ground clearance. The G 580 adds an electric powertrain, with four electric motors – one for each wheel – delivering all-wheel drive, virtual differential locks (allowing torque vectoring), and massive torque of 1,164 Nm.
It also has a maximum fording depth of 850mm, 32° maximum approach angle, and 30.7° departure angle. So it should be amazingly capable off-road. But the G 580 test car that was sent to us was fitted with Falcon Azenis standard summer road tyres. And when it was on test, it was snowing. So the £173,860 ultimate off-road machine couldn’t go anywhere off-road in the snow without slipping. It even struggled for grip on the school run in the snow. So we’d love to report on how the G 580’s off-road potential is delivered in real-life, but we’ll have to wait until Mercedes sends us another one with decent off-road tyres.
What we can say is that the G 580 delivers lots of performance on the road (0-62 mph in 4.7 seconds) – which is impressive bearing in mind its 3,209 kg kerb weight – and this is accompanied by the (simulated) sound of a petrol V8 engine. There are five drive modes – Individual, Sport, Comfort, Trail and Rock – and you can adjust the level of brake regeneration via steering wheel-mounted paddles.
Despite the off-road underpinnings and the performance, the G 580 offers a very comfortable driving experience, due in part to the suspension’s adaptive adjustable damping. Imagine the ride quality of an old Land Rover Defender, and then think of the opposite – this is the G 580.
The G 580 has a party trick: it harnesses the four electric motors to spin the car around in a 360-degree circle, which looks impressive/ridiculous depending on your point of view, and may be the reason why Mercedes doesn’t fit press cars with expensive off-road tyres, because they wouldn’t last long with YouTubers repeatedly trying this (this feature obviously had to be tested, watch the G 580 G-TURN video). To activate the ‘G-TURN’ feature, you need to engage Rock Mode, select Low Range, shift to Neutral then back to Drive, press the G-Turn button, and hold the paddle shifter, left to go left, right to go right, while pressing the accelerator. There’s also G-STEERING for tight turns, which is effectively a watered-down version of G-TURN, designed to significantly reduce the vehicle’s turning circle on loose surfaces by delivering more power to the outer wheels and less (or none) to the inside rear wheel.
The G 580’s interior is also the polar opposite to an old Defender, being luxurious, as well as high-tech, featuring the MBUX infotainment system with a 12.3-inch media display, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster display, an Offroad Cockpit, and a ‘transparent bonnet’ (the ground below the car from a recent camera feed is shown on the screen) for enhanced off-road visibility.
One of our favourite features of the interior is the quantity of physical buttons, including physical controls and touchpad for the infotainment system. If you’re looking for the button for the heated steering wheel, this is in a strange, hidden location at the end of the control that adjusts the steering column.
The Mercedes-Benz G 580 has an official WLTP combined electric driving range of 283 miles. During our test in the snow in January it was averaging around 200 miles.
With the weight and aerodynamic properties of a small building (which you’re reminded of every time you look out of the almost upright windscreen, complete with very small windscreen wipers), along with more torque than your typical supercar, efficiency – of 2.1 miles/kWh – is not one of the G 580’s strong points.
The G 580 has a maximum ultra-rapid charging rate of 200 kW, which should allow a 10% to 80% DC charge in just over half an hour. It can also AC charge at 11 kW.
If you’re wondering where the charging cable lives, you’ll find it stowed away in the spare wheel carrier on the outside of the tailgate.
The Mercedes-Benz G 580 with EQ Technology is available from £154,870. Our AMG Line Premium test car had options of MANUFAKTUR Brilliant Blue Magno Exclusive paint (£7,500), MANUFAKTUR Package (£7,995), and Rear Seat Entertainment Package (£3,495), taking the total price to an eye-watering £173,860.
The good news is that the Mercedes-Benz G-Class is available with an electric powertrain in the form of the G 580 model, and the performance combined with zero tailpipe emissions blends well with the car’s comfort and luxury. More good news is that the four electric motors have the potential to take the original 50-year old military concept and improve its off-road capability still further. The bad news is that our test car was fitted with summer road tyres so all of the 4×4 engineering was completely useless in the snow. The other bad news is that our test car cost £173,860. So you’re left wondering who this car is aimed at. If it’s people who want to do the school run in London in a zero tailpipe-emission SUV with a Mercedes badge, there are more efficient and appropriately-sized EVs for this job (virtually all EVs will fit this description). So the Mercedes-Benz G 580 is likely to be a very niche choice; it’s awarded a Green Car Guide rating of 7 out of 10.
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