2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 First Look: Is the Electric G-Class the Best?
The G63 will go faster, and the G550 will go farther, but the electric G580 promises to be better than both off-road.
It’s been teased more times than the 1965 Mustang. We were taken for some serious off-roading in a prototype 18 months ago, experiencing firsthand the fabled 360-degree “tank turn” pirouette that formed part of its CES dance routine on the Strip in Las Vegas earlier this year. Last month, we rode along as it drifted across the Arctic ice.
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But Mercedes-Benz is perhaps right to be both proud of and, perhaps, a little nervous about the G580 with EQ Technology, the first all-electric production G-Class SUV. It combines one of the company’s most iconic and profitable vehicles with a cutting-edge powertrain technology that has yet to win overwhelming acceptance from most consumers. This could be one of the best G-Wagens built in the 45-year history of the legendary Mercedes off-roader. Or one of the worst.
We’ll be able to give you the definitive verdict on that when we drive the electric G580 with EQ Technology in the next few weeks. In the meantime, Mercedes has released full technical and feature details, so let’s take a closer look at what will be one of the most intriguing new vehicles it launches this year. Oh, and we’re not going to bother with that clunky name: From here on, it’s just the G580, OK?
A G EV Is Still a G
“The G must be a G,” says Manuel Urstöger, the engineer with overall responsibility for the development of the G580’s powertrain. “That was most important to us when developing the electric G.” That meant the electric G had to be able to climb steep slopes, tiptoe over big boulders, plow through mud, storm sand dunes, and wade through deep water—in short, go everywhere a regular G can go, with no compromise.
That meant all-wheel drive, of course, but Urstöger’s team determined that for the ultimate in control and capability, the G580 needed a motor to drive each wheel through its own two-speed transmission.
The G580 also had to look like a G, which meant all elements of its electric powertrain had to be packaged within the existing hardware envelope of the W463 G-Class. The fact the G-Class is built on a ladder frame proved a key enabler.
Power is delivered by four 145-hp electric motors mounted to the ladder frame; together they deliver a total system output of 579 hp and 859 lb-ft of torque. Powering the motors is a two-tier, 216-cell lithium-ion battery with a usable capacity of 116 kWh. That combination is enough, Mercedes says, to punch the 6,600-pound G580 from 0 to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 112 mph, with what should be an EPA-rated range of about 240 miles per charge.
The battery will accept charge rates of up to 200 kW on a DC fast charger, meaning it can be taken from a 10 percent state of charge to 80 percent in 32 minutes.
To ensure it can survive the punishment of extreme off-roading—even though G-Class engineers ruefully admit 99 percent of G Class customers never take their vehicles off-road—the battery is enclosed in a torsion-resistant casing that is also waterproof, allowing the G580 to wade through 33.5 inches of water, 5.9 inches deeper than internal-combustion-powered G-Wagens can manage without a snorkel.
The battery casing is further protected by an inch-thick carbon-composite skidplate attached to the frame by 50 steel screws. The skidplate alone weighs 127 pounds, but as Urstöger points out, a steel skidplate offering similar levels of protection would have weighed three times as much.
Suspension Required Some Rethinking
Like the ICE G-Wagens, the G580 has a multilink independent front axle and a non-independent axle at the rear. Having a motor power each wheel is straightforward with an all-independent suspension setup—see: Rivian’s R1S SUV—but combining a pair of motors with a live rear axle required some lateral thinking.
The solution is an engineering concept almost as old as the automobile: the de Dion axle, which dates to about 1894. The de Dion design features a rigid tube connecting the wheel hubs, so it behaves like a solid axle. But the drive to each wheel is via separate halfshafts with universal joints on either end that allow the rear motors to bolt securely to the chassis yet still drive the wheels while the axle delivers the articulation needed for ultimate off-road performance.
The G580’s ground clearance is 9.9 inches, with the 113.8-inch wheelbase giving it a breakover angle of 20.3 degrees; approach angle is 32 degrees, and departure angle is 30.7 degrees. By way of comparison, the G550 has an approach angle of 30.9 degrees, a departure angle of 29.9 degrees, and a breakover angle of 23.5 degrees.
The four-motor EV drivetrain allows the torque going to each wheel to be independently and automatically controlled under all conditions, a system G580 engineers describe as “virtual diff locks.” The G580 offers three on-road drive modes (Comfort, Sport, and Individual) and two off-road drive modes (Trail and Rock). It also has a proper low range, courtesy of a reduction gear system on the output shaft of each motor. The roughly two-to-one reduction gearing is selected with the push of a button while the G580 is stationary and the drive selector is in neutral. Top speed in low range is 53 mph.
Other four-motor electric-powered off-roaders such as the Rivian R1S don’t have a mechanical low range, relying on the motors’ ability to produce peak torque at zero rpm. But, Urstöger notes, motors do not like to be kept at low rpm, as they generate a lot of heat. “They want to push through that state,” he says. The low-range gear enables the G580’s motors, which are enclosed in water jackets and internally oil cooled, to spin faster at low vehicle speeds, keeping them even cooler and prolonging their life.
G Spinning and Turning
Given the traction, the G580 will easily climb a 45-degree incline in low range. And with the weight of the battery low in the vehicle, it can traverse 35-degree side slopes. The powertrain can spin the wheels on either side of the vehicle in the opposite direction and pivot the G 580 around its central axis, the celebrated tank turn. Called the “G Turn” by Mercedes-Benz, it can be activated in low range with Rock mode selected, by pressing the left-hand button in a cluster at the center of the dash where the three diff-lock buttons reside in the G550 and G63.
The G Turn will spin the G580 through 360 degrees to the left or the right a maximum of two rotations, depending on which of the paddles on the steering wheel (which are used for manually shifting the nine-speed automatic in ICE G-Wagens) is pulled. “There was a lot of discussion as to whether it was a gimmick,” Urstöger acknowledges, “but we decided it added to the capability.”
It’s the same with G Steering, which decelerates the inside rear wheel while accelerating the outside rear wheel to reduce the turning radius on tight trails. Like G Turn, G Steering is only available in low range, with Rock mode selected. Activated by pressing the right-hand button in the dash, G Steering will stay operational up to 15 mph.
Low range also allows drivers to activate an intelligent crawl function, a sort of ultra-low-speed cruise control. Slow crawl restricts speed just over 1 mph on level ground or downhill; variable crawl ups it to between 3 mph and 4 mph and allows the driver to increase the speed up to 9 mph on 10 to 20 degree downhill slopes; fast crawl gives a maximum of 5 mph on level ground or while traveling uphill. The system maximizes recuperation by using the motors exclusively to slow the G580 on downhill sections. Switching between the crawl speed settings is done by clicking the steering wheel paddles.
These features, which result from the ability to precisely control the torque at each wheel, mean the G580 is “better off-road than the ICE model,” Urstöger says. That’s quite some call. But while it's 0.6 second slower to 60 mph than a G63 and can’t match the 370-mile range of a G550, our rides in G580 prototypes suggest it’s far from hubris to say it’s going to be better than either in the rough stuff. Of course, we’ll wait until we get behind the wheel before making a definitive judgement.
Looks and Equipment
From a distance the G580 looks almost like any other of the current G-Wagen models, the biggest difference being at the front end, where the optional black panel grille is framed by an LED light band. Get up close and personal, and you’ll notice myriad detail changes. The hood has been reprofiled to clear the inverter and other EV powertrain hardware. Vents in the rear fender flares help create air curtains around the rear wheels. Speaking of wheels, the standard wheel is an 18-inch aero-tuned alloy shod with 265/60 tires; 20-inch wheels with 275/50 tires are available as part of the optional AMG Line package.
Other aero tricks include smoother cladding around the A-pillars and a small spoiler between the seam at the top of the windshield and the leading edge of the roof, features both developed for the electric-poΩwered G but adopted on the recently face-lifted ICE models. The size and shape of a small barn, the G580 is never going to slip through the air, but the various aero tweaks have resulted in a claimed drag co-efficient of 0.44, a 17 percent improvement over the pre-face-lift G550.
Standard equipment includes the new Offroad Cockpit and transparent hood function, plus leather-trimmed seats, open-pore walnut on the dash and doors, and the latest generation of MBUX with a single two-display screen stretching across 50 percent of the dash. Options include a rear entertainment system with two 11.6-inch touchscreen displays.
The G580 will initially only be available in the U.S. in an Edition One specification, which combines a choice of five exterior colors—South Sea Blue magno (matte), Obsidian black metallic, Classic Grey solid, and Opalite White in solid and magno finishes—with seats trimmed in black and gray Nappa leather with contrast blue stitching, blue carbon-fiber trim, and elements from the AMG Line and Night packages, including black-painted 20-inch alloy wheels.
Other standard goodies in the Edition One package include keyless entry, active seating, a sunroof, and a Burmester 3D surround-sound system.
The Mercedes-Benz G580 is expected to arrive in the U.S. in the second half of this year. Pricing has yet to be confirmed, but European pricing suggests the loaded Edition One will sticker for about $185,000.
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t fascinated by cars. My father was a mechanic, and some of my earliest memories are of handing him wrenches as he worked to turn a succession of down-at-heel secondhand cars into reliable family transportation. Later, when I was about 12, I’d be allowed to back the Valiant station wagon out onto the street and drive it around to the front of the house to wash it. We had the cleanest Valiant in the world.
I got my driver’s license exactly three months after my 16th birthday in a Series II Land Rover, ex-Australian Army with no synchro on first or second and about a million miles on the clock. “Pass your test in that,” said Dad, “and you’ll be able to drive anything.” He was right. Nearly four decades later I’ve driven everything from a Bugatti Veyron to a Volvo 18-wheeler, on roads and tracks all over the world. Very few people get the opportunity to parlay their passion into a career. I’m one of those fortunate few.
I started editing my local car club magazine, partly because no-one else would do it, and partly because I’d sold my rally car to get the deposit for my first house, and wanted to stay involved in the sport. Then one day someone handed me a free local sports paper and said they might want car stuff in it. I rang the editor and to my surprise she said yes. There was no pay, but I did get press passes, which meant I got into the races for free. And meet real automotive journalists in the pressroom. And watch and learn.
It’s been a helluva ride ever since. I’ve written about everything from Formula 1 to Sprint Car racing; from new cars and trucks to wild street machines and multi-million dollar classics; from global industry trends to secondhand car dealers. I’ve done automotive TV shows and radio shows, and helped create automotive websites, iMags and mobile apps. I’ve been the editor-in-chief of leading automotive media brands in Australia, Great Britain, and the United States. And I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. The longer I’m in this business the more astonished I am these fiendishly complicated devices we call automobiles get made at all, and how accomplished they have become at doing what they’re designed to do. I believe all new cars should be great, and I’m disappointed when they’re not. Over the years I’ve come to realize cars are the result of a complex interaction of people, politics and process, which is why they’re all different. And why they continue to fascinate me.Read More
