Mercedes-Benz G 580 EQ Electric G-Wagen Throws Down The Gauntlet

After sampling several different G-Class generations throughout my career as an automotive journalist, I’m happy to say that the world’s first battery-electric G-Wagen drives pretty much just like a gasoline-powered model. Except better.
 

If you’ve ever been behind the wheel of one of these things, you know it’s all about the ownership experience. Yes, they are extremely capable off-road, but you’re going to use your G-Wagen to drop your kids off at school and then pull up to the golf club. The only way this truck trades asphalt for dirt is if your agent or publicist schedules a meeting in the middle of nowhere.
 
Regardless of where you’re going, the G 580 with EQ Technology (yes, that’s its full name) will get you there in style and with testosterone to spare. I’ll admit, I had my reservations when I first heard Mercedes were going to fully electrify their most capable SUV. I immediately thought about how they might mess things up by altering the driving experience to match the expectations of EV owners. In reality, they did the exact opposite. The driving experience is what you’d expect as a G-Class owner, first and foremost.
 
I’d also like to point out that there is basically no competition out there for the G EV. You might say, oh, perhaps the Rivian R1S or the Hummer EV SUV, or the Cadillac Escalade IQ… but no. There’s literally nothing else out there that can properly replicate the G-Wagen experience. There’s always been a unique blend of luxury and capability with these trucks, not to mention that retro aesthetic. Let’s touch on that.
 
Design Evaluation
Mercedes were smart not to mess around with the design. They played with the idea of a slightly altered front end, but you can easily spec the vehicle to never break from tradition.
 
There’s a great deal of history here. The idea of the G-Wagen, as far as civilian use goes, started in the early 1970s with Daimler-Benz and Steyr-Daimler-Puch joining forces for the development of the original W460 model. The first drivable prototype began extreme weather testing in 1974, taking on the Sahara Desert, as well as the Arctic Circle.
 
Designers stayed true to the original idea, which was for a military vehicle – rugged and capable, featuring a rudimentary yet imposing aesthetic, perfect for going off-road. As far as the exterior is concerned, if we remove this modern grille from the G 580 and we park it next to the original W460 (which was launched in 1979, by the way), you’d think the former was merely a facelift for the latter, at least when viewed from a reasonable distance.
 
Of course, that’s the whole idea. You’ve got to credit Mercedes for sticking with an original recipe and not switching things up from a visual standpoint. A lot of carmakers aren’t that bold. Scratch that. Most aren’t that bold. Aside from Land Rover with the Defender and Jeep with the Wrangler, pretty much everyone else went the grain instead of against it.
 
Visually, our test car came with the Manufaktur South Seas Blue Magno colorway, plus a whole bunch of other neat touches courtesy of the First Edition package, which is an extremely expensive option. It cost an extra €41,935 on our G-Wagen and it added the following: 20” 10-spoke AMG wheels, side steps, matte black mirrors, blue calipers, tinted windows, a sunroof, plus a wide array of interior features which we’ll talk about in a second.
 
All things considered; I reckon the G 580 looks about as good as any other “regular” G-Wagen. I’m not sure I’d have it with such a vibrant exterior (this is a serious vehicle), but to each their own I suppose. I also wouldn’t say it’s as good looking as the Mercedes-AMG G63, which does come with different bumpers featuring larger intakes and sporty accents, side-exit exhaust outlets, larger wheels, and the AMG-specific Panamericana grille with vertical chrome slats. Its wheel arches are also a tiny bit wider.
 
Interior Assessment
Step inside the fully electric G-Wagen and you’ll never realize this isn’t internal combustion powered, at least not until you start it up. Yet another example of Mercedes doing the right thing and not making the G 580 EQ look any different inside than what you’re used to when it comes to this model range. Personally, I’m thankful they didn’t reinvent the dashboard design using all these new EQ-brand shapes and screens. That would have been… not good.
 
In terms of amenities, our test car came fully equipped with your typical MBUX Entertainment features, hdd-based sat-nav, ambient lighting, Nappa leather sport steering wheel, plus everything from the Edition One package: sunroof, Burmester sound system, tinted windows, AMG Line bits, Dinamica microfiber roof lining, leather-wrapped instrument panel, keyless go, wireless charging pad, the Active Multicontour Plus seats, gray magma Manufaktur seat belts, and a wide range of blue-colored carbon fiber elements.
 
Naturally, you get just about every active safety system you could need on such a vehicle, like Lane Keep Assist, Distronic, Blind Spot Assist, the Guard 360 Plus system, Parktronic, Pre-Safe and so on. This also came with the Transparent Hood function for better maneuvering when driving over obstacles.
 
The only issue I had was with the Multicontour Plus seats, where the electric-powered side bolsters simply felt too tight around my ribs – even when driving in a straight line. Bigger guys would undoubtedly struggle, so if you’re in the market for a G 580, make sure to try out the seats first.
 
As for practicality, you get ample cargo space at roughly 16.0 cu.ft (454 liters), the same as in the gasoline-powered G-Class, which means you don’t need to make any concessions by ordering this EQ-powered variant. Of course, like any G-Wagen, it’s not as roomy inside as some people might think. Rear legroom isn’t exceptional, for instance. You’d be much more comfortable in a Range Rover or an Escalade.
 
All things considered, the interior of the G 63 is a tiny bit nicer, especially when it comes to contrast and having that awesome steering wheel with the Microfiber and carbon fiber combo, but otherwise, what you see is what you get and it’ll be more than good enough for most luxury SUV buyers.
 

Driving Take
You already know this isn’t a sporty SUV, regardless of specification. Its shape simply doesn’t allow for particularly dynamic driving when it comes to changing direction abruptly or flooring the throttle to Autobahn-conquering speeds – the wind noise becomes increasingly annoying.
 
Yet, this performs wonderfully in a straight line as long as you keep it within its sweet spot. Basically, from zero to legal highway speeds.
 
You can get the electric G-Class with only one powertrain option today. It’s a quad-motor setup (two at the front, two at the rear), with each unit powering its own wheel, although the motors aren’t actually positioned inside the wheels. Thought you should know.
 
In total, we’re dealing with a combined 579 horsepower and 859 lb-ft (1,164 Nm) of torque. In other words, you get significantly more torque (aka pulling power) than you do in the Mercedes-AMG G63, which only has 627 lb-ft of torque. The latter is still quicker, though, because it weighs a lot less (2.6 tons / 5,200 lbs vs 3.0 tons / 6,000 lbs), but the difference is negligible.
 
The G63 will get you to 60 mph from a standstill in 4.2 seconds, whereas the fully electric G 580 can do it in 4.6 seconds. This thing is an absolute monster and unless you’re a seasoned G63 owner, you’re not even going to realize there’s a difference when it comes to acceleration. On the contrary, actually. You might find the G 580 to be more engaging when it comes to utilizing all that torque, especially when maneuvering off-road.
 
There is an effortlessness to it. Anything you throw in its direction; it’ll just conquer it like an unwavering Borg cube dead set on assimilating the Enterprise’s crew.
 
When it’s all said and done, Mercedes’ biggest achievement here was making the G 580 drive just like a regular G-Class. They even managed to implement a slight throttle delay so that, again, it feels like a G-Wagen and not some crazy instantaneously fast electric SUV. Still, you can’t hide all that instant torque, but the end-result is exquisite. The G 580 is easily the best-driving G-Class variant out there.
 
Even braking is impressive. It feels consistent and the regeneration factor does its job well.
 
Fun fact: our test vehicle came with the so-called G-Roar option, which is basically Mercedes’ idea of an artificial engine noise for the G 580 EQ, making it sound a little bit like a G63 when accelerating. It’s not all the way convincing volume-wise, but it gets the job done. Most people could be fooled.
 
Another major achievement was making this 3-ton G 580 feel like a regular G-Class when maneuvering around town. It just does a wonderful job hiding that excess weight. The G-Steering system, for one, can significantly reduce the turning cycle under load, whereas the G-Turn function can help the G 580 perform a 180-degree turn. Or you can just use it to spin around in one spot, but I reckon most people will likely forget it even exists, unless they find a way to actually make use of it.
 

Everyday Living
Obviously, this isn’t an ideal everyday type of car. Sure, you can use it whenever you want, but you need to be at peace with its size and the fact that its turning circle can put you on the spot at times.
 
Seasoned G-Wagen owners will love it instantly, whereas first-time owners will likely grow to love it over time. Having driven so many G-Wagens over the years, I felt right at home behind the wheel of the G 580, never really finding its dimensions cumbersome, despite the heavy city traffic I encountered at times.
 
Speaking of traffic, just throw away any sort of expectations you might have regarding range. Yes, this thing has a massive 116-kWh battery and an EPA-estimated electric range of 239 miles (384 km), but you’ll be lucky to get 190 miles (300 km) from it, especially on a cold winter day – and especially if you enjoy spirited driving.
 
Still, you can easily drive it around town for a whole day before having to charge back up at home, overnight. So, for this type of vehicle (luxury off-roader / non-daily driver), I think the range is more than acceptable.
 
As for how much a brand-new G 580 EQ is going to set you back, well, it’s got a starting MSRP of $161,500, but you can easily bump that up considerably via the options list. Our test car, with the €41,935 Edition One package, cost a total of €199,166 here in Romania, taxes included. That’s the equivalent of $207,000.
 
I would caution you against getting your G 580 EQ with the Manufaktur South Sea Blue Magno exterior. Yes, it’s a nice matte shade of blue and it looks interesting just about everywhere, but unless you’re a rapper or a professional athlete, you probably won’t want to stand out all that much in traffic. Either of the two available shades of white would be better, I reckon. I’m talking about Manufaktur Moonlight White Metallic and Manufaktur Signature Moonlight White Magno (matte).
 
Of course, you can’t go wrong with Black Metallic or Arabian Gray either, especially when you add contrasting exterior elements.
 
Test Drive Roundup
The 2025 Mercedes G 580 with EQ Technology (again, that is its official full name) is extraordinary. It’s probably the best G-Class ever made, and that in itself is a shocking statement. We went from fearing Mercedes will dilute the G-Class brand by introducing a battery electric variant, to wondering how on earth they managed to pull this off.
 
It doesn’t have the G 63’s uber-aggressive exterior, nor its full soundtrack. It also doesn’t have as much range as, say, the regular G 550 – if we’re talking road trips. Yet, it’s better than both as an overall product, and I think this might just be our first-ever 5-star vehicle that we’ve tested here at autoevolution, at least as far as I’m concerned.
 
I gave the all-new BMW i5 M60 a 4.5 out of 5.0 rating. Same for the all-new Panamera and the Macan Electric. I found that all of them, while great, could have been just a tiny bit better in comparison to their direct competitors. Meanwhile, the G 580 EQ doesn’t have any direct competitors, I mean, not really. In other words, I don’t think Mercedes could have built a better battery-electric G-Wagen, and that’s why it gets the full 5-star treatment. Chef’s kiss.
 
Pros
– Performance
– Tech
– Desirability
 
Cons
– Rear legroom