2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 First Look: G-Wagen Goes Electric

MotorTrend

The G-Class EV might be the next hot toy for the rich and the famous

Transcript

00:00 "Hey look, a new G-Wagon!" said nobody ever, because no matter how much leather Mercedes

00:05 stuffs in the cabin, or how much torque it shoves under the hood, the G-Wagon has looked

00:11 basically the same for the past 45 years.

00:14 The Mercedes G-Wagon has evolved from a military tool to a fashion accessory for the rich and

00:18 the famous.

00:19 So when it came time to make an electric G-Wagon, you might think they could have taken all

00:23 that off-road hardware and just forgotten about it.

00:26 But you'd be wrong, because this vehicle features some really unique EV technology

00:32 that's purpose-tailored for off-roading.

00:35 Don't let your eyes trick you into believing this is the same old G-Wagon, though.

00:39 This is the 2025 Mercedes-Benz G 580 with EQ technology.

00:45 And that clumsy last bit means it's the electric G-Class.

00:49 That's right, that big ol' box of rugged capability and lavish excess is going electric,

00:54 and it won't be called the EQG like we expected.

00:58 The 2025 Mercedes-Benz G 580 doesn't feature one or two electric motors, it has four electric

01:04 motors.

01:05 And each of those electric motors has a two-speed transmission.

01:08 That makes it practically unique among EVs which almost all use single-speed transmission.

01:14 The G's second ratio performs like the low range in a gas off-roader, giving you more

01:19 torque at the wheels for crawling over rocks and scrambling up steep hills.

01:24 That features a 21-to-1 gear reduction, rather than the 11-to-1 ratio used for road driving.

01:30 Those four motors also allow Mercedes to enable unique features like G-Turn.

01:35 The G-Turn mode spins the truck on its axis by turning two motors forward and two motors

01:39 in reverse.

01:40 It's basically the tank turn feature that Rivian promised but never followed through

01:45 on.

01:46 G-Steering does something similar to make tight turns on the trail around hairpins or

01:50 obstacles and the G 580 can also wade through water up to 33 inches deep, which is 6 inches

01:56 more than the gas-powered G 550 can handle.

02:00 The four motors make 579 horsepower and 859 pound-feet of torque, which should be good

02:06 for a 0-to-60 time around 4.7 seconds.

02:09 Power comes from a large 116 kWh battery pack.

02:13 And while we don't know the official range number yet, we're estimating somewhere between

02:17 200 and 250 miles.

02:20 The interior is pure G-Wagon.

02:22 It's narrow, very upright, but everything is covered in leather or carbon fiber.

02:28 One big difference are these off-road controls.

02:30 In the gas vehicle, this is where you'd find the differential locks, front, center, and

02:35 rear.

02:36 There are no differential locks in this car because you have four individual motors and

02:40 they can be spun either all at the same speed or independently depending on which is most

02:46 advantageous.

02:47 These controls allow you to select low range, G-Turn, or G-Steering, which locks the inside

02:54 rear wheel for a tighter but conventional turn.

02:58 One other big change with this vehicle.

03:00 This is not an EQG like the concept.

03:03 This is the Mercedes-Benz G 580 with EQ technology.

03:08 Now we're all going to drop that last bit and just call it a G 580, but it signals that

03:13 we've moved beyond early adoption of EVs to a more mainstream approach.

03:17 You're going to be finding more electric Mercedes in the future that aren't called EQ.

03:23 So there you have it.

03:24 New G-Class, same as the old G-Class, except entirely different when it comes to the powertrain.

03:30 There's some truly unique EV technology in the G 580, and we can't wait to drive it.

03:36 Stay tuned to MotorTrend.com for reviews and more stories on the new electric G-Wagon.

03:41 (upbeat music)

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