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There is a certain quality to quantity. Mercedes’ Exhibit A in this regard has always been its Geländewagen, an absolute unit of an SUV since the 1970s, when the Shah of Iran is said to have suggested the company’s engineers take a crack at building a military-spec vehicle. (Geländewagen translates roughly to “all-terrain vehicle”.) Even in its civvies, the beefy sport-utility better known as the G-Class has always been a little extra, clinging to its motorised-infantry underpinnings and dictator-chic attire well past the last man in the bunker.
But here comes the Mercedes-Benz G 580 with EQ Technology, new for the 2025 model year. This G-Wagen – £180,860 as tested – looks the part, with a classically boxy cabin, high ground clearance and pronounced wheel arches. It’s driven by something new, though: a 116-kWh lithium-ion battery and four individually controlled motors mounted near the wheels. Together they offer a range of up to 283 miles on a single charge and a maximum total output of 587 horsepower, with zero CO₂ emissions. It makes for a paradox on wheels: the G 580 is a vehicle equipped with the technology of the future, dressed in all the signifiers of an unrepentant past.
It’s still plenty extra, though. The white paper provided with my loaner listed technology with more Gs than a Death Row Records reunion: G-Turn, G-Steering, G-Roar. Gee whiz. Some of these are fun gimmicks, with little utility beyond impressing the lads. G-Turn is an on-demand doughnut function that spins the vehicle around almost on the spot on loose or unpaved surfaces – a party trick sure to put a huge grin on your face. G-Roar is a suite of sound “experiences”, intended to liven up the otherwise silent vehicle by, for example, rather convincingly piping in engine and exhaust notes over the Burmester sound system.
Most of the new equipment, though, contributes to making the electric G-Class a more capable off-roader than its conventionally powered counterparts. On an extremely muddy, extremely Scottish off-road course set up in an old quarry, the G 580 handled itself like previous iterations of Mercedes’ go-anywhere truck, climbing steep, slippery hills with ease and remaining stable on sideways slopes of up to 35 degrees. (In non-technical terms, that is wildly, uncomfortably sideways.)
Somewhat counter-intuitively for a vehicle built atop a massive battery, the electric variant is also capable of safely fording deeper water than petrol-powered models. Before one stretch of particularly sloppy trail, I turned on the G 580’s “intelligent” crawl function – more or less cruise-control for off-roading – and the electric motors maintained optimum propulsion through deep water and mud while I focused on navigating the terrain and not sweating through the heated and cooled leather seats. Blitzkrieg for dummies, in other words.
On normal terrain, which is to say country lanes and highways, the G 580 is nowhere near as bouncy and clunky to drive as the conventionally powered G 63. Its cabin is considerably quieter too. Previous G-Wagens could make the old commute somewhat harrowing on the lumbar. The G 580, by any stretch, would make a reasonable daily driver.
As you’d expect in this price range, the G 580 is replete with delightful little detailing. It retains the chunky, dash-mounted handles that make it easier to lug yourself into the vehicle, for example, and the customary spare-wheel container on the back can be repurposed into handy storage for the vehicle’s charging cables. Sure, many of these – such as the slightly raised bonnet – subtly distinguish the G 580 from other Gs. But by branding this a Geländewagen first and an electric vehicle second, Mercedes seem to have hit on a winning formula for balancing new, green technology with classic brand appeal.
The question about the G-Wagen has always been: why? Why was a cramped, heavy, inefficient ex-military vehicle necessary for drivers whose territorial conquests were most likely to end in, say, the parking lot of Neiman Marcus? For decades, answering required a certain insouciance about the opinions of others. At least a careless shrug. By electrifying the G-Wagen, Mercedes has come up with plenty of more credible new answers. Even if one is never going to take it off-road.
Mercedes-Benz G 580, from £154,870
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