Quad-motor EV breaking ground

Photo: David Thomson

ROAD TEST

From its origins as a military off-roader at the end of the 1970s through to more recent incarnations as a premium four-wheel-drive, the G-Wagen has long-been a standard-bearer for Mercedes-Benz.

Squarely-formed and substantially hand-built, it’s been powered by a range of diesel and petrol engines over the years. They’ve even included — since 1993 — a range of AMG-enhanced powerplants of six, eight and even 12 cylinders.

But what about a G-Wagen powered by not one, but four motors? A G-Wagen that musters a stonking 432kW of power, and a truly mammoth 1164Nm of torque. And, for all that grunt, a G-Wagen that produces no tailpipe emissions whatsoever?

In case the penny hasn’t quite yet dropped, let me make it clear; the Mercedes G-Wagen has gone fully electric. Not in the sense of having abandoned fossil fuel power altogether, for if that’s still your thing in 2025, the twin-turbo V8 Mercedes G 63 AMG awaits, at a listed starting price of $343,899.45.

However, if saving the planet (after a fashion) while also saving more than a hundred grand appeals, then try the Mercedes G 580 . A relative steal at $231,399.55 it’s the all-electric choice; boasting a tad more power and a fair chunk more torque than its AMG-fettled sibling, thanks to those four electric motors, powered by a huge 122kWh (116kWh usable) battery nestled within its ladder-frame chassis.

Old-school meets new-tech isn’t quite the full story, as there have been several iterations of the G-Wagen since the original W460 of 1979. Indeed, the current W465 was launched just last year, as a facelift of its 2018 predecessor, the W463. Still, an electric G-Wagen is something genuinely new, and the quad-motor set-up breaks fresh ground for Mercedes-Benz, as well as being exceedingly rare elsewhere in the EV world.

Photo: David Thomson

The Edition One version of the G 580 supplied for appraisal is rarer yet; it was the limited-run launch version of the machine, stickered at $45,000 more than the standard version, and justifying that tag with a swag of extra and unique features.

With its tall and upright stance, high waistline, flat body panels, and G-class standards such as round headlights, roof gutters and exposed door hinges, the G580 does more than nod politely to the model’s decades-old design heritage.

Look closely, though, and the old is combined with the new. Up front, the headlights may be round, but they incorporate LED rings at their outer edge and adaptive main beams within. Along the vehicle’s flanks the sharp edges of the pillars have been subtly smoothed to improve aerodynamic efficiency, and the side mirrors have a sleek, modern look. At the back a side-hinged tailgate is retained, and there’s a small rear spoiler to direct air off the roof.

Attached to the tailgate is what appears to be a box to house a spare wheel. But on close inspection, it’s obviously too small to accommodate even a space saver spare. Instead, it is actually a small storage box, somewhat fiddly to open, but handy for tucking away small items like the vehicle’s home charging cable.

Edition One status garnered plenty of extra exterior kit for the test car, including 20-inch black alloys rather than the standard G580’s 19-inch rims, blue brake callipers and a pearlescent Opolite White paint finish with contrasting black-and-blue highlighting.

Interestingly, while the G580 is not by designation a full member of Mercedes’ fully-electric EQ family, it carries small chrome EQ badges on its flanks to acknowledge its extensive deployment of EQ technology.

Keyless entry is introduced as a first for the G-Class on the G 580. The list of creature comfort and convenience features also includes multi-zone climate control, heated, ventilated and massaging front seats with memory settings, wireless charging, cooled or heated cupholders, adjustable ambient lighting, on road and off-road camera systems, and the full Mercedes MUBX infotainment suite. As part of the premium Burmester sound system, there’s a ‘G-Roar’ function that can — if desired — generate a reasonably realistic synthetic V8 sound through speakers.

Photo: David Thomson

The safety suite comprises a range of driver support systems, including blind spot monitoring and lane keeping assistance, active radar cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, traffic sign recognition, pre-safe accident mitigation and parking assist.

The cabin echoes the exterior in blending old with new but with an obvious emphasis on the latter.

The interior proportions are certainly old-school. Reliant for much of its capacity on being tall rather than wide or deep, the boot has a decent 555-litre volume, expanding to about 2000-litres with the 60:40 split back seats folded down.

The rear seats adjust for back-angle and are heated and provisioned with USB-C plug points and offer impressive headroom. Rear legroom, though, is a trifle tight.

There’s superior space up-front and, setting aside the sturdy grab-handle on the passenger’s side of the dash, has an utterly contemporary look. There’s little obvious design fuss to indicate this is the electric G-Class, though the replacement of conventional diff-lock buttons with G-Steer, Low-range and G-Turn options points to a major difference that we shall get to shortly.

The driver’s side of the dash is dominated by a dual digital display screen, providing a customisable full digital instrument cluster alongside a 12.3-inch centre touch-screen with the usual Mercedes look, but extensive display options available to support off-road endeavour.

As you’d expect from a vehicle that stands not far shy of two metres tall, the driving position is commanding. The front seats impressed on test for their comfort and support, with the minor caveat that those who are both tall and broad in the shoulder may find them a shade narrow at the top.

The G-Wagen boasts superior space up-front. Photo: David Thomson

Connectivity was seamless on test in the usual Benz way, and from the bevy of rotary air vents to the door-mounted controls for front seat adjustment, much else is Mercedes-Benz standard too.

Along with extra exterior items, Edition One status brought the test car various interior highlights including two-tone Nappa leather upholstery with blue contrast stitching and extensive carbon-fibre garnishing.

Throughout the cabin, the quality of materials, fit and finish was outstanding.

To fully appreciate why the G 580 drives as it does it’s helpful to understand the technical innovation of its quad-motor drivetrain. Through providing separate power to each wheel (and a separate "gearbox" for each to provide a "low range") the set up allows "absolute" torque vectoring, in that not only can power be directed solely at one wheel, it can also be delivered to rotate different wheels in completely different directions simultaneously.

Cue to G-Turn, which is the G580’s startling ability to literally turn 360 degrees on the spot. A party trick activated at the push of a button, and reserved for execution on loose surfaces, G-Turn may be a gimmick, but it highlights the precision of power delivery that contributes to the G 580’s widely lauded off-road ability.

G-Steer is the more practical manifestation of differentiated power delivery. It locks the inside rear wheel during a turn while the other wheels continue to rotate. This enables the vehicle to pivot around the locked rear wheel, turning tightly in places where space may be limited and conventional steering vehicles would require multiple manoeuvres to achieve the same effect.

Having put both these systems and the also-impressive three speed off-road crawl function (a kind of off-road cruise control) to an initial test on a trail close to home, stage two of Drivesouth’s G580 test the following day was meant to involve an extended trip off the beaten track.

An electric G-Wagen is something genuinely new, and the Edition One has a swag of unique styling features. Photo: David Thomson

The planned route would include places where its minimum 250mm of ground clearance and generous approach and departure angles would come into play. The presence of a sturdy inch-thick underbody carbon composite plate that protects the battery unit from bumps and bashes would add further confidence when tackling the roughest terrain. There would also be a substantial water crossing, though certainly not one that would threaten the G 580’s astonishing 840mm wading capability, which is actually more than its petrol equivalent.

However, just as we set out for that extended off-road adventure, a warning light came on showing the left-rear tyre was losing pressure. With that disappointing news (due to a puncture) and no spare wheel on board, the road test was cut short, and the car returned to the dealer.

Fortunately, a fair amount of round-town and open road driving had already been completed. Though in no sense an urban-oriented machine, the G 580 is far handier on the streets than one might expect.

Visibility is excellent, slab-sided styling makes it easy to position when parking, and while it very tall, it is not especially wide, and in terms of overall the length only a few millimetres longer that a Toyota RAV4.

With all that power and instant torque it is hugely responsive too, whether around town or accelerating to higher speeds beyond city limits.

Mercedes claims a 0-100kph sprint time of 4.7 secs, which is doubtless achievable, if somewhat ludicrous.

Of more relevance to everyday driving, acceleration is snappy for overtaking and aural refinement is exceptional.

Photo: David Thomson

In other key respects on-road dynamics are quintessential G-Class, with characteristic long throttle travel and low-geared steering. Body roll is only partly mitigated by the concentration of so much battery weight low down within the ladder frame chassis.

Sport-mode sharpens the responses to an extent, but I found the G580 equally impressive on-road in comfort mode, as this seems to suit its nature better.

If you are wondering why a vehicle well-set with regenerative braking also needs big conventional disc brakes on all four corners, the answer lies in just how much mass must be managed: the G 580 tips the scale at a hefty 3085kg unladen. That’s over 400kg more than the G63 AMG, which is itself no lightweight.

That weight differential is due mainly to the extra mass of the G580’s mighty 122kWh battery, which in turn is needed to endow such a large and bluntly hewn machine with a decent range. Measured on the standard WLTP test, that range is about 473km, but push through the air at highway speeds on an extended open road journey, and something in the 300km-350km band seems more likely, depending on terrain, vehicle load and conditions.

Just how much range the G 580 will deliver off the beaten track will be even more dependent on conditions.

Over undemanding trails it is potentially more efficient than on the highway haul, simply because its aerodynamic limitations do not exact such a high price at lower speeds.

On the other hand, gnarly off-road conditions will sap the battery far faster.

Photo: David Thomson

Battery recharging is simple enough at commercial chargers. While the big battery needs time to replenish on a regular 50kW charger, it is rated at up to 200kW for replenishment on higher capacity superchargers.

However, even at the maximum 11kW home charging rate, battery replenishment will take time.

One trick Mercedes has missed in the battery and charging realm relates to vehicle-to-load powering capability, of which the G 580 has none.

A fascinating juxtaposition of heritage and advanced technology, the new G 580 impresses in making Mercedes-Benz’s most traditional passenger vehicle one that also holds relevance for the future.