The electric G-Wagen keeps its iconic swagger, outrageous capability, and towering charm, despite deeply compromised range numbers.
Quad motors deliver hilarious thrust and clever off-road tricks, but efficiency is nowhere near acceptable.
At nearly $250,000, this electric G makes sense emotionally first, financially maybe much later used.

I will not lie: I had an alarming amount of fun punting the 2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology through deep snow. That, in a way, is the whole point of this thing. The newest G-Class may be electric, may have four motors, may wear EQ branding, but the first thing it does is remind you that it is still, unquestionably, a G-Wagen.

2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 EQ | Photo: Matt St-Pierre

The Shape of Things That Are

The G’s shape remains one of the most recognizable in the automotive world. It is not trying to be sleek, not trying to be futuristic, not trying to reinvent itself for the EV age. It looks like a G because it knows full well it has no reason to be anything else.

And people still notice it despite nearing 50 years of age. That might be the most telling part. My neighbours, who have become completely numb to whatever press vehicle lands in my driveway, paid attention to this. School pickup? People noticed. My kids? They loved it. The G580 has that rare thing modern luxury SUVs often miss: actual presence.

Mercedes hasn’t gone and ruined the formula, either. Underneath all the EQ talk is still a proper body-on-frame SUV with real off-road credibility. The battery is tucked into the ladder frame, and because this thing uses four individual electric motors, one per wheel, it can do tricks a conventional off-roader simply cannot. Torque vectoring is immediate and precise, and there’s even a low-range setup, which effectively makes this a two-speed EV capable of climbing over almost anything. And then, there’s the ability to do that silly-but-brilliant G-Turn party trick.

So yes, as an electric vehicle, it is unusual. As a G-Class, it makes complete sense.

Big, Fast, and Comfy

On the road, the G580 is better than something this tall, heavy and unapologetically square has any right to be. Output is stout at 579 hp and 859 lb-ft of torque, which is enough to hustle this roughly 6,800-pound brick to 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds. That is absurd, naturally, and only a few tenths off the pace of an AMG G63. The power delivery is immediate, smooth and thoroughly entertaining.

What surprised me more was the ride. With adaptive dampers, double wishbone front suspension and a solid rear axle, the G580 manages to be composed and comfortable in a way that does not entirely compute from behind the wheel. You sit hilariously high, the windshield is upright like a storefront, and yet it remains stable and reassuring. There is a strange disconnect between what your eyes are telling you and what the chassis is actually doing. It should be cumbersome. It isn’t, at least not as much as you’d expect.

Lots of Tech, But Not Room

Inside, it is classic modern Mercedes with some G-Wagen-specific theatre. My tester was an Edition One, which piles on black trim, blue-hued carbon fibre, silver-and-black Nappa leather, silver seat belts, multicontour front seats and enough massaging, heating and cooling functions to make you forget how much this thing costs for at least five minutes. The cabin is simple by contemporary luxury standards, but there is an underlying elegance to it. MBUX remains easy to use, the 12.3-inch screens are familiar, and visibility is better than you’d think thanks to that upright glass and commanding seating position.

Not everything is lovely. The door openings are narrow. The running boards make entry and exit awkward. Rear-seat space is tighter than it should be in something this expensive and this imposing. The cargo area is usable, but not especially generous, and the side-hinged rear door is very heavy. Charming? Yes. Convenient? Less so.

An EV for EVs’ Sake

Then we arrive at the problem. Actually, the massive, glaring, unavoidable problem: The G580 is not a convincing EV.

On paper, the 122-kWh battery pack, with roughly 116 kWh usable, supports an estimated range of about 375 km. In the real world, during my winter test, it was nowhere near that. I saw indicated range of roughly 220 to 225 km at close to a full charge. Consumption hovered between 40 and 50 kWh/100 km depending on conditions, which is grim. On one mixed, near-100 km drive, I ended up needing a fast charger (180 kW) as my state of charge had dropped below 20%. Even then, charging performance disappointed: despite a theoretical peak of 200 kW, I only managed around 80 kW with pre-conditioning set to automatic.

That turns ownership into a bit of a farce. A nearly quarter-million-dollar EV with this little usable winter range is not just compromised, it is inconvenient in a way that feels completely out of step with the badge, the price, and the mission.

What to Watch For

The big question is long-term value. The gasoline G-Class has famously strong resale, but this one may not. Expensive luxury EVs already face steep depreciation, and the G580’s poor real-world range will not help. Charging performance may also frustrate owners expecting better from a flagship Mercedes. That said, used examples in a few years could become very tempting if values tumble hard enough.

Verdict

And yet, I’m all in. The G580 with EQ Technology is not special because it is electric. It is special because it is still a G-Class first. It has character, humour, capability and attitude in a way almost nothing else does. It is deeply flawed as an EV, but deeply compelling as an object. There is no real competition because nothing else combines this shape, this image, this off-road hardware and this much theatre.

Would I buy one new? Absolutely not. Did I enjoy every second behind the wheel? Pretty much, yes.


Model	Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology	Cadillac IQ Premium Sport	Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric
Base price	$ 206,000 (2025)	$181,150	$201,000
Motors (number)	4	2	2
Power (hp)	579	750	1,139
Torque (lb-ft)	879	785	1,106
Battery (kWh)	116	205	113
Estimated Range (km)	385	748	550
Level 2 Recharge Max (kW)	11	19,2	11
Level 3 Recharge Max (kW)	200	350	390
0-100 km/h (sec)	4.7	4.7	2.5
Cargo space (L)	620 / 1,990	668 / 1,957	747 / 1,554
Weight (kg)	3,085	4,130	2,658