The beloved Geländewagen: from a burbly biturbo V8 to a fake whiny piss-ate.
When I hear the name G-Class or G-Wagon, the first thing that comes to my mind, or any car enthusiast’s mind, is, of course, the sound of that burbly biturbo V8. It is just so good that you might even pull out of someone and run out of your bedroom to admire that sound. But as you might know, we are in this transition phase where ICE vehicles are gradually being converted into hybrids or fully electric vehicles. The latest victim of this transition phase is our beloved Geländewagen. What we’re seeing here is the production version of the EQG concept we saw in Sep 2021. Which means, if you’ve some disposable money, go get that G 63 while you can, because you’ll never know when that V8 stops burbling and roaring.
At launch, the all-electric G-Wagon will be available in a single variant called the G 580. Prices in Germany start at €142,621.50 (includes 19% VAT). There’ll also be the G 580 Edition One, carrying a price tag of €192,524.15 (includes 19% VAT).
As you might remember, the regular G-Class lineup received a facelift recently, and this all-electric version also benefits from those updates/upgrades. From the rear-three-quarter angles, you probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between this and ICE-powered variants, but of course, it’s the front fascia from where you can notice some differences—that come in the form of an EV-specific black grille and black headlight surrounds. The rest of the wagon looks pretty much the same I’d say, except for those standard 18-inch aerodynamically optimized gloss-black wheels, and you can also probably notice those “air curtains” on the rear wheel arch flares.
The Edition One will be available in five paint options: south sea blue magno, obsidian black metallic, opalite white magno, opalite white bright and classic grey solid.
On the rear door, it is not a spare wheel—as you can probably tell from the size; it is a ‘design box’ to keep things such as charging cables, tools, or snow chains. Inside are a velcro strap and two luggage nets (one in the door and one in the box itself). Those who don’t want this design box can opt for the regular spare wheel. But interestingly, on the non-Edition One, this design box is optional. A different black panel grille is optionally available for those who don’t fancy the standard grille. Elements of the AMG Line and the Night Package are included as standard on Edition One; these include 20-inch high-gloss aerodynamically optimized 10-spoke wheels.
This all-electric G-Wagon is built on the ladder frame as well but features model-specific modifications and reinforcements. While the combination of double-wishbone independent front suspension and rigid rear axle has been retained, the rear axle is now a De Dion design. The electric motors are attached to the ladder frame and connected to the wheels via dual-joint shafts. The advantage of this is that the camber does not change during compression, the company said. The electric G-Class is equipped as standard with the same adaptive adjustable damping used in the conventionally powered variants. Approach, breakover and departure angles are 32-, 20.3- and 30.7-degrees, respectively. Water fording capability is claimed to be 850 mm.
And, you may not know this: the electric G-Wagon features not one, not two, but four electric motors – one for each wheel. Each motor comes with its own housing that contains a two-speed gearbox and a double inverter setup. These gearboxes allow for high-range and low-range modes.
It’s a familiar affair on the inside. I mean, if you didn’t miss reading about the 2024 G-Class facelift, this shouldn’t feel all that different. But anyway, the Active Multi-contour Seat Plus package, a sunroof, and the Burmester 3D surround sound system are all included as standard in the Edition One. The special edition also gets something cringy called the G-Roar; it is exactly what you think it is. It essentially generates fake V8 sounds depending on your acceleration, plus, it also offers some other sounds including when the driver approaches the vehicle, when closing the vehicle door after getting in, and at the start of the charging process.
Other key highlights of this electric G-Class include G-Turn (rotating on its own axis) and G-Steering (comes in handy at tight turns/bends); the latter essentially pivots the vehicle to left or right and eliminates multi-point turns.
Moving on to the juicy bits of the story then, the four electric motors (PSM) offer combined figures of 432 kW (587 metric hp) and 1,164 Nm (858 lb-ft). A 116 kWh (usable) lithium-ion battery pack is comprised of 216 cells installed in 12 modules between 3 cooling levels. Mercedes estimates a WLTP range of up to 473 km (294 mi). The battery pack can be DC fast-charged with up to 200 kW. As for the official performance figures, the 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint time is 4.7 seconds while the top speed is limited to 180 km/h (112 mph). The vehicle’s kerb weight (as per EC) is rated at 3,085 kg (6,801 lbs). Gross vehicle weight is 3,500 kg (7,716 lbs).
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