Mercedes electrifies the G-Wagen, transforming its brutish off-roading icon

Driving a Mercedes G-Wagen is always an event. The 45-year-old off-roading 4x4 is unquestionably an automotive icon and little changed in its basic chunky visual silhouette, whether you drive, as Wallpaper* did, both an internal combustion-engined 1980 version and a fully-electric 2024 model, from the range now more formally known as G-Class. In fact, the new model's full name is the 'Mercedes-Benz G 580 with EQ Technology'.

The G 580 is the first electric Mercedes G-Class

Behind the wheel of the original, during the first part of our on-road test, school kids clocked its boxy difference, smiled and thumbed for a lift, while elsewhere slightly shady characters down side roads gave it approving nods to make this (temporary) driver feel pretty special. It’s all down to its angular and robust Tonka toy-truck vibe, which suggests it has the ability to go anywhere. 

Since its early utilitarian and military beginnings, the G-Wagen has been able to do just that, through a combination of solid engines, low-ratio gears, generous wheelarches, good ground clearance and sensible front-and-back underbody ‘departure’ angles. 

In later decades, that functional aesthetic also found favour with those less inclined to seek out remote rocky inclines, but still keen on sitting within a vehicle that projected strength, capability and presence in urban settings. Mercedes responded by providing more (often V8) power and AMG performance and increasingly luxurious interiors, in line with the wider brand’s range. 

But despite that widening appeal (and increased prices), a city-dwelling G-Wagen driver could also rile some onlookers who viewed the petrol-hungry, big-engined protective cars as less than eco-conscious and also potentially aggressive (despite the occasional high-profile fashion collaboration – see the Mercedes-Benz x Moncler art piece).

So in some ways, the all-electric variant of the new G-Wagen provides a partial antidote. Although similarly as fast and powerful as its AMG V8 sibling – the G 580 offers a 4.7sec 0-62mph time and 587hp – it is zero-emission in use and also quiet, unless the driver wants a little artificial engine roar piped into the cabin. It’s also just as capable off-road, able to traverse genuine rocks and boulders up steep slopes and down trails that drivers of all but the most well-equipped 4x4s would not dream of tackling.

It’s also easier to take on that terrain in the electric G-Wagen. Once the Rock driving mode has been selected and Low-Range off-road gear selection made, the car automatically gets on with things by itself bar the steering, although even that activity is enhanced through the G-Steering function, which slows the inside turning wheel, while speeding up the outside ones to make tight bends simpler. 

For driver (and passenger) reassurance, there’s also a Transparent Bonnet function that shows, via 360-degree view cameras, the terrain that can’t otherwise be seen under the car – especially useful at extreme off-road angles – via real-time video on the centre touchscreen – allowing the driver to steer more clearly.

Another EV-specific gadget on the G 580 that is funny as well as functional is the G-Turn feature. With four individually controlled electric motors, the G 580 is able to power the left-hand front and back wheels in the opposite direction to its right-hand equivalents and thus easily turn 360 degrees – on suitably loose gravel surfaces – almost on the spot (or through 720 degrees if you fancy). 

A bit like an enthusiastic metallic dog that wants nothing more than to chase its tail, this quick and literal turnaround is also handy for getting out of tight spots off-road too. A note to future G 580 owners wanting to show off this trick in car parks or elsewhere, though: Mercedes’ engineers caution against trying this manoeuvre on stickier tarmac surfaces to avoid tyre damage.

On-road, the G 580’s driving manners are decent, despite high sides, ground clearance, a still bluff frontage and massive three-tonne-plus weight (due to carrying around a hefty 116kWh battery pack). Racing around for longer periods will dent the maximum 294-mile electric range, but its prodigious power and acceleration easily allow the G 580 to keep ahead of fast-moving motorway traffic or weave down winding roads with ease. 

All this is helped by a high driving position and its downward-sloping bonnet and trademark light markers on each corner. This is a good thing, as for the most part, the G 580 will be used as a highly comfortable cruiser that happens to be able to ford rivers and climb mountains, rather than one that actually does.

As such, the G 580 is a bit like an over-engineered and extremely pricey diver’s watch that seldom goes swimming. But there’s still a joy to the G-Wagen driving experience and looking out at others (mainly) admiring it, while knowing that it could still go anywhere, now with the benefit of better software and infotainment and zero emissions at the tailpipe.

Mercedes G-Wagen Edition One launch vehicle, from £180,860, Mercedes-Benz.co.uk, Mercedes-Benz.com