For individuals who choose to grind gravel and certain over boulders whereas surrounded by luxurious napa leather-based — and may’t think about emitting even a single molecule of carbon dioxide whereas doing so — the absolutely electrical Mercedes G-Wagen is for you.
The very costly, boxy standing image is now even standing symbol-ier because of a 116 kWh battery and all-electric drive practice, full with 4 individually managed motors with a most whole output of 432 kW — or the equal of about 580 horsepower — and a max torque 1,164 Newton-meters.
“I lately joked that it’s just like the Birkin bag of Mercedes,” Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius stated on the Decoder podcast again in 2022. “All people desires one, and the ready time is de facto lengthy. It might even be probably the most fascinating automotive in our portfolio.”
However with nice energy comes nice expense. The Mercedes-Benz G 580 with EQ know-how (an ungainly title for an unique EV, however I’ll permit it) will begin at €142,621.50 ($152,184.27), whereas the primary version trim goes for €192,524.15 ($205,432.89). That’s a premium over the fuel fashions, which generally begin at round $143,000. At launch, the Version One trim will likely be unique to the US market and can arrive at dealerships within the second half of 2024.
The G 580, or EQG if you’ll, will likely be constructed on a ladder body idea, which the automaker says is prime to its off-roading. Like its gas-powered equivalents, the ladder body consists of an impartial entrance suspension with double wishbones, in addition to a newly developed inflexible rear axle for a decrease middle of gravity. The battery will propel the EQG to an estimated 473 km (293 miles) on the WLTP commonplace, which can probably be even lowered when based mostly on the much less optimistic EPA ranking.
The electrical G-Wagen will include an entire caravan of nifty circus methods, together with a tank flip (which Mercedes has branded its G-Flip) for sharper, on-axis rotations. G-Flip will work on unfastened, unpaved roads and trails and solely at low speeds. And a three-speed clever off-road crawl operate will hold the electrical SUV on the optimum velocity whereas touring over uneven surfaces. And Mercedes boasts that the EQG will stay secure on slopes as much as 35 levels and has a most fording depth of 850 millimeters (33 inches).
After all, all that off-roading requires further safety for the battery, which is saved within the ground of the car for that low middle of gravity. Each grain of gravel is a possible hazard whenever you’re driving round with a two-tiered lithium-ion battery with 216 cells put in in 12 cell modules between three cooling ranges underneath your toes.
The underbody skid plate, which is exclusive to the electrical G-Class, is constituted of “an clever materials combine” that features carbon, which “will increase rigidity in comparison with options constituted of metal or aluminum,” the corporate says. It additionally ensures long-lasting corrosion safety and saves weight. The plate is 26 millimeters thick, weighs 57.6 kilograms, and is hooked up to the ladder body with greater than 50 metal screws.
And in what’s turning into an more and more regular factor to do with new EVs, Mercedes has determined to provide its electrical G-Wagen a pretend engine noise, branded right here as G-Roar. Impressed by the fuel lineup’s “emotional V8 sounds,” the G-Roar will use exterior audio system to emit a sound that simulates the “deep bass and sonorous tones” of its fuel-sipping sibling. The sounds can change when switching between drive modes: Consolation produces a extra restrained pretend engine noise, whereas Sport will hit you proper within the emotions (Mercedes additionally describes it as “emotional”).
Even with an emphasis on off-roading over efficiency, the G 580 with EQ know-how (nope, nonetheless ungainly, going again to EQG) is not any slouch on the pavement. The electrical SUV can speed up from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds and will likely be electronically restricted to a most velocity of 180 km/h (or 112 mph).
The outside is sort of an identical to the present mannequin yr of gas-fueled G-Wagens. You do get illuminated accents on the grille, which additionally could be changed with an elective blacked-out entrance panel. The bonnet is barely raised, and the rear wheel wells embrace air curtains for higher aerodynamic efficiency. There’s additionally a brand new A-pillar cladding and a spoiler lip on the roof. However in any other case, it will be troublesome to pick the EV in an all-G-Class lineup.
A rear-mounted design field seems excellent for a spare tire, however open it up and — shock! — it’s charging cables and different elective goodies, like snow chains. After all, if you wish to be a traditionalist, you’ll be able to completely stow your spare tire in there. No judgment.
Inside, the electrical G-Wagen is sticking to what works, protecting the passenger seize bar and surrounding every part with carbon fiber. There are many bodily buttons, and the air vents are delightfully tactile and round. The pedals are coated in raised rivets as a result of, you recognize, off-road. And the 12.3-inch digital show runs on Mercedes’ well-received MBUX infotainment system — but additionally helps Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Rear-seat passengers can get pleasure from a wide range of media on their private 11.6-inch touchscreens which might be mounted on the again of the entrance seats. Content material could be moved from the rear to the entrance show — however video watching and web looking are reserved for parked mode solely.
The electrical G-Wagen first emerged in idea kind again in 2021 after which once more in 2022, regardless of the corporate’s lack of readability round manufacturing plans. (To compensate, Mercedes launched a ridiculously excessive idea promotional video set in a Nineteen Seventies-era area opera with aliens.)
However since then, there have been a variety of electrical off-roaders, together with the Ford F-150 Lightning, Chevy Silverado EV, Hummer EV, and Rivian R1T and R1S. Whether or not any of those autos really spend a single second doing actual off-road stuff — versus choosing up grass fertilizer at The House Depot — is fully up for debate. The electrical G-Wagen will probably be no completely different, because the boxy SUV has all the time been seen extra continuously within the driveways of the über wealthy than on the paths in Moab.
Nonetheless, the EQG is an indication that whereas it has pulled again a few of its early predictions about electrification, Mercedes nonetheless understands that even its tremendous luxurious standing symbols might want to go electrical.