REVIEW | Mercedes-Benz G 580
Electric G-Wagon has Graham Courtney in a spin
I’ve got a fairly strong constitution. Throw most things in my direction, and I can cope, although I struggle with courgettes. They taste like mush. Well, they do when my wife cooks them.
However, I hate being spun round in circles. Even now, I can clearly remember when my mother (who was made of strong northern stuff) took me to a funfair. She headed to what turned out to be a machine of terror - revolving teacups. The turntable had teacups which could seat four people. Each teacup could also revolve. Everything was fine to start with, but as the machine picked up speed, the teacups began to rotate. Life became a blur.
Anyway, the result was that my recently devoured ice cream was deposited into the lap of a total stranger sitting opposite.
Which is why my latest test car filled me with a certain amount of trepidation.
The G 580’s party trick
This is the latest iteration of the Mercedes G-Wagon, the all-electric version with the catchy name of ‘G580 with EQ Technology’. I’ll stick with G580, thanks.
Go onto YouTube and you will see the G580 doing its party trick, although there is some thinking behind this.
In a nutshell, each of the four wheels has an electric motor and a separate gearbox which allows you to engage low-range for a bit of serious mud-plugging.
But here’s the trick. Select the low ratio gearbox button and the G-Turn button, and the electric motors on one side of the vehicle will turn in the opposite direction to those on the other side. The car will do a pirouette. An army tank can do the same thing. Avoid showing off on tarmac, though, or you’ll shred the tyres. There’s also another button, and one which you can see really does have a use, called G-Steer. It reverses the rear wheel in the direction in which you want to go and allows the G-Wagon to make a surprisingly graceful 90-degree turn using the rear wheel as a pivot.
Granted, you’re unlikely to need this in your local supermarket car park, but bearing in mind that the G-Wagon is designed for serious off-road work, this is the sort of trickery which makes tight turns on a slippery track seem like child’s play.
Which is why this battery-powered Mercedes G-Wagon is like nothing else in the 45-year history of the model, but almost identical. It’s still a G-Wagon in every sense of the name, but instead of an internal combustion engine, it has battery-driven motors.
G 580 Price & Key Figures
It’s brilliant. Pricey but brilliant, with entry-level G 580 models starting at £154,870 (June ’25). The particular car I tested is the one you see here. It’s a First Edition model with matte paint, and it tips the scales at just over £180k.
In terms of headline figures, this G-Class churns out 579bhp and can do 60 mph from standstill in 4.7 seconds, which, bearing in mind the car weighs approaching 3.1 tonnes, is staggeringly quick. Floor the throttle and the car simply hurtles on to 112 mph. 859 lb-ft of torque means that when it comes to grunt, the G-Wagon G580 offers effortless power. It’s wonderful to drive on and off road.
Oh, and if you’re worried about the batteries slung under the car and fear they’ll be damaged if doing some rough off-roading, fear not. They’re protected by sturdy body protection. No wonder the car weighs so much.
G 580 Range & Charging Time
A 10-80% charge takes a shade over 30 minutes on a rapid charger, while a typical wallbox will take around 12 hours. The estimated range is 280 miles from a full battery, although ours showed 258 when on 100%. I suppose if you go steadily and avoid the high speed motorway work, you’ll probably end up in the region of 200 miles, which, for something as aerodynamic as a house brick, is reasonable.
G 580 Interior
As for everything else, this G-Wagon is just like its ICE stablemates. The interior is a solid work of art, functional but oozing quality. Anyone stepping from a conventional G-Wagon into this electric one will possibly spot that the central buttons on the fascia no longer control diff locks and are now for low range, G-Steer and G-Turn. Apart from that, everything is identical.
The seats are supportive and comfortable. In terms of kit, you get everything that you would expect from a top of the range Merc. The uprated central screen works really well, and the voice control is one of the best around.
The interior is also surprisingly compact. I gave a lift to a mate who was expecting to clamber into a vast cabin and couldn’t believe how relatively snug it all feels. In other words, although the exterior has a quietly formidable appearance, the G-Wagon is the reverse of a Dr.Who Tardis. It’s actually shorter than a BMW 3-Series.
If you do decide to buy a G580, here’s a tip. The box on the rear door is for storing the charging cables. However, you can ditch that, chuck the cables in the boot and opt for a free spare wheel. Even though the standard tyres are chunky, it’s amazing how a sharp rock can slit the side of a tyre and leave you stranded. Repair kit glue ain’t going to sort a slashed tyre wall.
Concluding Thoughts
The Mercedes G 580 is a wonderful vehicle. Mercedes has managed to take everything from the ICE G-Wagon - on-road driving experience, off-road masterclass, imperious build quality, delicious interior styling - and install a huge battery and four electric motors, each with their own high/low range gearbox…and still leave you with a proper G-Wagon. The chance to make the car spin around will be something TikTok-ers will revel in, but something like G-Steer shows that Mercedes hasn’t taken its eye off the ball and brought something new to the electric party.
The Mercedes G-Wagon G 580 is one of the more surprising cars we’ve had at Driven this year. I loved it.
words: Graham Courtney
pictures: Mercedes-Benz
