2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 review: Australian first drive

• Doors and Seats

  

  NA

• Engine

  

  NA

• Engine Power

  

  NA

• Fuel

  

  NA

• Transmission

  

  NA

• Warranty

  

  NA

• Ancap Safety

  

  NA

Electric Cars Guide

There’s a real sense that Mercedes-Benz has gone all experimental with the electric G-Class, officially known as the Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology.

The brand could have taken the easy route and bolted in electric components where the combustion engine once lived, but Mercedes went much, much further. While it looks like a typical G-Class from the outside, the G580 sits on a bespoke ladder frame chassis.

It’s there to support the massive 116 kilowatt-hour battery, and instead of the typical dual-motor electric drivetrain seen in most high-performance EVs, the electric G-Wagen features four motors, one driving each wheel, unlocking a lot of off-road potential.

Range is a claimed 473km on the WLTP cycle, power is a massive 432kW combined, and torque is a mountain-moving 1164Nm. Meanwhile, there’s also 257mm of ground clearance and an 850mm wading depth should you need it.

Mercedes-Benz gave Drive a quick glimpse of the newest G-Class at its Australian launch, barely enough to scratch the surface, but enough to show off some of the cool party tricks enabled by the quad-motor drivetrain.

Pricing for the G580 starts from $249,900 plus on-road costs, a sizeable step down from the G63 AMG model, which asks for $368,400. The step down in performance isn’t as wide as you’d expect, though.

The G580 actually outguns the G63, just, with a 2kW output advantage, but a beefier 314Nm torque advantage. It’s slower overall, though, taking 4.7 seconds to sprint to 100km/h whereas a G63 takes 4.4 seconds.

It's a less aggressive car to live with too. With a much calmer demeanour than its roid-raging 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 sibling.

The G580 comes with 11kW AC charging capability or up to 200kW on a compatible DC fast charger. The battery back is shielded by a 26mm-thick composite underbody shroud. Think about that for a second. Whereas most bash plates are 3mm or 4mm, this one surely takes the cake for overengineered potential.

The exterior comes with a range of minor aero-enhancing tweaks like a slightly taller bonnet to direct air over the car, a lip spoiler at the top of the windscreen to smooth flow, wheels with an aero design, and vents in the rear wheel arch flares to create less disruptive air curtains for the rear wheels.

Inside the G580 comes with a full list of premium features like nappa leather on the seats and steering wheel, electric front seats with memory, keyless entry with push-button start, dual 12.3-inch displays for instruments and infotainment, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, rangefinder navigation (to program optimal changing stops on long trips), heated and cooled cupholders, and a wireless charger, plus plenty more.

The off-road side of things sees Comfort and Sport drive modes accompanied by Trail and Rock modes for off-road use, plus an Individual mode that lets you mix and match settings to your taste.

The G580 is equipped with low-range via a second reduction gear mounted to each electric motor. It’s an actual physical gear reduction too, not just a throttle recalibration.

Functions like G-Turn allow the G-Class to rotate on the spot, while G-Steering provokes light oversteer at low speeds to swing the back through tight bends.

These modes have been devised with very specific off-road uses in mind, but I’d wager they’ll most likely be used by owners a handful of times in the first few weeks of ownership and quickly forgotten about.

Front and rear ‘virtual’ diff locks don't physically lock the motors together, but instead lock the rotational speed from side to side, with the precise adjustments of an electric motor able to make minute adjustments on the fly as required.

Overall, the G580 experience is unusual.

My first taste was a demonstration of the G-Turn function as a passenger. I climbed into the G580, and although the silence of an electric vehicle isn’t new, hearing a G-Class, which normally has a snarling V8 grumbling away under the bonnet, move off silently is still novel.

The G-Turn function requires low-range to be engaged, and a few on-screen taps to cue up, but then it's as simple as pulling the left or right steering wheel paddles to determine which direction you want to spin, holding the steering wheel straight, and pinning the accelerator.

From there, you lurch to one side in a way that’s completely unnatural in a car. You’re not turning, you’re spinning, and it’s incredibly surreal. The car will continue to pirouette for as long as you keep the accelerator pressed or until you turn the wheel.

The wheels on each side of the car turn in opposite directions to enable this, and it’s a great way to demonstrate the capabilities of a four-motor set-up, with no mechanical connection from side to side to stand in the way.

G-Steering is a less jaw-dropping feature, but a bit like the Tank Turn on a GWM product, or Trail Turn Assist on some Ford Rangers, it allows a reduction in turn radius, this time by spinning the outside rear wheel faster, effectively pulling the rear around in a moment of low speed but controlled oversteer.

They’re both a lot of fun and sure to wow buyers when demonstrated, but their practical applications are probably much more limited.

Once I got behind the wheel and on the open road (after performing a few G-Turns, for science), the G-Class reveals that it's really not too different after all, but it still adheres to a very G-Class formula.

The interior design, seating position, and even the cantankerous door strikers are lifted from the regular G-Class; everything in the G580 electric feels solid, old-fashioned, and hefty.

The dash is an upright slab that walls in the driver and passenger, and the single-screen MBUX infotainment is the only concession to modernity.

Mercedes-Benz has made sensible choices with the G-Class, with physical switches for the climate control and seat adjustment, although the touchpads on the steering wheel from other Benz models remain a user-interface nightmare.

The MBUX infotainment system retains a touchpad in the console, but can also be interacted with via touchscreen, the steering wheel, or conversational voice commands.

The driving position is old school. You have to haul yourself into the G-Class, then settle into a lofty seat with a high view out over traffic.

The upright windscreen pillars and positioning of the steering wheel all feel closer to something from MB’s commercial division. The materials and technology integrated within are clearly aimed at a more discerning customer.

The drive program for the electric G580 was a simple one, entirely on-road, and mostly covering freeway conditions. 

With long-travel suspension and good articulation built in, the G580 EQ can move around as you brake and accelerate, and shows a decent amount of body roll if you approach a bend with too much speed.

It’s surprisingly not floaty or soft, though, and maintains a good, stable ride over uneven surfaces. Steering is slow, and feels a little remote, but ultimately that’s not a bad thing in something this heavy.

Despite a kerb weight of 3085kg, the G580 never feels heavy. It’s light enough on its feet that it feels no different from a combustion engine G-Class, and the acceleration is zippy, but doesn’t shove you back the way a G63 can.

Without a race start function, and with an accelerator map that starts gently and builds acceleration in a more circumspect way, the G580 electric keeps a graceful waftiness about it, even though it can punch through the air quite briskly.

On-road refinement is good. Noise from tyres and wind is well managed, but the brick-like shape of the G580 does still catch crosswinds and isn't entirely silent. There are a lot of body mouldings, gutters, and deep-set windows to catch the breeze too. All part of the G-appeal.

Ultimately, the fully-electric G-Class is likely to be purchased as a status symbol and not for its rugged capabilities. Just like the G63 is.

Mercedes-Benz says it offers a wider range of customisation options for the G580 than any other model, and it's telling that, depending on the packages selected, it’s possible to buy a G-Class with no spare wheel. Not ideal for the roughest or most remote terrain.

Mercedes also quotes two range figures, an optimistic 567km on the lenient NEDC cycle, or a more realistic 473km using the WLTP test. That’s still a decent figure, but for such a huge battery, it’s not record-breaking.

After 215km of driving, the G580 I piloted sat at a consumption of 27.0kWh per 100 kilometres, suggesting a real-world range closer to 430km. On a 200kW charger, a 10–80 per cent top-up is claimed to take 32 minutes.

On an 11kW charger, that same top-up stretches to around 8h 15min, and if you only have 7kW hardware at home, expect almost 13 hours on the plug.

Mercedes-Benz already has smarter EV options available, like the cheaper EQE and EQS SUVs. These make far more sense for anyone who never leaves the city, and even if you do, they offer superior comfort and range.

But the G-Class has never been a sensible purchase, and it never will be. It’s an image car, and everything about the look and presence of the G-Class is offered in the G580.

It’ll probably only cannibalise G63 sales, but for the target market, it nails the attention-seeking brief for what the silent shout from an electric vehicle should sound like.

Electric Cars Guide

Kez Casey migrated from behind spare parts counters to writing about cars over ten years ago. Raised by a family of automotive workers, Kez grew up in workshops and panel shops before making the switch to reviews and road tests for The Motor Report, Drive and CarAdvice.

Read more about Kez Casey