Mercedes G580 electrifies an off-road icon

The Mercedes-Benz G-Class is Germany’s answer to Jeep, Hummer, and Land Rover. Combining traditional Mercedes luxury with serious off-road capability, the G-Class, or Geländewagen, as it’s formally known, is right at home on the trail or the valet stand. And now it’s going electric.

Mercedes has been teasing an electric G-Class since 2021, and now it’s finally arrived in the form of the G580 with EQ Technology. Expected to go on sale in the U.S.as a 2025 model alongside refreshed gasoline G-Class variants, it uses electric powertrain tech to update a classic design and enhance off-road capability.

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Unlike Mercedes’ EQ line of EVs, the G580 sticks with the styling of its gasoline counterparts. The only identifiable differences are a raised hood, flared wheel arches that incorporate air curtains, and a charge port. That’s because the G580 uses a modified version of the ladder frame from other G-Class models that’s been modified to house a battery pack and electric motors.

A quad-motor powertrain generates 579 horsepower and 859 pound-feet of torque, which will get the electric G-Class from zero to 60 mph in a Mercedes-estimated 4.6 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 112 mph.

Because it has an electric motor for each wheel, this G-Class doesn’t need the mechanical locking front, center, and rear differentials that help give gasoline G-Classes maximum traction on slippery surfaces. Instead, the electric G-Class simulates locked differentials by automatically metering the amount of torque for each wheel. Each motor also has its own transmission with a low-range reduction gear, providing the same effect as the transfer cases found in internal-combustion off-roaders.

Despite having a 116-kilowatt-hour battery pack slung under its floor (and protected by its own lightweight mixed-material skid plate), the electric G-Class has a claimed 9.8 inches of ground clearance. Mercedes also claims it can ford up to 33.5 inches of water — more than the gasoline G-Class models. Other important off-road numbers include a 32.0-degree approach angle, 30.7-degree departure angle, and 20.3-degree breakover angle.

The quad-motor powertrain also enables some