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

Driving a Mercedes G-Wagen is at all times an occasion. The 45-year-old off-roading 4×4 is certainly an automotive icon and little modified in its fundamental chunky visible silhouette, whether or not you drive, as Wallpaper* did, each an inside combustion-engined 1980 model and a fully-electric 2024 mannequin, from the vary now extra formally often known as G-Class. In actual fact, the brand new mannequin’s full identify is the ‘Mercedes-Benz G 580 with EQ Know-how’.

The G 580 is the primary electrical Mercedes G-Class

Behind the wheel of the unique, throughout the first a part of our on-road take a look at, college children clocked its boxy distinction, smiled and thumbed for a carry, whereas elsewhere barely shady characters down aspect roads gave it approving nods to make this (momentary) driver really feel fairly particular. It’s all all the way down to its angular and sturdy Tonka toy-truck vibe, which suggests it has the flexibility to go anyplace. 

Since its early utilitarian and navy beginnings, the G-Wagen has been in a position to do exactly that, by a mixture of stable engines, low-ratio gears, beneficiant wheelarches, good floor clearance and smart front-and-back underbody ‘departure’ angles. 

In later many years, that useful aesthetic additionally discovered favour with these much less inclined to hunt out distant rocky inclines, however nonetheless eager on sitting inside a car that projected power, functionality and presence in city settings. Mercedes responded by offering extra (usually V8) energy and AMG efficiency and more and more luxurious interiors, in keeping with the broader model’s vary. 

However regardless of that widening attraction (and elevated costs), a city-dwelling G-Wagen driver may additionally rile some onlookers who considered the petrol-hungry, big-engined protecting automobiles as lower than eco-conscious and in addition doubtlessly aggressive (regardless of the occasional high-profile vogue collaboration – see the Mercedes-Benz x Moncler artwork piece).

So in some methods, the all-electric variant of the brand new G-Wagen supplies a partial antidote. Though equally as quick and highly effective as its AMG V8 sibling – the G 580 provides a 4.7sec 0-62mph time and 587hp – it’s zero-emission in use and in addition quiet, until the driving force desires somewhat synthetic engine roar piped into the cabin. It’s additionally simply as succesful off-road, in a position to traverse real rocks and boulders up steep slopes and down trails that drivers of all however essentially the most well-equipped 4x4s wouldn’t dream of tackling.

It’s additionally simpler to tackle that terrain within the electrical G-Wagen. As soon as the Rock driving mode has been chosen and Low-Vary off-road gear choice made, the automotive mechanically will get on with issues by itself bar the steering, though even that exercise is enhanced by the G-Steering perform, which slows the within turning wheel, whereas dashing up the skin ones to make tight bends less complicated. 

For driver (and passenger) reassurance, there’s additionally a Clear Bonnet perform that exhibits, through 360-degree view cameras, the terrain that may’t in any other case be seen beneath the automotive – particularly helpful at excessive off-road angles – through real-time video on the centre touchscreen – permitting the driving force to steer extra clearly.

One other EV-specific gadget on the G 580 that’s humorous in addition to useful is the G-Flip characteristic. With 4 individually managed electrical motors, the G 580 is ready to energy the left-hand back and front wheels in the wrong way to its right-hand equivalents and thus simply flip 360 levels – on suitably free gravel surfaces – nearly on the spot (or by 720 levels if you happen to fancy). 

A bit like an enthusiastic metallic canine that desires nothing greater than to chase its tail, this fast and literal turnaround can also be useful for getting out of tight spots off-road too. A notice to future G 580 house owners wanting to point out off this trick in automotive parks or elsewhere, although: Mercedes’ engineers warning towards attempting this manoeuvre on stickier tarmac surfaces to keep away from tyre harm.

On-road, the G 580’s driving manners are respectable, regardless of excessive sides, floor clearance, a nonetheless bluff frontage and large three-tonne-plus weight (as a consequence of carrying round a hefty 116kWh battery pack). Racing round for longer intervals will dent the utmost 294-mile electrical vary, however its prodigious energy and acceleration simply enable the G 580 to maintain forward of fast-moving motorway visitors or weave down winding roads with ease. 

All that is helped by a excessive driving place and its downward-sloping bonnet and trademark mild markers on every nook. This can be a good factor, as for essentially the most half, the G 580 will likely be used as a extremely snug cruiser that occurs to have the ability to ford rivers and climb mountains, quite than one that really does.

As such, the G 580 is a bit like an over-engineered and intensely dear diver’s watch that seldom goes swimming. However there’s nonetheless a pleasure to the G-Wagen driving expertise and looking at others (primarily) admiring it, whereas figuring out that it may nonetheless go anyplace, now with the good thing about higher software program and infotainment and 0 emissions on the tailpipe.

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