This is now, officially, on the list for the day my lottery numbers come up. I really enjoyed living with the electric G-Wagen for ten days, partly because it doesn’t behave like a generic electric SUV wearing a famous badge. It still feels like a G-Class, complete with huge doors, exposed hinges, upright glass and a shape that could have been drawn with a ruler. It just happens to be all electric.
The G-Class story started in 1979 and Mercedes hasn’t tried to disguise the family history. The G580 keeps plenty of the old-school charm intact: the ladder-frame construction, independent front suspension, a rigid De Dion rear axle and selectable low range gearing.
The outline is as familiar as ever, too, with round headlights – now with LED surrounds, a near-vertical windscreen, protective strips along the body and those indicators perched on top of the front wings. The electric version adds a slightly raised bonnet, revised A-pillar trim, a small roof-edge spoiler and air curtains around the rear wheelarches to improve aerodynamics and reduce wind noise.
Underneath, the change is much more dramatic. Four individually controlled electric motors sit close to the wheels, with two at each axle, while a large battery is integrated into the ladder frame. Mercedes uses the motors to mimic locking differentials electronically and to create clever off-road functions that a combustion-engined G-Class can’t offer, including G-Turn and G-Steering. Yet none of that changes the first impression: it’s a big, square, very recognisable G-Wagen.
The G580 comes only in AMG Line Premium Plus specification and costs £154,870. It’s a big price for a big car that’s 4,624mm long, 2,187mm wide including the mirrors and 1,986mm high, while it weighs around 3,160kg.
Those numbers sound intimidating when you’re heading into London, but the reality is less stressful. The corners are easy to judge, the deep windows give a clear view out and the wing-top indicators work like little sighting posts. It’s one of those rare large SUVs whose shape helps rather than hinders when the road narrows.
My test car’s retro blue paint suited the design, but the useful point wasn’t simply how it looked. Over city streets, villages, motorways and a Lincolnshire weekend, the G580 showed how much of the original car’s character has survived. It’s large, quick and conspicuous, yet it wasn’t the unwieldy city liability its dimensions suggest. The rather large turning circle still needs respect (unless you activate G-Turn mode), but the straight sides and excellent visibility take much of the guesswork out of manoeuvring.
How we tested
I lived with the Mercedes-Benz G580 for ten days, driving it around my home in South Buckinghamshire and into London for a few trips. My test included a long weekend to the Lincolnshire coast and a separate 150-mile round trip on the M25 to visit my father. As well as all the practicality features, I assessed the car’s quality and tech, too.
Independent rating: 8/10
- Pros:Real character, surprisingly easy to place and park, strong performance, excellent visibility, high-quality cabin, serious off-road ability
- Cons:Very high price, ride can become bouncy or very firm in Sport mode, heavy doors need a proper slam, annoying touch-sensitive steering wheel controls
- Price range:From £154,870
- Battery size:116kWh
- Maximum claimed range:291 miles
- Miles per kWh:2.2 miles per kWh
- Maximum charging rate:210kW
Battery, range, charging, performance and drive
The G580 has a 117kWh lithium-ion battery, and a maximum claimed range of 291 miles. Real-world behaviour was more reassuring than the official efficiency number might suggest – on the long run to the Lincolnshire coast and a separate 150-mile M25 round trip to see my father, the range display behaved consistently and there was no alarming motorway drop-off. The near-300-mile claim broadly stacked up during my ten days with the car, rather than shrinking rapidly during sustained higher-speed driving.
Fast DC charging at up to 210kW (with a 10 to 80 per cent time of 29 minutes) came in handy for a quick top-up on my longer journeys, while the on-board AC charger takes up to 11kW with Mercedes quoting 12 hours for a 0 to 100 per cent charge from a suitable wallbox or public AC point.
Five energy-recovery settings can be selected from the steering-wheel paddles: DAuto, D+, D, D- and D--. They range from free coasting to maximum recuperation, while DAuto varies the response according to traffic and route information; a few brands offer this now, but I’ve never get on with that, always wondering how much recuperation it’s going to give with each lift of the accelerator.
The four electric motors produce 579bhp, and a massive 1,164Nm of torque. The result is 0-62mph in 4.7 seconds and an electronically limited 112mph top speed – that’s serious speed for such a big car, with the sort of immediate response expected from four electric motors.
However, the way the G580 drives still has an old-school G-Class flavour, even if the steering has more weight and directness than its size suggests.
Ride quality is more mixed. It can become bouncy over some surfaces, reminding you that this is a proper off-roader on a ladder frame rather than a road-focused luxury SUV. I had a real ‘hold on tight’ moment on one particularly bad, bumpy Lincolnshire B-road, while Sport mode does keep body roll in check, but it also firms the suspension to the point where it only just stays on the acceptable side of unbearable.
The calmer suspension, steering and acceleration settings make more sense for everyday roads, while the squared-off body and clear view out keep the car surprisingly manageable in towns and cities.
Off road, the four motors allow torque to be sent separately to each wheel and create virtual differential locks. G-Turn can make up to two complete rotations almost on the spot by driving the wheels on opposite sides in different directions, but it’s only for loose or unpaved ground and isn’t permitted on public roads. G-Steering also works on loose ground, reducing the turning circle at speeds up to 15mph, while the three-stage crawl function maintains a low speed so the driver can concentrate on carefully picking a route through rocks and boulders off road.
The underlying off-road figures are pretty serious, too. Mercedes quotes up to 100 per cent gradeability on suitable ground, stability on side slopes of up to 35 degrees, at least 250mm of ground clearance and an 850mm wading depth. The battery sits in a torsion-resistant casing within the frame, with a 26mm-thick underbody panel made from a material mix that includes carbon. That panel weighs 57.6kg, uses more than 50 steel fasteners and carries a 1mm stone-chip protection layer.
Interior, practicality and boot space
There’s no hiding the age of the basic G-Class idea inside. The windscreen is upright, the dashboard is broad and vertical, and the cabin architecture doesn’t chase the low, lounge-like feel of newer electric SUVs. Mercedes has done an impressive job of keeping it current, though. The overall quality is first rate, the square air vents look especially good when illuminated and the familiar passenger grab handle remains exactly where a G-Class passenger expects to find it.
The giant doors are part of the experience. Keyless-Go means you can grab a handle to unlock the car and just touch the handle again to lock it, without taking the key from a pocket or bag.
What Mercedes hasn’t added is soft closing; the hefty doors and substantial latches need a firm slam to shut properly. It’s definitely hard-close rather than soft-close, and the car seems happiest when you commit to the job.
There are five seats, with plenty of headroom from the tall roof and good space in the back. My car had the optional rear entertainment screens fitted to the front seat backs – they give rear passengers their own displays, but with the front seats adjusted for me the screens sat rather close to people in the back and felt a little in-your-face. Without them, the rear area feels less crowded, and the separate rear climate controls are useful on longer journeys.
Visibility is a particular strength. The deep side windows, upright windscreen and square body make it easy to understand where the car begins and ends, while the indicators on top of the front wings help place the corners. Even the windscreen wipers worked brilliantly during the test and kept that broad view clear. Cameras and parking sensors are standard, but the basic glass area does much of the everyday work before you need to rely on the electronics joining in.
Boot space is a huge and usefully tall 555 litres with the rear seats in use, and 1,990 litres with them folded. There’s no front boot because the space beneath the bonnet is occupied by electrical hardware. At the back, buyers can have the conventional spare wheel or choose the no-cost rectangular Design Box in its place, which is handy for items such as charging cables, tools or snow chains.
AMG Line Premium Plus brings nappa leather, heated, cooled and electrically adjustable front seats, a heated steering wheel and windscreen, an old-school electric sunroof (not the modern panoramic variety), three-zone climate control, memory settings for the seats, head restraints, mirrors and steering wheel, 64-colour ambient lighting, front and rear cup holders and useful storage around the cabin. The finish is luxurious, but the old-school physicality of the doors and seating position hasn’t disappeared.
Technology, stereo and infotainment
Mercedes has brought the G-Class up to date with twin 12.3-inch displays: one for the driver and one central touchscreen for the MBUX infotainment system. The screen in my test car worked well, looked clear and responded cleanly. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are supported, along with DAB radio, Bluetooth, USB connections and wireless phone charging.
The cabin hasn’t handed every task to the touchscreen. Heating and ventilation still use physical controls, while the steering wheel carries touch-sensitive pads for the driver display and other functions. Those touch-sensitive pads can become a real pain in day-to-day driving; you can find displays changing and even music tracks skipping if you just happen to brush one of the sensors with your hand. I found it infuriating – proper buttons are so much better.
MBUX augmented-reality navigation can overlay directions and traffic information on live camera images, and the voice assistant includes around 20 G-Class-specific commands. There’s no head-up display, so the two main screens do all the visual work.
The Burmester 3D surround system has plenty of punch and sounded decent during my test.
Then there’s G-Roar. At first I was convinced there was a Spitfire flying overhead, before realising the growl was coming from an external speaker hidden beneath the car. The sound starts as you approach and unlock the G580, accompanies acceleration and adds ‘event sounds’ when the doors, drive system and charging process are used. It’s inspired by the V8 G-Class models and quickly becomes a talking point. You can switch it off, though, which is what I did after a while.
Adaptive cruise control is part of a broad driver-assistance package, while the G580 also has Active Brake Assist, Active Emergency Stop Assist, blind-spot monitoring, traffic-sign recognition, attention assist, pre-safe functions to prepare systems for a potential impact, and a parking package with a 360-degree camera.
The off-road technology is just as extensive with a special display that can show the artificial horizon, compass, altitude, steering angle, torque, tyre pressures and temperatures. The transparent bonnet function of the digital display combines images from the front and mirror cameras to create a virtual view beneath the nose, helping the driver judge rocks, crests, ruts and other obstacles that disappear below the windscreen.
A dashcam is fitted, and the optional rear entertainment package adds two screens for films, internet access, trip information and connected media. Those screens were the part of my test car’s technology that felt less comfortably packaged, simply because they sat so close to rear passengers when the front seats were set for me.
Remote and charging services can link the car to the Mercedes-Benz app for charging and vehicle functions, while the navigation system can plan charging stops using route, temperature, topography and speed data, and available charging power. The car can also recommend efficiency settings if the remaining range looks tight.
There’s a lot going on, but the clear displays and surviving physical controls stop the G580 feeling as if every small adjustment requires a tour through several menus.
Prices and running costs
The Mercedes-Benz G580 AMG Line Premium Plus costs £154,870, but this is an iconic car that Mercedes has done well to reinvent as a luxury model.
Standard equipment is extensive, but there’s still plenty of scope to make the bill larger with options and styling packs.
Running costs reflect the combination of a large battery and official efficiency of 2.2 miles per kWh. The actual electricity bill will depend on where and when the car is charged, but it will use more energy per mile than a more efficient electric SUV.
The main vehicle warranty is three years with unlimited mileage, but Mercedes says the battery is covered for eight years or 100,000 miles.
There’s no denying the Mercedes-Benz G580 remains a niche purchase. The price, weight and energy consumption are all high, while the four-motor drive system, protected battery, low range gearing and off-road functions go far beyond what most road users will require. But my extended test did show that the G580’s near-300-mile range can work on long motorway journeys and that the car is unexpectedly manageable in town.
The verdict: Mercedes-Benz G 580
The G580 is an EV with real character. Its square shape, deep windows and wing-top indicators make it easier to use than expected, its motorway range held up, and its old-school G-Class details haven’t been polished away. It’s a car I really loved driving and is now firmly in my dream lottery win garage.
Mercedes-Benz G 580 rivals
Mercedes-Benz G 580 FAQs
How long does it take to charge?
The G 580’s 210kW DC charging capability allows for a 10-80 per cent charge in around 29 minutes. AC charging takes between 11 and 12 hours.
How much does it cost - is it worth it?
The Mercedes-Benz G580 costs £154,870 in AMG Line Premium Plus form. It combines 579bhp, 290 to 291 miles of official range, extensive standard equipment and unusually serious off-road hardware, but it also weighs around 3,160kg and officially manages 2.2 miles per kWh. It’s a niche choice rather than a value-led electric SUV.
Does Mercedes-Benz replace batteries for free?
Mercedes-Benz offers an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty on its EV batteries.
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