2025 Mercedes-Benz G 580 EV First Drive: The Electric G-Wagen Rules

• The G 580 is a fully electric version of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class.
• Its quad-motor setup delivers a whopping 579 horsepower and 859 lb-ft of torque.
• It's a formidable off-roader, thanks to electronic crawl control, the ability to lock individual wheels, and — of course — its super-fun G-Turn feature.

What's interesting is that, while the G 580 EV is the most powerful version of the G-Class by a long shot (the AMG G 63 makes 577 hp and 627 lb-ft), it's not necessarily the quickest. Mercedes-Benz estimates 0-to-60 mph takes 4.6 seconds, which is certainly not slow by any means, but it splits the difference between the base G 550 and the aforementioned AMG. Obviously, installing a 116-kWh battery pack in the G's architecture results in a huge weight penalty, though Mercedes-Benz hasn't released an official curb weight just yet. That said, the G 580 EV's gross vehicle weight rating is more than 700 pounds heavier than the base G 550's, so … yeah. Use that for reference.

Super nice to drive

The extra heft is definitely noticeable on the road, but not really in a bad way. Keep in mind, the G-Class is a tall vehicle prone to being blown around in crosswinds, so a bit of extra ballast on the low end helps to keep the G 580 stable and planted while cornering. It's not as good as the AMG G 63 with its fancy new active anti-roll suspension option, but the G 580 EV handles twisty roads with greater poise than the six-cylinder G 550.

The G 580 even sounds better than the G 550, which is a weird thing to say for an EV, but stay with me. The sound profile that Mercedes-Benz pipes in through the speakers is meant to conjure up the experience of driving a V8-powered G-wagen, and I have to say, it's somewhat convincing. (The name G-Roar is kind of dumb, though.) I'm normally the type to turn this tech off immediately, but I rather like it in the G 580 — especially compared to the six-cylinder G 550. Besides, driving this thing in fully silent operation really amplifies the G's excessive wind noise. Sure, the 2025 G-Class was redesigned to be a wee bit more aerodynamic, but this is still a vehicle with the drag coefficient of a warehouse.

Dynamically speaking, the G 580 drives, well, like a G-Class. The steering is somewhat light and there are pronounced fore-aft motions during braking and launching. Here's some good news, though: Unlike Mercedes' other EVs, the G 580 doesn't do the stupid thing where it moves the brake pedal to "match" the effort of the regenerative braking (which is adjustable, by the way).

Off-roads like a champ

By now, you've probably seen the G 580's rad G-Turn feature, where you can spin the car in place to either get yourself out of a tricky situation or make your friends puke (take your pick). But I promise, there's more to this SUV's off-road cred than that. Having four individually controllable electric motors — one at each wheel — gives the G 580 incredible on-the-fly torque transfer adjustability. The amount of power distribution available is equal to that of the gas-powered G's with their locking differentials.

Along a pretty darn tough off-road course, anything the G 550 can do, the G 580 can handle, too. Serious wheel articulation, low-range rock crawling, high-speed dirt-track running … you name it, the G 580 EV can tackle it with aplomb. It has 9.8 inches of ground clearance — 0.3 inch more than the G 550 — and the battery pack is covered by a thick shield made of a carbon-fiber composite. Mercedes-Benz reps say it's nearly impossible to damage, but in the weird event that you do, it's a solid piece that can easily be replaced.

Crawling along in the electric G-wagen is a cinch. You can activate low-speed crawl control that works on flat surfaces as well as hills, and will even drive the G 580 backward if you put it in reverse. The electric power is super easy to manage — much more so than the G 550's gas engine, in fact — and because each wheel is controlled individually, the G 580 can even lock one of the rear wheels as needed to drag it around a turn, making it a piece of cake to handle ridiculously tight maneuvers.

Spec the G 580 EV with all-terrain tires and it's honestly the best off-roader of the G-Class lineup. Its 32-degree approach and 30.7-degree departure angles are slightly better than the G 550's, and while it won't do the crazy rally truck stuff that the AMG G 63 can manage, electric power once again proves its mettle as a formidable companion for low-speed dirty deeds.

Range and pricing are still unknown

For the 2025 model year, Mercedes-Benz will exclusively offer the G 580 EV in Edition One trim in the U.S., meaning it'll pretty much be fully loaded. It has all the other upgraded niceties found in the rest of the G-Class range, like MBUX infotainment tech with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and an expanded suite of driver assistance features.

Pricing hasn't been announced, but I'm expecting this to be one of the costlier G-Class models, probably with an MSRP similar to the AMG G 63 — whatever that ends up being. It's also unclear what sort of electric driving range the G 580 will have, though Mercedes-Benz is currently estimating somewhere between 240 and 250 miles, with the ability for the G-wagen to recharge at speeds up to 200 kW when plugged into a DC fast charger.

That range won't blow the doors off other EVs, but honestly, I don't imagine any future G 580 EV owner will care. People will buy it because it's an electric G-wagen, and that's really the only criteria.

Edmunds says

We're super glad the G 580 keeps all of the usual G-Class rhythms intact. Mercedes-Benz could've screwed this one up, but instead, the Germans got this one exactly right.