Is the 2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 With EQ Technology a Good Luxury SUV?
- Almost indistinguishable from the gas-powered G-Class SUV from a design perspective, the G580 With EQ Technology delivers all the luxury, exclusivity and quirkiness of the G-Wagen lineup, plus a sneaky dose of 21st century electric-vehicle technology.
How Does the 2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 With EQ Technology Compare With Other Luxury SUVs?
- The Rivian R1S Quad-Motor is the only other four-motor, super-expensive luxury SUV on the market, and it easily bests the Mercedes-Benz G580 in interior space, usable tech, driving range, power and pricing, but the Benz offers better interior materials quality, customization and cachet.
In general, we remain unconvinced about the wisdom of fully electric off-road trucks and SUVs. At least as of this writing, there’s nowhere to plug your car in when you’re out in the boondocks, overlanding from one spot to another. It’s good, then, that the new 2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 With EQ Technology (yes, that whole title is its official name) will almost certainly never venture any farther off pavement than the local polo fields; the only rodeo it’s likely to visit is Rodeo Drive.
Yes, the electric G580 has technology that would make it formidable out in the backcountry — but it also has technology that makes it unsuitable for venturing there. Rather, it’s a six-figure style statement, a cachet-loaded monster truck that will be perfect for a handful of buyers around the world: people who want to arrive in style and silence, who never venture too far from home and who like to have neat toys that can do remarkable things. In that role, the 2025 G580 With EQ Technology shines.
Related: 2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 With EQ Technology Up Close: G-reat
How Much Does a 2025 G580 With EQ Technology Cost?
The G580 is one of three trims of the G-Class SUV sold in the U.S. Sometimes called the G-Wagen — derived from the German Gelandewagen (roughly meaning “all-terrain vehicle”) — its lineup includes the G550 and AMG G63 gas-powered versions, along with the G580 With EQ Technology all-electric model. It was originally planned to be called the EQG, in keeping with Mercedes’ “EQ” sub-brand naming convention for its electric vehicles, but it came to market instead as the G580 With EQ Technology after Mercedes-Benz decided to drop its whole EQ nomenclature. I’m not sure this is a better option. Its prices are listed below, including a surprisingly reasonable $1,150 destination fee.
- G550: $149,400
- G580 With EQ Technology: $162,650
- AMG G63: $187,250
The biggest difference between the variants is what’s under the hood. The base G550 comes with a standard turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six-cylinder engine making 443 horsepower. Next priciest is the all-electric G580 With EQ Technology, which features four electric motors (one for each wheel) and a huge 116-kilowatt-hour battery pack, good for a robust 579 hp and a whopping 859 pounds-feet of torque. The priciest, top-of-the-line G-Wagen is the AMG G63, which features a 577-hp, twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 and special AMG tuning and styling.
Your Standard G-Wagen Inside and Out
Historically, the G-Wagen has been known for a few things. There’s its styling, for one, which has looked largely the same since it was introduced in 1979, right down to its fender-top corner lights, super-upright windshield and boxy overall shape. It was significantly redesigned for the 2019 model year, getting slightly smoothed out styling for improved aerodynamics, increased overall length and width, and a redone interior that fully updated the classic SUV with modern amenities.
Styling hasn’t changed much with this latest version, but the electric model does have some differences, including an available smooth-panel grille and unique wheels. Many of the same styling options available on the gas-powered G550 are available on the G580, including the blacked-out Night Package that my test vehicle came with. Other than that panel grille and the very small, subtle EQ badges on the lower front fenders, though, there’s very little to give away that this is the fully electric model instead of one of the gas-powered versions. The door locks still have that mechanical rifle-bolt clack, the doors still close with a tank-like clunk, and the G580 still uses push-button handles to open them up — just like God intended when the G-Wagen was created.
Climbing up into the cabin (it’s a bit of a step up) reveals the interior isn’t any different from a conventionally powered model, either, aside from a couple of extra menus in the multimedia system and a few buttons that have been relabeled for unique functions. It’s a commanding driving position — almost like a Jeep Wrangler’s, but with a shorter, more sloped hood. The traditional corner marker lights are clearly visible at each front corner, and the boxy hood joins in for a truly retro feel. Twin 12.3-inch screens in front of you aren’t, however, retro at all; they’re fully modern. The gauge cluster is digital and reconfigurable to several variations, and the center touchscreen runs the MBUX software, which is the last generation of the company’s system. (Mercedes has since moved on to a newer, more simplified version in its latest sedans and SUVs.) The G580 also has Mercedes’ touch-sensitive steering-wheel controls, which we’ve come to despise and which the brand has put on just about everything in its showrooms.
The front seats are comfortable, and there’s plenty of headroom, but there’s not a lot of legroom in either the front or rear seats; taller drivers may find that the seat doesn’t go back far enough for them to be properly comfortable, and anyone over 5-foot-10 will be uncomfortable in the backseat, which isn’t adjustable. Rear headroom, however, is plentiful thanks to the G580’s tall roof and upright side windows. So even though it’s not overly commodious for stretching out, it doesn’t feel terribly cramped thanks to that airy greenhouse. Cargo room in the back is adequate, and folding the backseats down to open up even more space can be done in a 60/40 split — though you’ll have to move the front seats forward a bit in order to fully lower the rear seatbacks.
The G580’s packaging reveals its old-school origins as a true SUV, not a car-based crossover. Its overall size inside and out isn’t that different from a four-door Wrangler. It’s positively dwarfed by Mercedes’ big three-row SUV, the GLS-Class, but the G-Wagen has never really been about feeling good; it’s always been much more about looking good, at least in the communities that buy these things as daily drivers. And in terms of style and presence, it still turns heads and impresses passengers with its design.
Opting for the Electric Version
Not surprisingly, the biggest difference between the electric G580 and the gas-powered versions is the powertrain experience. There’s no snorty gas engine underhood, no side-exit AMG exhaust, no rumble or roar at all (unless you activate Mercedes’ “G-Roar” sounds, which I did for precisely 3 minutes before switching it off and never touching it again). There’s no transfer case and no mechanically locking differentials, just four motors mounted to the chassis in special housings and connected to the wheels by half shafts. The front suspension is double-wishbone independent, and the rear uses a solid axle that’s unique to the G580. The electric motors — which each independently produce 145 hp but collectively are rated at 579 hp and 859 pounds-feet of torque — each have a small geared low-range transmission integrated into their housing, allowing for a 2:1 reduction for off-road duty at speeds up to 53 mph. What all this means is that the G580 With EQ Technology is just as capable in the dirt as its gas-powered siblings — maybe even more so. According to Mercedes, it can climb a 100% grade and has 9.8 inches of ground clearance, a 32-degree approach angle, a 30.7-degree departure angle and a 20.3-degree breakover. It can ford water up to 33.5 inches — 5.9 inches more than its gas-powered siblings.
The uniqueness of its powertrain also enables the G580 to do things no gas-powered off-roader can do. It uses “virtual differential locks” and computer-controlled torque vectoring for maximum off-road traction, and it can individually and minutely control power at each wheel for maximum traction. It can also do things like a “G-Turn,” which, when activated, spins the left-side wheels in the opposite direction of the right-side wheels, causing the G580 to spin in place like a tank. There’s also a G-Steering mode that can dramatically reduce the SUV’s turning circle off-road. Both systems should only be used on low-friction surfaces, like dirt, mud, sand and ice, to avoid damaging tires and components. But they actually work best as show-off party tricks rather than useful off-road tools — but man, they do show off well.
Is It Any Good to Drive?
So those are the technical specs, but what is it like to actually drive a G580 With EQ Technology? On pavement, the G580 feels much like other G-Wagens: heavy and a little tippy due to the driving position, but incredibly solid and vault-like. On the highway, it’s quiet, planted and just eats up miles. There’s a bit of wind noise — which is to be expected from something shaped like an apartment block — but the fact that it isn’t even louder is a testament to the sound-deadening material Mercedes-Benz uses. It has to be plentiful, given there isn’t any powertrain noise to mask road and wind noise.
It’s the G580’s acceleration that’s most notable. You get all the thrust of the gas-powered models without any of the noise, which is both very cool and something of a letdown. The AMG G63 in particular is remarkable for the fuel-to-noise converter under its hood, but if you want your G580 With EQ Technology to make any noise, you’ll have to activate the G-Roar feature, which pipes in some fake powertrain sounds (pro tip: don’t, just enjoy the silence). Mercedes’ published 0-60 mph time is 4.6 seconds, which isn’t the kind of explosive acceleration you get in something like the new Rivian R1S Quad-Motor (which gets to 60 in a claimed 2.6 seconds), but it’s respectable for a vehicle that weighs 6,746 pounds. That’s more than 1,200 pounds heavier than a gas-powered G550, and you’ll feel it in the G580’s handling and ride characteristics. Batteries are heavy, friends.
Dirt Capable
So what about G-Turn and G-Steering? I had the opportunity to take the G580 off-road at Holly Oaks ORV park north of Detroit while scouting for a comparison test, and while its all-season tires meant its off-road ability was limited, I learned enough to know that, with the right rubber, it would be nigh unstoppable in the dirt. It has all the required underbody protection to survive some serious wheeling, plus various drive modes for handling low-friction surfaces, rock crawling, obstacles and more.
At higher speeds, its adaptive shocks did an excellent job filtering out washboard dirt roads. And the G-Turn and G-Steering functions, which can only be activated in low-range and Rock modes, work as advertised. After a number of steps to activate the system (using buttons that on other G-Wagens activate the front, center and rear differential locks), G-Turn rotates the vehicle in place, while G-Steering brakes wheels selectively to dramatically reduce the SUV’s turning circle. They’re fun to see in action, but G-Turn can seriously damage soft surfaces. Doing it on a trail will leave a deep circular trough, which won’t sit well with the Tread Lightly movement (and rightfully so). Trying it on an ice-and-snow-covered parking lot, however, would be plenty entertaining. There’s also an “Off-Road Cockpit” button, which brings up a bunch of meters, inclinometers and other displays in the center screen.
The G580 With EQ Technology is a formidable off-road vehicle — provided you don’t have to drive too far to get to the dirt: This EV’s EPA-rated driving range is only 239 miles. The G580 can DC fast-charge at up to 200 kilowatts, and Mercedes says it takes 32 minutes to bring the battery from 10% to 80% when charging at that rate. Its onboard AC charger operates at up to 9.6 kW, and it’ll take nearly 14 hours to fully charge the battery using a Level 2 charger operating at this rate. These are fairly standard numbers; they’re not remarkable in any way and don’t represent class-leading performance. Suffice it to say that long-distance road tripping is not really where the G580 With EQ Technology’s comfort zone is; staying closer to home, making trips around town and commuting to an office or fancy dinner joint is more its speed.
Still the Style Setter, But You Have Options
As far as electric luxury SUVs go, there’s really only one competitor that can stick it to the G580 With EQ Technology: the R1S Quad-Motor. And here’s where it becomes hard to justify the G580 on anything other than its image: The Rivian is quicker, bigger, more comfortable, more powerful, less expensive, easily as capable off-road, can also do G-Turns, has a frunk and comes with a multimedia system that’s easier to use. What the Rivian doesn’t have is the level of interior and exterior customization that Mercedes-Benz offers through its “Manufaktur” program (you might remember it by its former name, “Designo”), nor does it have comparable interior materials quality or the general cachet that comes with G-Wagen ownership. If going off-road isn’t as important to you, Lucid’s new Gravity SUV is also worth a look — heck, so are Mercedes-Benz’s other electric SUVs, like the EQS and EQE.
So if the G-Wagen’s image is most important to you but you’d like the convenience of never visiting a gas station for anything other than a wee and a Snapple, the G580 With EQ Technology is a decent-driving, tech-packed, show-off machine.
More Mercedes-Benz G-Class Coverage From Cars.com:
- 2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 With EQ Technology: The Clumsily Named Electric G-Wagen
- 2025 Mercedes-AMG G63 Review: Maximalist Icon
- Electric Six: 2025 Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen Offers Its First Six-Cylinder
- Six-Cylinder 2025 Mercedes-Benz G550 Priced From $149,400; Electric G580 From $180,900
- Find a 2025 Mercedes-Benz G-Class Near You
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