First Drive: The all-electric Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon is a smooth ride even at low speeds

I wanted to like the Mercedes-Benz G580, the first battery-powered addition to the German marque’s classically rectilinear G-Class family of SUVs. It’s a category that—as the owner of a 1990 Range Rover Classic, and a former owner of 1980 Jeep Grand Wagoneers—I’ve long been drawn to. Yet I realized that, despite my best efforts, I could not demonstrate sincere devotion.

As a fully electric vehicle, the G 580 tries to “solve” one of the model’s main flaws: its obvious and insatiable thirst for petroleum. But as 579 hp, nearly 7,000 pounds of planetary resources, it’s as green as vinyl redwood, and far more likely to become a deadly cudgel if it crashes.

With an EPA-estimated range of 240 miles in its most efficient form (smaller 18-inch wheels, pushing off-road tires), the Electric G is also hardly a model of parsimony, despite some aerodynamic tweaks that smooth the wind. help to do Its inherently blocky shape. Wisely, the same 116 kWh battery pack in the G 580 propels the lower, lighter, and sleeker EQS sedan more than 100 miles on a single charge. And the G-ROAR soundtrack that pours into the cabin while driving — mimicking the burble of a conventional gas-guzzling V-8 engine — undermines one of the primary advantages of an EV, less intrusion into the car. It is an engaging auditory experience.

But perhaps most notably, the combination of the G 580’s impressive mass and high ride height contributes to a sense of unease on the road. At speed—even at moderate or low speeds, even on relatively smooth surfaces—it can be difficult to control, as it rolls, rebounds, burrows like a dog’s litter on a bed of water. And rolls. When I spent time driving the Electric G’s updated gas-powered sibling, the 577 hp, V-8-powered G 63 AMG, that grunt felt even more pronounced. Any erratic road manners in the G 63 are negated by the optional, and exclusive, electro-hydraulic suspension, which virtually eliminates pitch, roll, and rebound, and keeps the truck feeling smooth and stable. Every road we drive on.

“The G 63 Driver is the sportiest of the G portfolio,” said Michael Schiebi, CEO of Mercedes’ AMG Performance sub-brand, when I asked him about the G 580’s anomaly. “Entry customers don’t want to spend that much money for the G, so we’ve kept some features for the higher end of the portfolio.”

Withholding access to that suspension seems illogical, even for the original “entry-level” G-Class, the $143,000, 416 hp G 550 V8, which we also drove. Weighing nearly 1,500 pounds less than its electric counterpart, the G 550 shakes on the road like just a more medium-sized egg yolk, but that could still help some maneuverability. But with the G 580 expected to cost about the same amount as the $183,000 G 63 — a Mercedes spokesperson calls the G 580 the “new flagship” for the model line — the Shebi description loses any ground in reality. . Engineers told me there’s nothing stopping Mercedes from making this suspension system available on the Electric G. Doing so would address a large, and notable, lack of road manners.

The G 580 gets a few features that improve the nameplate’s already lofty off-road capabilities, though a statistically very small proportion of owners will ever drive it off the pavement. The gas-powered G features traditional low-range gearing and three locking front, rear and center differentials — mechanical bits that split powertrain output between the two axles to provide maximum traction in all conditions. Individual electric motors. Each is equipped with a unique two-speed transmission—to provide adequate low-speed thrust—and is connected to a microprocessor to instantly deliver power to any wheel or wheels. On debris, mud or ravines that can challenge some goats, the system works seamlessly, finding grip more effectively than Olympic rock climbing crews.

It made zipping up and down the rocky, rain-soaked, muddy foothills of the Pyrenees as easy as pushing the off-road crawl button. Aside from the occasional throttle and steering inputs, the G 580 figures out the rest, knowing which tires are and which are floating mid-air. Clever graphics show suspension articulation in real-time, and grille-mounted cameras even offer a view of what’s under and beyond the wide-planar hood while vertical viewing angles offer terrifying views of nothing but sky. provide

Given that it lacks the air of its gas-powered siblings—necessary to fuel the combustion explosions that drive these engines—the G 580 is 33.5 inches compared to its ICE counterparts (27.5 inches ) can wade through water six inches deeper than I left that depth behind as well, wading through a deep swamp the color and consistency of liquid peanut butter. This is achieved in part due to the impermeable battery casing made of forged aluminum and carbon fiber, a shell so rigid that it becomes a structural element of the vehicle’s chassis, embedded in a steel ladder frame. Replaces three cross beams.

Electric G’s second-party moves are even more noteworthy. With the vehicle positioned in loose terrain, pressing the “G-Turn” button while either holding the steering wheel pedal continuously and flooring the accelerator pedal will cause the truck to hang as much as three and a half tons on its axles. Ballerina This feat is amusing, nauseating, and completely pointless all at once.

The “G Steering” button is slightly more practical, and significantly less belly-turning. When you press it and look hard at the steering wheel, the function locks the inside rear wheel and oversteers the outside, allowing the 15-foot SUV to maneuver into tight corners like a smart four-to-handbrake turn. Lets move around. This would be handy if you’re ever autocrossing an Amazonian tributary, or trying to get into a “compact” spot in a flooded Trader Joe’s parking lot.

These ridiculous actions are not distractions. Like the G 580’s global introduction in April at a star-studded eight-figure bash in Beverly Hills Park, they’re on brand. It is a vehicle capable of transporting humans and their physical and emotional baggage at once, the baggage of a greedy lifestyle, wildly militarized transportation, and the realities of our ravaged world. A sheathing is an insulator. As with the Rolls-Royce Phantom, it’s unfair, if not overly counterintuitive, to judge it purely on functionality.

Still, since Mercedes is so consistent about nailing the details, it’s fair to insist that this electric G-wagon doesn’t drive like a 1972 Suburban, another beauty in my personal fleet. It’s an SUV. The brand has the technology to make the G 580 nearly perfect, but it sacrificed it to make its flashy G 63 AMG feel even more special. That seems ridiculous, even for a company that touts a six-figure, 7,000-pound truck as an environmental bet.