MERCEDES-BENZ G580 EQ
Autocar UK|May 15, 2024
High-end off-roader gets an EV variant with a motor for each wheel and a big battery
MURRAY SCULLION
MERCEDES-BENZ G580 EQ

Hands unyielding on the steering wheel. Foot welded to the accelerator. Round and round I go for two rotations, inner ear out of sync, the world a blur.

I'm experiencing this new Mercedes EV's party trick: the 'G-Turn'. All four of its electric motors rotate it nearly on the spot. It's good fun and it's quick, unlike when BYD's Yangwang U8 does it. A bit of a gimmick? Sure, but the G-Class has always been a bit gimmicky, and this is a G-Class through and through.

The first electric G-Class - or, to use its clumsy proper name, the G580 with EQ Technology - sits alongside the regular G450d, G500 and AMG G63 (see p30-31), and Mercedes really wants you to just see this as a G-Class first and a powertrain variant second.

And you know what? Stuttgart has nailed it. It has even objectively improved the formula in some areas. The EV is certainly a lot torquier than the G63, quieter than the 'regular' G-Classes and better off road than any of them.

But we're really not looking at the most objective, straightforward or sensible car in the world here.

Looks-wise, it's certainly a G-Class. Intriguingly, the blankedoff front grille you see in the image above isn't coming to the UK initially, anyway. It will retain the standard G-Class one.

Esta historia es de la edición May 15, 2024 de Autocar UK.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición May 15, 2024 de Autocar UK.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE AUTOCAR UKVer todo
THE DRAMATIC ITALIAN THAT MARKED THE END OF AN ERA
Autocar UK

THE DRAMATIC ITALIAN THAT MARKED THE END OF AN ERA

When the Huracán bowed out, the curtain fell forever on Lambo's V10

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 27, 2024
HOW EV MAKERS CAN WIN THE RACE TO 5.0MPKWH
Autocar UK

HOW EV MAKERS CAN WIN THE RACE TO 5.0MPKWH

Manufacturers are honing every detail to close in on big efficiency goal

time-read
1 min  |
November 27, 2024
MASERATI MC20
Autocar UK

MASERATI MC20

We bid a sad farewell to a handsome supercar that was easy to live with

time-read
4 minutos  |
November 27, 2024
The quickening
Autocar UK

The quickening

Instant acceleration is part of the appeal of an EV, but is it all getting a bit much for unwary and inexperienced drivers? JOHN EVANS investigates

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 27, 2024
Inside track
Autocar UK

Inside track

Watching an F1 race with live access to engineers and telemetry is the stuff of dreams for racing fans. ALEX WOLSTENHOLME makes a day of it

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 27, 2024
WHOLE IN ONE
Autocar UK

WHOLE IN ONE

The Volkswagen Golf has been all things to all motorists for half a century. At the wheel of a classic Mk1, VICKY PARROTT charts the eight-generation history of one of the world's most successful cars

time-read
7 minutos  |
November 27, 2024
DACIA DUSTER
Autocar UK

DACIA DUSTER

Mk3 model gains digital tech, ADAS, slicker looks... Is this mission creep?

time-read
10 minutos  |
November 27, 2024
MAZDA CX-80 PHEV
Autocar UK

MAZDA CX-80 PHEV

Another look at Mazda's hefty SUV, this time in plug-in hybrid form

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 27, 2024
VAUXHALL GRANDLAND ELECTRIC
Autocar UK

VAUXHALL GRANDLAND ELECTRIC

Newcomer looks to ease the average family SUV driver into EV motoring

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 27, 2024
BMW X3 20 XDRIVE
Autocar UK

BMW X3 20 XDRIVE

Fourth generation of brand's best-seller arrives with base petrol engine

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 27, 2024