Mercedes-Benz Malaysia today launched the electric G-Class, which is officially referred to as the Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology. First previewed by the Concept EQG over three years ago, the G580 is built on a ladder-frame chassis like a regular G-Class with a combustion engine, albeit with some changes.
As a start, a reinforced chassis is necessary to accommodate the 116-kWh lithium-ion battery, which supports DC fast charging at a peak capacity of 200 kW – a 10-80% state of charge (SoC) is achieved in 32 minutes. There’s also slower AC charging at 11 kW, with a 10-100% SoC reached in 12 hours. Fully charged, the maximum WLTP-rated range is up to 473 km.
The battery is linked to four electric motors, with two in each housing at the front and rear axles. Each motor comes with its own two-speed transmission that is integrated into a shared housing, enabling low- and high-range gearing like you would find in most 4×4 vehicles. Power from the motors is transmitted to the wheels via dual-joint shafts, which provide the advantage of ensuring the camber does not change during compression.
Each electric motor develops 147 PS (145 hp or 108 kW), with the rated system output being of 587 PS (579 hp or 432 kW) and a whopping 1,164 Nm of torque. For context, the current (W465) Mercedes-AMG G63 on sale here with its 4.0 litre biturbo V8 petrol engine makes 585 PS (577 hp or 430 kW) and 850 Nm.
Since we’re mentioning the G63, let’s take a slight detour and talk pricing. The G580 at RM958,888 on-the-road without insurance costs significantly (nearly 51%) less than the G63 which goes for RM1,948,888. We can thank the current incentives for fully-imported (CBU) electric vehicles (EVs), as the G580 in Germany is priced at nearly 143k euros, which is only about 25% less than the G63 sold at 191k euros there.
Performance-wise, the G580 takes 4.7 seconds to get from 0-100 km/h (4.4 seconds for the G63) and is limited to a top speed of 180 km/h (240 km/h for the G63). If you miss the sound of a V8, there’s a G-Roar function that generates a driving sound reminiscent of V8-powered models.
With four independently driven wheels, the G580 is capable of performing a G-Turn, which you’ve probably seen in videos posted on social media. With the right conditions (loose or unpaved surfaces) and the car set up accordingly (put into ‘D’, Rock mode engaged and low range enabled), the vehicle can perform up to a 720-degree spin on the spot.
There’s also G-Steering that regulates drive torque to enable tighter turning when space is limited. In operation, it reverses one of the rear wheels in the direction in which you want to go and allows the car to make a sharp 90-degree turn using the other rear wheel as a pivot. This too requires specific conditions to be met (same as G-Turn) and there’s a speed limit of 25 km/h.
For those willing to take their G580 off-road, an intelligent crawl function is available low range is engaged. With this, drivers will use the shift paddles to adjust their desired crawl speeds from as low as two km/h and up depending on the gradient and situation.
More off-road-related details of the G580 include a ground clearance of 250 mm, an approach angle of 32 degrees and a departure angle of 30.7 degrees. The breakover angle of 20.3 degrees is less than a standard G-Class’ 26 degrees, but the G580 makes up for it with a water fording depth of 850 mm, which is 150 mm more than other G-Class variants with a conventional powertrain.
As for how the EV looks, there are a few design cues to make it identifiable as a the fully electric version. The most obvious is the model-specific illuminated front grille, which has a glossy black insert with thin slits. The round headlamps also get surrounding trim in black, while the intakes in the lower apron get square lattice inserts.
Elsewhere, there’s a slightly raised bonnet, air curtains in the rear wheel arch flares and a square box at the back that fits a charging cable. These accompany changes introduced with the facelifted W465 G-Class, including cladding for the A-pillars and a spoiler lip on the roof to optimise aerodynamics to hit the claimed range possible.
Inside, the design of the dashboard and layout of the controls are pretty much identical to a regular G-Class, although the Offroad Cockpit between the central air vents have new controls for the “G functions” mentioned earlier. The G580 uses torque vectoring to create virtual differential locks, so there’s no buttons for mechanical-type diff locks. Our G580 gets the Superior Line interior with a Nappa leather dashboard, AMG carbon-fibre trim and Microcut microfibre roof liner in black.
In terms of equipment, the G580 comes standard with adaptive dampers, Electric Dynamic Select drive modes, the Night package, a sunroof, 20-inch AMG 10-spoke light-alloy wheels, side running boards, illuminated sill panels, darkened Multibeam LED headlamps, a Nappa leather steering wheel, ambient lighting, Keyless-Go, black Nappa leather upholstery, Manufaktur seat belts in magma grey and a grab handle with ‘Manufaktur’ lettering.
Other features include an MBUX infotainment system with additional displays for rear passengers, a Burmester sound system and comprehensive suite of driver assistance systems, including Active Parking Assist with Parktronic, lane keeping assist, Pre-Safe, Guard 360, blind spot monitoring, Active Distance Assist Distronic (adaptive cruise control) with steering assist, a 360-degree camera, Adaptive Highbeam Assist Plus and MBUX augmented reality navigation.
Mercedes-Benz Malaysia is also offering the G580 in Edition guise (pictured here in blue) for RM40,000 more at RM998,888. This version is available in three Manufaktur finishes: south sea blue magno, opalite white magno and classic grey solid. Additionally, the wheels are black instead of the standard variant’s two-tone, there are black badges, the outer protective moulding has a blue trim strip on the insert, and the brake callipers are finished in blue.
Other unique touches include Manufaktur door handles with the letter ‘G’ embossed on them, a puddle lamp projecting ‘G- Strong Than Time’, matte black side mirror housings and running boards, Nappa leather upholstery in a silver pearl/black colour combination, a leather grab handle, blue topstitching for the steering wheel, blue carbon-fibre trim elements and AMG floor mats with topstitching also in blue.
Want to check out the G580 with EQ technology in person?
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GALLERY: 2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology official launch photos
GALLERY: 2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology Edition One official launch photos
