The day didn’t start like any other day, it started at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Karaka, Auckland, with a Mercedes-Benz S-Class limousine waiting outside to whisk us away to the spectacular Boom Rock in Kauri Bay. This beautiful location is also home to a 4×4 Proving Ground, one that we had never driven before, specially built for the G580 test drive. There really is no better location to test such a high profile product as the all-new fully electric, Mercedes-Benz G 580 Edition One.
Anyone worth their salt in the car industry knows about the G-Class product, more know it as a G-Wagon. This product has become one of the timeless icons of the motoring industry, much like the Land Rover Defender or the Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series. What sets the G-Class apart is that it has not only become a fashion icon, but a movie icon too. The G-Class is to the auto industry as a Hermes Birken bag is to fashion. You can only get one if you can afford it, and those who know, know what they stand for. Its movie status has seen every Russian villain or hired military force drive the G63 AMG G-Class, as they exude a presence of immense power, wealth and the ultimate in luxury 4×4 go anywhere transport.
Now, for the first time, there is another drive train option for the prestigious G-Class, a fully electric one. This one is a bit different to many other EVs as it does not have single or twin motor options, like other high-end EVs. No, it’s got four electric motors, one at each wheel, which gives the mighty G580 432kW of power and a staggering 1,164Nm of torque. Both of those numbers are pretty impressive, but they need to be, as the G580 weights in at a colossal 3,090kg. Surprisingly, due to the weight of the vehicle, it’s unable to be fitted with a tow-bar of any kind from the factory. But it may not matter, as the electric motors can carry this weight and still get to 100kmph in 4.7 seconds.
It may seem like the G580 is also about big numbers, well it is, and another big number is the price, which is probably one of the biggest numbers. The standard G580 will start at $231,400 plus on road costs. The Edition One, which is the first run available in New Zealand that comes with a special spec level, will start at $276,000 plus on road costs.
The core of the weight is of course the battery, which is a huge 124kWh lithium-ion battery. It sits on the underside of the cabin in between the ladder chassis frame. This battery is also protected by a ridiculously strong carbon composite protection panel. How it’s made is a secret, but they said that the entire vehicle’s weight can be placed on a 5cm point on this panel, and it will not break. Why do you need such a panel, you might ask? Well, the G-Class is not only a vehicle driven by the rich and famous, it’s also among the most versatile 4x4s on the planet. And Mercedes-Benz said the electric model won’t be any different, and must be able to do everything the combustion engine variants can do. Today’s launch was going to show us that the G-Class is still the king of the hill.
To put some context to what the G-Class can handle, you must first understand road angle and slope grade. The angle of a road’s slope is often expressed as a percentage grade. This is calculated by dividing the vertical rise by the horizontal run, and then expressing the result as a percentage. For example, a 7% grade means that the road rises 7 ft for every 100 ft it runs horizontally. So this means that a slope of 100% grade is a true 45-degree angle or a 45% road angle, a very steep road indeed. Baldwin Street in Dunedin is the world’s steepest street, and that has a road angle of 34.8%, which is a 67.45% grade. Most of the world’s standard manufactured vehicles cannot handle a 100% grade (45 degrees) but the G-Class can, and it can do it on road tyres too.
If you need to geek out more about this, check out the Engineering Explained video on how well the standard G-Wagon handles anything.
Our day started off with a bit of a brief on the technical aspects of the all new Mercedes-Benz G580, but what we really wanted to know was how it drives. There was a fleet of 4 cars, one of every colour available, Black, Grey, White and Pearl White. The blue on show was a special MANUFAKTUR colour, only available on the G580. It looked great, especially in the midday sun.
We split up into groups and set off on what we were told was a brand-new extreme track that had never been driven at BoomRock before. This track enabled us to test out many of the new features of the G580, like G–Turn and G-Steer, and to experience how well it can navigate almost any terrain.
G-Steer is one of the new features on the new G580, which is a system used to turn the back of the vehicle around a very sharp turn. What it essentially does is lock up the inside wheel based on the direction you are turning, so that it hooks the rear of the vehicle around, making a tight 3-point turn in one clean motion. It was super easy to use and rather impressive. It almost felt like drifting in slow motion.
G-Turn is something from sci-fi movies, or blockbuster action movies. This feature allows independent use of all 4 electric motors, and enables the G580 to turn on the spot. You engage G-Turn, and then hold the paddle of the direction you want to turn and floor it. Then the vehicle rotates on the spot through 360 degrees. It’s for that moment in the movie when you drive down a seemingly quiet street to be then ambushed by special forces, you can quickly turn on the spot and get away. Ok, it’s pretty impressive offload too, which is where it’s really designed for.
Going back to the % slope, one part of the track had a 44% grade slope, which is 44 degrees. On road tyres, the G580 navigated down this slope, which is a mud trail, then we were instructed to stop, and then told to reverse back up the slope – all of which the G580 did with ease. Once we were done with that, we went down to the bottom of the slope into swamp that was so deep the water came up to the top of the bonnet. And the G580 didn’t miss a beat, pulling itself clear of the swamp ready for the next challenge.
Another impressive feature on the G580 is the Offroad Cockpit, which shows an array of gauges that cover power to wheels, slope angles, suspension travel and much more. This also allows access to the camera system that can be used in a variety of ways. You can aim it forward and see what’s right on the front of the car. But when you are going up a steep slope and cresting a hill, you can’t see the ground. The camera system shows you the ground below the vehicle, right under you, so you can see where the track is even when there is nothing to see out of the front windscreen.
Last but not least is Off-road Crawl, which is a bit like 4Lo on standard 4×4 vehicles. But the difference here is that you can set the crawl to move forward at a range of speeds, using the paddles to speed up or slow down. This can be used on the flat or up and down steep slopes. I thought it was a great feature, as you could concentrate more on the track ahead.
The G580 is a beast, both on and off the road, this electric model really shows us that the G-Class has not lost any of its core DNA. The strange reality of this vehicle is that this may be the only time in its life that it’s pushed to its limits, or it sees more than just a freshly mowed lawn under its tyres. I look forward to getting to spend a bit more time in the G580 for our in-depth review of what it’s like to live with the all new electric G-Wagon.
