Mercedes-Benz EQG 2022 Shotgun Review

This particular example of the Mercedes-Benz EQG you see here will be in the millions as it’s a prototype, but by the time it reaches the showrooms in 2024, we anticipate the G-Class EV to be slightly above that of the current range-topping Mercedes-AMG G 63.

That would place it around $370,000 before on-road costs are added.

So it’ll be a lot, then, but Mercedes-Benz isn’t short of buyers clamouring for the G-Class, with demand outstripping supply, and the EQG is only likely to add to that. So much so that Mercedes-Benz Australia is not making any promises about local launch timing for the incoming e-G.

Like the rest of Mercedes-Benz’s rapidly expanding EQ line-up, it’s possible there will be a couple of models, with the car-maker trademarking both the EQG 560 and EQG 580 names. That suggests either a pair of EV choices, or, as is also possible, the company could be hedging its bets in relation to performance and range early on in the car’s development.

The G-Class operates in a rarefied sector, even within the Benz line-up, so the Mercedes-Benz EQG will come with an accordingly extensive list of standard equipment.

As a bare minimum you can expect seats that’ll offer near infinite electric adjustment, configurable digital instrumentation and a central screen operated by Mercedes’ MBUX control system.

That’s all in the familiar, beautifully finished and pleasingly robust, comfortable cabin of the G-Class.

Naturally, within that MBUX infotainment system will be EQG-specific items that relate to charging, differing drive modes and, of course, the G’s off-road capability, which the team behind it insisted had to be retained for the EQG to be a proper G-Class.

That is why, unlike some have reported, the EQG doesn’t ride on one of Mercedes-Benz’s skateboard EQ platforms like the EQE, EQS and EQS SUV, but instead retains its ladder-frame chassis, to which the body is attached.

The battery is situated between those chassis rails and forms a structural element, powering no less than four individual electric motors, each responsible for an individual wheel.

Mercedes-Benz has long pinned its colours to the safety mast, and the Mercedes-Benz EQG is no different.

It’ll come fully loaded with all of Mercedes-Benz’s active assist and driver aids to help keep you in your lane, anticipate accidents, monitor your drowsiness and more besides.

Should all of that still not be enough to avoid a collision, the G’s a strong vehicle, with an interior littered with airbags, so safety shouldn’t be an issue.

With the EQG, the engineers have gone to incredible lengths to protect the battery from damage off-road via rocks puncturing it, or water ingress.

Emmerich Schiller, CEO of Mercedes-Benz’s G-Class sub-brand, who’s driving one of the EQG prototypes today, is only too happy to demonstrate that as he deliberately bottoms the vehicle out on a rock, before letting it slide over it, confident that the material, a Kevlar carbon apparently – picked because it’s lighter than steel but just as strong – protects the battery within it.

The production version of the Mercedes-Benz EQG will come loaded with tech and connectivity, but just what that all is we’ll have to wait and see.

Managing the four electric motors has been the biggest development issue with the EQG, though Schiller admits they weren’t starting from a knowledge pool of zero, because AMG did produce the similarly four-motor-powered SLS AMG Electric Drive, of which it sold a handful.

A different application here, perhaps, but useful transferable engineering as a baseline.

The engineers are extremely tight-lipped when being questioned, keeping details limited as the Mercedes-Benz EQG is so far away from production.

What they’re happy to reveal is to reiterate what we’ve already seen with the unveiling of the near-production EQG concept last year.

That includes the fitment of four electric motors that are mounted close to each wheel and are individually controllable.

There’s no word on output, and details on the battery – including size and chemistry – are also a no-go area for now.

In terms of weight, which is a common drawback with EVs and will only add to the G-Class that already tips the scales at 2.5 tonnes (G 63), the EQG is expected to add another 25 per cent, pushing it to at least 3000kg.

To shift that with the conviction, and ease, that the EQG demonstrated on our lengthy shotgun ride, we’d suggest the quad-motor layout will produce around 500kW/950Nm, as seen on the 2.7-tonne dual-motor Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 sedan.

The batteries currently should come from within the EQ family, so expect the highest-capacity 108kWh for now.

However, Mercedes-Benz is known to be developing higher-density packs – by around 20 per cent – featuring silicon anodes, with rumours circulating that the EQG may well get such a battery pack as an option.

Just how that will translate to efficiency is impossible to say with any conviction. Should the Mercedes-Benz EQG feature a battery with 20 per cent more density than the existing 108kWh one that features in the EQS SUV, the EQG, accounting for its expected greater mass and its less-than-wind-cheating shape, should be able to cover around 500km on a full charge.

Enough for most drivers, and it’s certain that the EQG will be able to accept charge at the rate of current models, so a 10-80 per cent charge on a high-output 200kW charger should be possible in around 30-40 minutes.

During our lengthy off-road excursion in the passenger seat, the range displayed in the driver’s instrumentation only dropped by around 8-9%, despite the EQG hauling itself up, down and around terrain with ease, the battery gaining useful regeneration on descents.

Our shotgun ride in the 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQG prototype took place in Carcassonne, France, at a vineyard clinging onto precipitous valley sides and a location that’s one of Mercedes-Benz’s preferred venues for testing its iconic G-Class 4x4.

This was one of the locations for the launch of the ‘new’ G-Class back in 2018, and I’ve just been around that tough route again in the ridiculous Mercedes-AMG G 63 4x4², the portal-axled monster truck that’s pretty damned difficult to justify in these more environmentally conscious times. It was incredible.

However, it’s not the headline act today, that instead reserved for the other G-Class that sits at a more dignified, regular ride height. It’s attempting to hide under a blue swirly ‘camouflage’, but there’s no covering the G-Class’ boxy form.

As this is an early prototype, we’re only allowed in the passenger seat for now, but Schiller is insistent that if Mercedes-Benz was going to electrify its off-road icon, it had to do so without reducing its off-road ability.

Even so early in its development, what they’ve achieved is impressive.

The EQG brings a number of advantages off-road, thanks in no small part to the instant torque on offer, as well as the possibility to control each wheel individually.

The G-Class retains a low-ratio transfer box; indeed, it has one on each of the motors, which aids off-road progress while allowing the motors to work efficiently and help manage their cooling at low speeds.

There’s a creeper mode, which allows feet-off driving at low speed and is useful for descents, acting like an engine brake.

The four motors allow the EQG greater manoeuvrability, too. This is ably demonstrated by the possibility to ‘G-Turn’ it, where, by rotating one sides’ wheels in one direction and the opposite wheels in the other direction, it can turn in its own length – like a tracked vehicle can.

It’s as hilarious to watch outside as it is to experience it inside, the engineers admitting it’ll be a function that’s only selectable when off-road.

To do so you need to press a button on the centre console, within which, intriguingly, a second button is situated. It’s still covered up, and when asked, the engineers say there’ll be something else the EQG can do, but that’s for another day…

Like all EVs, the acceleration feels brisk and linear, and it’s all but silent on the move, refinement being incredible, even at decent speeds when you’d anticipate the boxy G-Class to produce a fair bit of wind noise.

Off-road it feels absolutely unstoppable. Indeed, the photographer-carrying G 500 Professional ahead with its combustion engine and its more conventional 4x4 hardware looks like it’s pushing its limits on the off-road route, while the EQG feels like it’s not breaking a sweat.

We’ll be able to ascertain exactly how good it is on- and off-road in time, but from the passenger seat, in extreme conditions, it’s impossible not to be impressed with how easy the EQG made it all seem.

It’s quiet inside the Mercedes-Benz EQG, and, this being a prototype, most of the interior is covered by black material to hide details from prying eyes.

It’s also full of cables, laptops and suchlike, though the production model will be near identical to the internal-combustion G-Class, which is no bad thing.

What is notable is the absence of any creaking, rattling or resonance in the cabin, underlining the fantastic build quality in the interior.

If the Mercedes-Benz EQG is on your wish list, and you’ve got the means, then we can’t think of many reasons why you wouldn’t hold out for the all-electric G-Class.

Iconic looks, incredible off-road ability and the promise of a respectable range, it’s a 4x4 you can buy with a clearer conscience than many others.

You’ll be in for a wait, though, as it’s pencilled in for 2024.

What’s more, demand is so strong, and supply tight, that regular combustion-engined versions of the G-Class are currently unavailable in Australia. So when it does reach production, the EQG might be even harder to secure.

But it’s on the horizon at least, and primed to change long-held perceptions of what 4x4 off-roaders could be – and perhaps what they should be.

2024 Mercedes-Benz EQG at a glance:
Price: $370,000 estimated (plus on-road costs)
Available: 2024
Powertrain: Four axial flux electric motors
Output: 500kW/950Nm estimated
Transmission: Two-speed automatic
Battery: 108kWh lithium-ion estimated
Range: To be confirmed
Energy consumption: To be confirmed
Safety rating: Not tested