The gas-guzzling Mercedes G-Class will lose its thirsty combustion engines for a purely electric EQG scheduled to go on sale in 2024. In the meantime, there’s still a lot of testing that needs to be done to perfect the silent off-roader with its quad-motor setup. A new video shot by popular YouTuber JerryRigEverything shows the EQG at the G-Class Experience Center in Graz, Austria where the ICE-powered off-roader has been in production since 1979.
Although it’s only an early prototype, we can see the EQG flexing its go-anywhere muscles by climbing stairs and rocks without breaking a sweat. It also performs a tank turn (aka G Turn) by doing donuts on the spot. It even goes up a steep slope in reverse to highlight the advantages of an electric motor’s instant response. The EQG will be the second Mercedes electric model to have four e-motors, after the short-lived AMG SLS Electric Drive.
The walkaround video shows a familiar boxy shape but with subtle changes such as the air curtains in the rear wheel arches for better aerodynamic efficiency. Since there’s no combustion engine under the hood that would require cooling, it has a faux grille in the same vein as other EQ-branded models. Fitting the battery pack has created a flat underbody for smoother airflow.
Mercedes went through the trouble of camouflaging the dashboard, which tells us the EQG will have some changes compared to the venerable G-Class. However, spy shots from mid-January have revealed the purely electric model won’t stray away too far from the gasoline/diesel G. The YouTuber does say the digital instrument cluster is “far more useful” than the one inside the Rivian R1S and “far more realistic” than on the Hummer EV SUV.
The three-pointed star remains tight-lipped about the technical specifications, but the video host says even a single electric motor would be powerful enough to propel the EQG. That’s impressive considering the vehicle is estimated to weigh 6,600 pounds (3,000 kilograms). For reference, the AMG G63 with its brawny V8 engine tips the scales at nearly 5,550 lbs (almost 2,500 kg).
We get to learn the EQG has the electric equivalent of a low-range mode as well as the ability to climb a hill without the driver having to press the accelerator pedal. It should be noted the electric G won’t spell the end for the gasoline- and diesel-fueled versions as those will stick around for a while. Inevitably, the ICE models will be dropped.
