Mercedes' Electric G-Wagen Gets Stomped by American Rivals

It's no secret that Mercedes-Benz has had a rough start to the EV era, but the iconic marque's Q4 EV sales numbers are startling nonetheless. The compact EQB turned in the best year-over-year performance with a 36-percent decline, while the EQE line (sedan and SUV) dropped by 39 percent and the EQS duo (sedan and SUV) performed a 52-percent faceplant. But at least now there's the new-for-2025 Electric G-Wagen, right? Surely a similar fate won't befall the new halo truck in Benz's EV lineup?

Well, here's the thing about halo cars and trucks: their specs are supposed to blow your mind, making their stratospheric pricing comprehensible. That's not the case with the "G580 with EQ Technology," to use Mercedes' mellifluous moniker for the only electric G-Wagen configuration that's currently available. Despite coming standard with four motors (four!), the G EV is well behind the curve by almost every measure save off-road performance. Don't take our word for it; the numbers below tell the story.

Premium Luxury Electric SUV Scorecard: America 5, Mercedes 0

According to our rankings, there are presently seven electric luxury SUVs that are rarified enough to be classified as premium, two of which are Benzes: the G-Class EV and the blob-like EQS SUV. The remaining five are all American in origin, which means it's Mercedes versus America for supremacy in this segment. Historically, that hasn't been a winning proposition for the American side, but wow, how the tables have turned. Here's how that segment shakes out across the key EV datapoints, sorted by range to start.

Not surprisingly, the Benzes bring up the rear in our rankings, the EQS taking sixth place and the poor G EV sitting dead last in seventh. How could it be otherwise? They have the lowest peak charge rates, the slowest 0-60 times except for the one that's roughly the size of an aircraft carrier (seriously, the Escalade IQ is as long as a Suburban, a story for another day), and the highest base prices, by more than $30,000 in the G's case.

As for range, the EQS 580 4MATIC SUV, the configuration that we feel is the EQS SUV's best foot forward, doesn't dramatically disappoint and even beats the (nearly 4.5-ton) Hummer by a hair. But our main concern is the electric G-Wagen, and you're not reading that wrong — its range is indeed 239 miles, starting with a 2, not a 3. That's more than fine for toodling around town, and maybe Mercedes thinks there are enough image-conscious toodlers out there with $165k lying around to clinch some sales. Be that as it may, the competition quite simply puts the G EV's range to shame. There's no two ways about it.

It's especially disappointing because 300 miles has long been a magic number for EV shoppers. Mercedes knows this, yet the G580 with EQ Technology comes up 61 miles short — make that 96 miles short at a steady 70 mph — while its rivals cruise on by. The Cadillac and Lucid even come close to doubling the G's range, and may well do so on the highway. It's just plain weird to see a Mercedes product getting thrashed so thoroughly by every major American competitor.

Granted, the gas-powered G-Wagen isn't exactly known for winning comparison tests itself. But it always had Benz's virtually peerless powertrain engineering in its corner, an advantage that goes poof when seemingly any schmo with an assembly line can crank out serviceable electric motors and single-speed transmissions.

Can Mercedes Fix Its EV Problem?

Sure it can, and almost certainly it will. But it's taking the brain trust in Stuttgart a very long time to correct its course. The G-Class EV was a great opportunity to break out of that slump, because with the exception of the EQB, it's the only non-blobby Benz EV you can buy. The styling is unimpeachable, whereas seemingly no one on the planet loves the droopy lines of the EQE and EQS families. Unfortunately, the electric G-Wagen is stronger on style than on substance, as the data above lays bare.

So, while it would be insane to think that the granddaddy of the modern automobile won't get its electric act together at some point, the fact remains that Mercedes-Benz is being handed its hat today by not only GM — which is shocking enough — but also all three American EV startups, which didn't even exist until this century. It's a puzzling reality, but if one thing's clear, it's that Mercedes has a lot of work to do to build back its pre-EV cachet. ⛐ md