Mercedes’ EQG electric G-Class can dance! It’s the Las Vegas show we never knew we needed

The newest dance show in Las Vegas isn’t the latest masterpiece by Cirque du Soleil, but instead a quartet of pirouetting electric Mercedes G-Wagons, showing off the high-anticipated zero-emissions 4x4’s ‘G-Turn’ function.

Due to be fully unveiled later in 2024, the Mercedes EQG has made a truly Las Vegas-style appearance at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), with a special ‘performance’ on the city’s iconic strip.

The Mercedes EQG will look very much like its petrol counterpart, bar a special charging cable storage unit mounted on the rear tailgate, instead of a spare tyre. It'll also utilise the same ladder-frame chassis as the petrol and diesel-powered G-Class, however, it will utilise a grand total of four electric motors to provide four-wheel drive. 

This isn’t the only benefit of having four motors, however, because, as demonstrated above, each can be rotated in a different direction to make the SUV spin like a tank – a feature Mercedes has dubbed G-Turn. Throw in some technological trickery and some low-range transfer boxes and the EQG could become one of the most capable electric 4x4s you can buy - if not the most.

A large battery will be needed to power all four motors and this is exactly what we expect the EQG to get; a pack in surplus of 100kWh could potentially provide well over 200 miles on a single charge. We don’t expect the EQG to get close to what’s possible in the 400-mile EQS, though, due to its horribly aerodynamically inefficient shape. Still, 200 miles should be more than enough for a few laps around Harrods.

As you’d expect, none of this will come cheap; the current generation G-Class already starts from over £130,000, so we wouldn’t be surprised if the EQG costs close to £200,000 when it goes on sale later in 2024.

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Mercedes EQG ride review

We experienced the EQG around Mercedes' testing route in Carcassonne, France, where the current G-Class was launched. With Schiller at the helm, the electric 4x4 silently and quite effortlessly tackled the rough terrain, and did so seemingly with greater ease than the petrol-powered G-Class just ahead of us.

The EQG’s official unveiling is still a long way off, so understandably the engineers are tight-lipped about the technical details right now. But as mentioned, we expect the heavily protected battery in the EQG is around the same size as the EQS SUV’s 107.8kWh unit, while the four motors are likely to produce between 600bhp to 670bhp – perhaps more.

The EQG’s party trick is called the ‘G-Turn’, which involves the wheels either side spinning in opposite directions so the EQG can rotate like a tank. It's a remarkable yet ridiculous feature at the same time, but does effectively demonstrate what electrification has added to the famous G-Class formula.

The G-Class might not be the most obvious candidate for electrification, but it’s clear from our short test that the technology at Merc’s disposal could make the EQG even more capable than its hardcore petrol predecessor.