There’s finally an electric G-Wagon. Mercedes-Benz unveiled the new vehicle, officially called the Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology, after months of rumors and camouflaged sightings. But it’s not the only rugged electric vehicle out there. In fact, there are quite a few EVs that could be considered rugged — like the Rivian R1S, the Rivian R2, and, of course, the Hummer EV.
But how do the Mercedes-Benz G580 and GMC Hummer EV compare? Is one a better rugged electric vehicle than the other? Here’s a look at the two vehicles, head to head.
Design
If you love the look of recent-generation G-Wagons, you’ll love the look of the new G580. To be sure, it isn’t exactly the same as other recent models, but it’s certainly close, with a squared-off design and sharp corners. It keeps the metallic ladder frame panels and the flat roofline, and it’s available in a variety of colors.
New for this iteration is a revamped face, which still has a large Mercedes-Benz logo in the center and is still flanked by large, circular headlights. Most of what’s new about the face has to do with the new grille, which has a few horizontal air intake holes. The G580 measures 182 inches long, 76 inches wide, and 78 inches high.
The Hummer EV is similar to previous models in design too. The Hummer EV is a four-door pickup truck with a relatively short bed. It has a muscular build overall, and keeps the long light bar along the front that’s adorned with the Hummer logo in the six separated light segments. It’s almost as distinct-looking as the Mercedes G580, but bigger, measuring 217 inches long, 87 inches wide, and 79 inches high. Remember, though, this is a pickup truck — so that extra size doesn’t translate to additional interior room. On the back, the vehicle has a bed that measures in at five feet long and four feet wide.
Design is ultimately down to personal preference, so this category’s a tie.
Winner: Tie
Interior and tech
The interior designs are pretty different here too. The G580 isn’t quite as rugged as non-electric G-Wagons on the inside, but it still certainly has rugged touches to it, like large handles and strong materials. It looks much like a cross between a Mercedes EQS and a G-Wagon, with large displays at the front for infotainment and instrument monitoring.
The G580’s infotainment display measures 12.3 inche, and comes with Mercedes-Benz’s self-developed infotainment software. Thankfully, it also comes with support for both CarPlay and Android Auto through a wireless connection, so you can stream content from your phone easily if you so choose. There’s even an option for a Burmester 3D surround sound system that supports Dolby Atmos.
The interior of the Hummer EV follows a similar path. It could also be described as “rugged-luxury,” with a large screen at the front and relatively high-end seat coverings and other materials. Some reviews note that the build materials on the interior could be a little higher-end considering the vehicle’s price tag, but that’s certainly not to say that they’re cheap. At the front, there’s a 13.4-inch display for infotainment and a 12.3-inch display for instrument monitoring. The current model of the Hummer EV does support CarPlay and Android Auto — however, we expect that to change in the next version, given GM’s public move away from supporting those systems.
Both of these vehicles offer similar interior quality and features, and interior design is down to personal preference. This one’s another tie.
Winner: Tie
Performance
The Mercedes-Benz G580 comes with a quad-motor powertrain no matter which trim you buy — with one motor on each wheel. Combined, these deliver a hefty 579 horsepower and 859 pound-feet of torque. According to Mercedes, this amounts to an acceleration from zero to 60 miles per hour in 4.6 seconds.
The vehicle offers some other performance-related features — good news for a vehicle that’s built for off-roading. For example, the vehicle can dynamically adjust the torque going to each wheel for better off-road traction. And the car has the G-Turn feature that allows it to turn on its axis, which could be theoretically helpful in tight spaces — though it remains to be seen how useful it’ll be in the real world.
The Hummer EV may not have four motors, but it still has either two or three, and in both cases, you’ll get all-wheel drive — even if those wheels can’t be controlled independently. With the dual-motor variant (Hummer EV 2X), you’ll get 570 horsepower, while the tri-motor powertrain ups that to a massive 1,000 horsepower. According to GMC, the tri-motor variant can get from 0 to 60 miles per hour in a hugely impressive 3.0 seconds — a fair bit quicker than the G580. The Hummer EV also has a rear-wheel steering system that helps it better turn tight corners, though it’s not as advanced as on the G580.
The Hummer EV may not have quite as tight of a turning radius as the G580, but even with fewer motors, it delivers more oomph. Hummer wins this one.
Winner: GMC Hummer EV
Range and charging
The Mercedes-Benz G580’s four motors take a lot of energy to power — and when you add the fact that Mercedes-Benz didn’t change the design of the vehicle to make it more aerodynamic, you can see why range is a little limited. The G580 delivers a range of around 240 miles, according to Mercedes-Benz, which isn’t huge. We definitely would have liked to see a little more, especially from such an expensive vehicle. The vehicle charges at up to 200 kilowatts, which allows it to get from 10% to 80% in around half an hour. That’s not bad, but it’s not incredible.
The Hummer EV may be powerful, but it also has some range to speak of. There are two battery packs available to the vehicle, including standard and extended-range batteries. The tri-motor model with the standard battery pack gets 311 miles of range, while the same model with the extended-range battery gets a very impressive 381 miles. That’s pretty huge. The Hummer EV can charge at up to a massive 350 kilowatts, which technically makes it one of the fastest-charging EVs out there.
With better range and charging speeds, the Hummer EV is the clear winner here.
Winner: GMC Hummer EV
Price and availability
Only one of these vehicles is actually available to buy. While Mercedes-Benz has announced the G580, it won’t be available until later this year — so if you’re looking for a car now, you’ll need to stick with the Hummer EV.
We also don’t yet know how much the G580 will cost — but some estimates peg it at between $150,000 and $200,000. The Hummer EV, on the other hand, starts at $98,845, which is much more palatable.
With current availability and what we guess will be a lower price tag, the Hummer gets the win here too.
Winner: GMC Hummer EV
Conclusions
Well, this one’s not as close as you might have thought. The GMC Hummer EV is more powerful, has a better range, and is cheaper than the G580. That’s not necessarily to say that it’s the perfect vehicle for everyone — I’m personally partial to the G580’s design, though that wouldn’t be enough for me to buy it given its shorter range.
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