It costs how much? Electric G-Class lands in Australia to take on the Land Rover Defender and Ineos Grenadier as hardcore 4x4 EV alternative

The brutally powerful all-electric Mercedes-Benz G-Class has made its Australian debut and it comes with quite the price-tag.

Called the Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology, the charged-up beast will set you back a cool $249,900 before on-road costs, while the limited-run Edition One is $299,900.

That opening price puts it right up there in Benz’s catalogue, but it’s still not the German brand’s priciest SUV - that title is held by the Mercedes-Maybach EQS680 which is $327,990. The electric Geländewagen sits somewhere between the regular EQS450 SUV ($195,900) and the Maybach version.

In terms of rivals, there really are none for the G-Class, but even more so for the electric version. You could look at other high-end electric SUVs like the Lotus Eletre which is $279,990 for the R version. Or something with a combustion engine, like the V8-powered Land Rover Defender Octa ($291,542).

But the electric G-Class is more than its price tag. It packs quite the punch from its all-electric powertrain - the first time in the model’s 45-year history it’s been powered by electricity.

Maintaining its ladder-frame underpinnings, the G580 features four individually controlled motors located near the wheels, all powered by a 116kWh lithium-ion battery delivering a WLTP range of around 473km.

Combined outputs for the big Benz are 432kW of power and 1164Nm of torque.

Mercedes says the 0-100km/h acceleration time is 4.7 seconds, before hitting an electronically limited top speed of 180km/h.

The 400-volt system allows for a charge from 10 to 80 per cent battery capacity in about 32 minutes on a fast charger. The official energy consumption figure is 30.3kWh/100km.

Given the off-road chops of the G-Class, Benz says the G580 can still “confidently traverse 45-degree slopes and drive along 35-degree angles”, and it has virtual diff locks generated via torque vectoring.

There are various driving modes from ‘Comfort’, ‘Sport’ and ‘Individual’ for driving on regular roads, to ‘Trail’ and ‘Rock’ for off-road driving adventures.

One of the G580’s tricks is the G-Turn function, which is when the wheels on either side of the vehicle spin in opposite directions, and that in turn makes the G580 do a full 360-degree turn on the spot, but Benz says this should only be activated on loose or unpaved surfaces off-road.

A G-Steering function helps manoeuvre in tight spots with the wheels turning at different speeds, which causes slight oversteer and ensures a much smaller turning circle.

Despite retaining the regular G-Class’s retro cool ‘block-of-flats’ design, Benz has added some touches to aid aerodynamics, like vents in the flares over the rear wheel arches, a small roof spoiler and more.

Inside it gets the full MBUX multimedia setup including all-digital displays and a new Offroad Cockpit function. It also gets a ‘transparent bonnet’, which uses cameras to show a few under the front of the car during off-roading.

It wouldn’t be a Benz without numerous options and options packs and they include a Night Package, Superior Line Interior Plus Package and a Manufaktur Exterior Package.

The Edition One grade is based on the AMG line and gets blue calipers, different paint, and more high end interior materials exclusive to the grade.