The steering wheel paddles allow the driver to choose whether the EV goes clockwise or counterclockwise.
The purely electric G-Class won’t debut until 2024 but Mercedes’ engineers have already implemented what they refer to as the “G-Turn.” It allows the venerable off-roader to spin on the spot and therefore perform a tank turn. Rivian also demoed it a few years ago but still isn’t offering it on the R1T truck or the R1S SUV. In the upcoming Geländewagen EV, individual wheel motors will make it possible to perform a 360-degree turn on its own axis.
You’re probably wondering how the EQG knows in which direction it should perform the tank turn. Journalist Greg Kable says there are paddles mounted on the steering wheel the driver uses to select whether the maneuver is done clockwise or anticlockwise. While the functionality will come in handy on an off-road course, it seems inevitable owners will use this donuts-on-demand functionality on paved roads to show off the vehicle’s party piece.
This isn’t the only interesting off-road technology we’ve seen from Mercedes lately as the latest GLS made a big splash with its bouncy suspension. The E-Active Body Control feature enables the fullsize luxury SUV to “jump” and get the vehicle out of a sticky situation. Of course, the G-Class remains the true off-roader in the three-pointed star’s lineup, and the EQG will retain the ladder frame chassis.
The unspecified (but likely large) battery pack and motors will be mounted within the ladder frame in a vehicle estimated to weigh 6,600 pounds (about 3,000 kilograms). Fun fact – the EQG will not be the first quad-motor Mercedes EV since the ultra-rare AMG SLS Electric Drive also had a quartet of e-motors. Emmerich Schiller, CEO of the G-Class sub-brand, was involved in the development of the electric supercar that came out back in 2013.
While other technical solutions were considered, the engineers ultimately decided that each electric motor will power an individual wheel to maximize the EQG’s off-road chops and live up to the heritage of its combustion-engined sibling. Seeing as how the electric G will be heavier and far less aerodynamic than the EQS SUV, logic tells us the battery size will at least match the 107.8-kWh pack of the unibody electric SUV. An optional high-density battery pack with silicon anode chemistry has already been announced.
Additional details should be disclosed next year ahead of the EQG’s expected launch in 2024.
Keyword: See The Quad-Motor Mercedes EQG Do A Tank Turn