Mercedes-Benz EQG Spied With Solid Rear Axle, Redesigned Bumpers

The German brand appears to be testing a version with fewer than four electric motors.

By: Iulian Dnistran

Mar 15, 2023 at 4:01am ET

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The 2024 Mercedes-Benz EQG, which is the all-electric version of the iconic G-Class, has been caught once again by our spy photographers during cold weather testing in the North of Europe at an undisclosed location, with some changes spotted since the last encounter with the German off-roader.

As we previously learned from our first-ride review with a development prototype of the EQG, the upcoming electric model will feature four electric motors (one for each wheel), as well as four transfer cases (one for each electric motor), but as far as we can make out from the latest batch of spy shots, Mercedes-Benz appears to be preparing more than one variant of the EQG, with entry-level versions possibly sporting fewer than four electric motors.

In one of the photographs (embedded in the gallery below), we can clearly see a single rear differential that’s part of a rigid axle, just like on the internal combustion engine G-Class, as well as a pair of adaptive dampers. The single rear differential requires a single drive shaft to put it in motion, so using two electric motors to power it seems unnecessary and won’t do anything in terms of torque vectoring.

At the front, however, the spied prototype appears to be equipped with a different setup that might turn out to be a twin-motor drive unit, but there’s no confirmation on this yet. Additionally, it’s unclear how Mercedes-Benz plans on implementing differential locks on this setup, but if we had to guess, it would be an old-school mechanical locker for the rear axle and an electronic locker for the front axle.

Moving forward to the design, the latest spy photos reveal redesigned front and rear bumpers, slightly revised fender flares, and new aero wheels that are exclusive to the EQG, but as with any prototype, these might not end up on the series production vehicle.

What do you think?

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The all-electric Mercedes-EQG is expected to debut sometime towards the end of the year or at the beginning of 2024. Equipped with a ladder-frame chassis that houses the battery pack of a yet-to-be-disclosed capacity, the upcoming zero-emissions off-roader will be able to tackle hardcore trails with its differential locks and high ground clearance, just like its ICE-powered counterpart (minus the tailpipe emissions).

As always, we’d like to know what you think about this, so scroll down to the comments section below and tell us your thoughts.