The all-new, all-electric Mercedes-Benz EQG off-roader still has over six months of testing ahead of its expected debut sometime towards the end of this year, and the brand’s engineers are hard at work refining the boxy EV before it goes on sale.
Now we’re seeing the electric off-roader hard at work on the infamous Nurburgring circuit in Germany. Unfortunately, though, the prototype caught on camera didn’t have a good day out testing, as it apparently broke down.
In the video embedded at the top of this article, the camouflaged EV can be seen pushing hard on the straights and in the corners, but its driver suddenly pulls the car over. At closer inspection, the off-roader is making a loud clunking noise that’s coming from underneath the car, so it’s retired, with the driver waiting patiently for his colleagues to arrive.
Gallery: Mercedes-Benz EQG Interior Spy Shots
![](https://cdn.motor1.com/images/static/16x9-tr.png)
![](https://cdn.motor1.com/images/static/16x9-tr.png)
![](https://cdn.motor1.com/images/static/16x9-tr.png)
![](https://cdn.motor1.com/images/static/16x9-tr.png)
![](https://cdn.motor1.com/images/static/16x9-tr.png)
![](https://cdn.motor1.com/images/static/16x9-tr.png)
![](https://cdn.motor1.com/images/static/16x9-tr.png)
The video was filmed yesterday and its description says that the car lost power in the Adenauer Forst corner (famous for the endless crash videos captured on camera here), but when the Mercedes-Benz mechanics came to the broken-down vehicle, the YouTuber, Carspotter Jeroen, stopped filming out of respect.
We’re not sure what happened to the car – it could just be a rock stuck on the brakes or it could be something much more serious, like a broken half shaft. Whatever the case, though, this is why car companies push their prototypes to the limit, so they can figure out what will go wrong before the finished product gets into the hands of customers. Or that’s what they should do, at least.
The Mercedes-Benz EQG is expected to debut towards the end of 2023 or at the beginning of next year with a battery power pack nestled inside its ladder frame chassis and four electric motors with four transfer cases. At the same time, we believe that the German brand will also offer a variant with fewer than four electric motors, judging from the latest batch of spy shots that show a prototype with a solid rear axle.
As always, we’d like to know what your thoughts are on this, so scroll down to the comments section and write away.