Mercedes-Benz is famous for producing some of the best luxury cars in the world. And with the EQS, it shows the beginnings of a new branch of the family while being entirely rebranded, by building the most luxurious electric vehicle ever.
Forget about EQC electric SUV, which never came, and Tesla-powered B-Class electric powertrain it’s really just a trailer in California. At the heart of the EQS is the new MEA platform, a dedicated EV platform that allows for flat, skateboard-like battery positioning that the designers are proud of how they were able to make the interior fit even larger.
Without the arrival of the refreshed Tesla Model S and Plaid this year, as well as another new entry and finalist, Lucid Air, it would be at the top of the list. scope and effectiveness among the big cars. The EQS can charge to 80% in as little as 31 minutes, and with a 107.8 kwh battery pack and cells from China’s CATL, it achieves an EPA-rated 350-mile range in EQS 450+ while the EQS 580 has 340 miles.
2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS
In single-engine EQS 450+ form — the only version most of us here have driven up until now — the big electric Benz makes 329 hp and 419 lb-ft of torque and can increase Acceleration to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds. The dual-engine EQS 580 adds 516 hp and 631 lb-ft, with a 0-60 mpg time of 4.1 seconds. While both are quick, considering today’s bar for electric vehicles costs more than $100,000, that’s the difference between meeting minimal expectations versus shock and awe.
In terms of driving and handling, the EQS passes either of those qualifiers. The three-chamber air suspension and adaptive dampers inherited from the S-Class, combined with responsive steering, give it handling and handling attributes beyond a light 5,500 lb. But the feel of the rubber remote brake pedal and its inaccurate stopping ability confound.
As much as the EQS (mostly) mirrors the S-Class driving experience, it goes in a very different way in terms of packaging. While riding on a dedicated electric vehicle platform can move forward, the EQS doesn’t feel spacious. The front seats are excellent, with the uber-supportive seats we’ve come to expect from the highest end Benzes, providing all-day driving comfort. The usability of the rear legroom seems to have fallen victim to the battery pack, while the contours of the roof make it impossible for anyone nearly 6 meters tall to feel comfortable in the back seat, although the back layout leaves plenty of space for furniture. You want to be in the driver’s seat of this vehicle, not the driver.
2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS
As automakers transition to electric vehicles, should they aim for interface simplification and miniaturization, like Tesla, or should they embrace a future with more screen space and customization? Mercedes does the latter with the EQS, as the launch venue for the new Hyperscreen interface that gives the entire dashboard screen space and at times feels like a nightclub, for better or for worse. . Mercedes says that “the focus is on touch-based, uncomplicated operation”—that is the content of the eye-rolls after the first test, although we found that once a large number of options and customizations navigated through then it can be basically anything you want. .
At first, with all the attention on the Hyperscreen, you might not even notice that the materials in the EQS are better than any other electric car in existence. EQS has interiors that you show your friends. It’s far and away the quietest EV inside, though a host of noises synthesizing with New Age audio will break the silence if you will.
2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS
Although electric EQB SUV due to arrive next year not connected to EQS, the flagship set the stage for a new generation of vehicles, including electric SUV duo due to be manufactured in Alabama and a EQE sedan Also due in the US
The EQS starts at $103,360, and it’s not a mass or mass bike; but it does show that the luxury base, a decade after the Model S, is finally taking on all-electricity.
