All-electric Mercedes-Benz The EQS is currently one of the most sublime cars on the road, with an understated exterior that wraps around a plush interior and all the goodness you’d expect from an S-badged Merc with the effortless acceleration and superior ride quality of an EV. function. The flagship EV is, quite simply, very good.
Also very expensive, large and exclusive.
Thankfully, there are now more affordable options — a little more affordable anyway. Welcome to the Mercedes-Benz EQE: About a foot shorter, less power than the 230 Pony, and 45 miles on a single charge It’s an all-electric sedan that can’t even run and, more importantly, costs $30,000 less.
Nevertheless, don’t call this a downgrade.
The EQE is great for those who don’t need the size, performance or a little extra range of an EQS at all.
exterior
Image credit: Tim Stevens
If there’s anything wrong with EQE, it’s appearance. Whereas the EQS looks somewhat spherical yet commanding, the EQE is anonymous from front to rear.
It’s not a bad looking car by any means, it’s basically a 9/10th scale version of the EQS, but it’s shapeless and disappears into the parking lot.
The detail on the nose looks fresh. The three-pointed star is boldly positioned within the radiant field of the star’s echoes, far more appealing than the fake grille found on many other EVs.
However, it’s all downhill from there.
It doesn’t do much if there is no crease in between so that the line flows from the bulbous headlight to the part taillight.
At least there are good reasons for anonymity. The EQE has an amazing drag coefficient of 0.20, which helps deliver an EPA-rated range of 305 miles in his EQE 350+ configuration with rear-wheel drive.
The high-output all-wheel-drive EQE 500 shown here doesn’t have official EPA numbers yet, but in ideal conditions it shouldn’t be far off. My tests averaged 2.0 miles per kilowatt hour. That means a theoretical maximum range of 180 miles from a 90 kWh battery pack, but my conditions were less than ideal. This EQE not only happened with snow tires, which typically offer penalties in the 10-15% range, but also during extremely cold weather when the road surface was icy and often wet. Your mileage should be much better.
interior
Image credit: Tim Stevens
Its unremarkable exterior contrasts with the interior.
It may be a few steps down from the EQS’s general luxury, but few would know.
The EQE 500 shown here has the ($2,100) AMG Line interior package, which means sports seats, a racy steering wheel, some special branding and contrasting red seatbelts.
It also has generous Alcantara and microfiber surfaces throughout, which blend beautifully with the black linden wood of the dashboard. Add to that the stunning turbine vents for a clean, modern and beautiful dash.
Image credit: Tim Stevens
Its multifunction sports steering wheel is a bit busy, with a host of capacitive touch surfaces controlling everything from cruise control to gauge cluster mode. However, it differs from the Volkswagen ID thumb control. 4, Everything here is well separated and easy to use without looking down. Only the headlight button is a little clunky, hidden under the left dashboard, but it’s so precisely automated that I didn’t really notice it.
If there is one drawback here, it is the volume of space.
Inside, the EQE can feel a little cramped. The way the very stylish dashboard sweeps makes things feel a bit claustrophobic, and while there’s plenty of headroom up front, it’s a bit restricted in the back, despite the panoramic glass roof. increase.
Image credit: Tim Stevens
At least legroom is decent and all seats are comfortable. Even if you don’t have a lot of room to move around, you won’t have to writhe too much. Just a pre-massage will help you relax and enjoy your trip.
There is ample storage space under the center console and large pockets inside the armrests as well. Although the trunk is narrow, it offers 13.1 to 15 cubic feet of storage space for the E-Class sedan.
Tech
Image credit: Tim Stevens
EQE swims in technology, assistance, and safety features, starting with the $1,100 option, the excellent Digital Light LED headlights. They are incredibly bright with perfect auto-dimming and surprisingly fun additions. Highlight the sign.
The EQE you see here lacks the spectacular hyperscreen dashboard, with a display that spans almost the entire length of the dashboard. I didn’t miss it.
The car’s 12.8-inch center display is still large, and the 12.3-inch gauge cluster is surprisingly feature packed. You will never run out of information.
Image credit: Tim Stevens
Not customized. The EQE is one of the most tunable cars I have ever driven. An array of drive modes at your disposal, infinite ambient light colors, 3 fake engine noises, 5 gauge clusters (each individually customizable), 8 seat massage routines, flexible charging rates and times, 4 regenerative braking There are levels and even three modes. Individual he HVAC modes can be used to prioritize mileage and toastiness. It can be a little overwhelming, but I love that I can run this car the way I want it to. Mercedes clean his MBUX interface makes everything easy. Yes, there is also wireless his Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
As far as safety and assistance features are concerned, EQE’s standard feature suite includes automatic front and rear emergency braking with pedestrian detection and adaptive cruise, which ensure the vehicle maintains a safe following distance and stays within the following distance. Provides almost everything you need. Speed Limit.
The lane keeping system and adaptive cruise system are very good. EQE stays rock solid in the lane and flows smoothly through traffic. If there’s one thing that’s missing, it’s some kind of hands-off mode, like you’ll find in some Cadillacs and Fords, but it will come.
driving dynamics
The EQS is not a sports car, and the EQE very much adheres to the same template. But with his 402 horsepower and 633 lb-ft of torque in this EQE 500 4Matic, it certainly accelerates just as well. In Sport mode, the EQE is aggressive and its acceleration is paired with one of three somewhat silly but enjoyable fake engine noises.
The car’s comfortably tuned suspension is a little on the soft side, and the car pitches and rolls around corners like a dinghy, but there was plenty of grip even with the Pirelli Sotto Zero winter tires. On the other hand, the ($1,300) rear steering system makes everything a lot more lively than it otherwise would be, and even allows for impressive U-turns, the three-point he doesn’t have to worry about turns anymore.
smart choice
The rear-wheel drive EQE 350+ is available for $74,900. However, this was a little higher. The faster and more powerful EQE 500 4Matic has a base price of $88,000. All of the above options, plus a few more options like $1,750 for red paint, $1,620 for a nice linden tree, plus a $1,150 destination fee, brings the set price to $104,470.
For that money, you can get into the base EQS, but then you’ll have to start the options game all over again. For me, his EQE, well equipped, is a wise choice. It ticks all the boxes of what today’s luxury electric vehicles should be, while pointing to a bright future for gentle, luxurious, emission-free automobiles.
