First drive: Luxury electric Mercedes SUV pair make New Zealand arrival

Thursday, 14 September 2023

Spot the difference ... Can you tell which of these two is the EQS and which is the EQE?

Five or so years ago, Mercedes-Benz surprised the motoring world with its then-new A-Class. What was surprising was that the brand’s smallest platform was the platform chosen to debut Merc’s cutting edge next-gen interior and infotainment tech. Mercedes had thrown its S-Class trickle-down tradition to the side, in a move that gave credence and weight to one of its unsung heroes.

I bring this up because the three-pointed star’s kind of done it again with its roll-out of fully electric models. The mid-size and compact EQC and EQA kicked things off in 2019 and 2021. The first ‘electric S-Class’ sedan flagship, the EQS, only landed last year – theoretically benefiting from lessons learned from the models that came before it.

Our launch drive started in central Auckland and took us all the way to Port Waikato.

One year on, and the brand has launched its next wave of electric flagships in the form of a pair of big plug-in SUVs – the EQE SUV and EQS SUV. Debuting in New Zealand this week, we were amongst the first to drive them. Here’s what we learned.

Make me an instant expert: what do I need to know?

As the names suggest, the EQE and EQS SUV share the electrified platforms of their EQE and EQS sedan counterparts. Like its rivals at Audi and BMW, Mercedes has bungled its electric vehicle naming conventions a wee bit. Why is the EQE SUV called an SUV, but the EQC – also obviously an SUV – is not?

Mercedes-Benz has revealed its latest all-electric offering, the massive EQS SUV.

The embiggened EQE and EQS are fairly similar things on the surface. Similar styling and similar cabin layouts make these two difficult to tell apart at first glance. The EQS is of course larger; wider, longer, with 200mm of extra heft between its wheels and an extra row of seats in the back.

Whilst both models claim impressive drag coefficient figures (0.25Cd for the EQE SUV), neither is exactly what I’d call pretty. It seems the more brands lean into creating aero-friendly SUVs, the more jelly-bean-esque the result becomes. The dual EQE and EQS launch comes on the heels of the launch of the Volkswagen ID.4 and Audi e-tron Q4. All four models have similar aesthetic issues (the Audi arguably looking the least challenged).

Three different EQE SUV variants, the $139,900 rear-wheel drive 300, $149,900 350 4Matic, and $199,900 AMG 53 4Matic. The EQS SUV meanwhile, for the moment at least, is only hitting dealerships in the single EQS 450 4Matic trim, priced at $196,500.

The EQE is a slippery customer, with a drag coefficient of 0.25Cd.

Curiously, the EQS SUV is cheaper than its sedan stablemate, undercutting it by more than 20 grand. The brand wouldn’t rule out the potential for bringing in the uber-luxury EQS Maybach down the line.

Time for a big leafy green number salad. All EQE SUV models share the same in-house 90kWh battery pack, with range rated at 446km (300), 436km (350), and 380km (AMG) respectively on the WLTP cycle.

Dusty gravel trails meant a very dusty touchscreen ...

The EQS makes use of a larger 120kW battery (108kWh usable), and boasts a 483km range. The two base EQEs produce 180kW/550Nm and 215kW/565Nm a piece, whilst the EQE AMG and EQS 450 make 460kW/950Nm and 265kW/800Nm each.

The base 300 comes with Merc’s cascading MBUX 12.8-inch touchscreen, a 12.3-inch digital cluster, Burmester audio, and a massive head-up display. We’ve covered the ins and outs of MBUX plenty of times before, from its ‘Hey Mercedes’ voice capabilities (which still sometimes struggle with hearing commands), to its use of artificial intelligence.

Mercedes-Benz’s ambient lighting tech is amongst the best money can buy.

Upgrading to the 350 doesn’t grant you a huge amount of tech extras, although you do get some off-road drive modes and Merc’s ‘transparent bonnet’ feature, helping you see any unsighted hazards in front of your car while you’re off the beaten track.

Apart from having a bigger footprint and more guts under the right foot, the EQS also features active multi-contour massage front seats, electric second-row seats, and acoustic glass.

There’s a plethora of other notable toys worth a mention, but many of them are optional extras across both models. Optioning the ‘Hyperscreen’ adds $6,700 to the total. Rear entertainment in the EQS (second-row screens, heated seats, wireless headsets) adds $11,700.

The EQE’s rear end borrows plenty from its EQA and EQC cousins.

Air suspension and rear-axle steering are also optional extras, unless you pick up the hotted up EQE SUV AMG. Mercedes is keen to underline that, as AMG’s first electric SUV, the most powerful EQE’s motors, suspension, and braking tune was all handled by AMG’s in-house boffins.

What are they like to drive?

A handsome looker? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the EQE and EQS twins will have both their fans and their critics.

At the Auckland launch, we got to have a steer of the EQE SUV 300, the 350, and a brief fang in the EQS SUV. Starting in Newmarket, our route took us to Sunset Beach in Port Waikato, and then across to Te Karaka Station – giving us plenty of motorway running, plus a spot of B-road and gravel fun (not that many of these things are likely to be seen tearing up your local off-roading trails …).

Pure electric powertrains suit Mercedes’ more luxurious offerings to a T for a number of reasons. Instant power and torque delivery obviously has its benefits, but the real strength of the genre is the silence and the lack of any vibrations. As with the EQE and EQS, Mercedes has done a great job of making the cabin feel isolated from any road noise or unsettling bumps.

This was underlined best by how the EQE SUV and EQS SUV performed on gravel. Both navigated deep potholes in the dirt with aplomb. Apart from errand stones pinging its undertray, gravel road noise was near non-existent. And, the traction control was enormously effective at neutralising wheelspin or oversteer.

Both nameplates are damped on the plush side, tuned to be as comfy and wafty as possible. Ramp up the speed and the body roll follows, but that shouldn’t be a surprise. All that electronic wizardry and battery tech has to weigh something (the EQS’s curb weight ranges between 2480kg and 2735kg).

The EQS SUV arrives in the same month as its EQS 450 sedan stablemate goes on sale.

As per Mercedes-Benz tradition, the electric seat controls live on the doors.

Rear legroom is excellent, regardless if whether you opt for EQE or EQS.

The EQE SUV is the pseudo replacement for the EQC, which is set to go out of production.

Mercedes’ MBUX software has its pros and cons, but is generally considered to be one of the best in the biz.

The EQS SUV is cheaper than its sedan counterpart.

The entry-level EQE SUV 300, pictured, has the best range of the bunch (446km) apart from the EQS.

Are they quick? Well, that depends. The EQE 300’s 7.3-second 0–100kph time sounds reasonable on paper but in practice it’s not exactly rapid – particularly when it comes to the mid-range pick-up you need when performing overtakes.

The EQS 450, with its 6.0-second 0–100, feels much more capable in the straight-line stakes.

Why would I buy it?

From a styling perspective, both new plug-in SUVs from Mercedes are more civilised to look at than the BMW iX, whilst also offering more space inside. Those who are familiar with MB’s other recent product will feel right at home in both of these SUVs. One of these parked up next to an AMG A 45 would make for a pretty neat ‘two-car solution’.

Why wouldn’t I buy it?

The EQE and EQS SUV pair are undoubtedly capable and impressive, but whether the pair feel as special inside (or look as bold on the outside) as BMW’s latest electric ‘i’ offerings is up for debate. That lack of specificity that makes the EQS stand out against its EQE cousin might also be a point of contention.

Bonus images