2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV First Drive Review: S For Serene

Final yr, I had the pleasure of getting behind the wheel of the controversial Mercedes-Benz EQS, which was the primary car constructed on the corporate’s electric-specific EVA2 modular platform. Sporting a slippery, ovoid form that’s change into a Mercedes-EQ signature, the EQS sedan (which is definitely a five-door liftback) has all of the presence we’ve come to anticipate from a full-size Mercedes, however there are nonetheless just a few flaws, particularly the rear seat.

The sedan’s excessive ground – necessitated by the low-mounted lithium-ion battery pack – ends in a clumsy seating place for back-seat passengers, in addition to a slight lack of headroom that belies the automobile’s arching roofline. However what in case you gave the EQS sedan extra floor clearance and raised the roofline to match? Then you definately’d have the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, a merely named crossover that shares a platform and powertrain choices with its sedan namesake, however provides a taller stance and an non-obligatory third-row seat.

Would this SUV be capable of preserve a flagship-style driving expertise and sufficient vary estimates despite its added peak and weight? And extra importantly, will the high-riding EQS really feel sufficient like a luxurious automobile to anybody prepared to make the $105,550 minimal funding wanted to place one of their storage?

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Similar As It Ever Was

As its identify suggests, the EQS SUV shares a great deal, dynamically talking, with the sedan. The SUV provides a single-motor EQS 450+ trim stage, in addition to dual-motor EQS 450 4Matic and EQS 580 4Matic variants – neatly mirroring the 2023 sedan’s choices. Energy and torque likewise carry over. The 450+ makes 355 horsepower and 419 pound-feet from its rear-mounted electrical motor; including a entrance motor to a 450 brings torque output as much as 590 lb-ft. On the prime of the lineup is the EQS 580 SUV 4Matic, which will get a complete of 536 hp and 633 lb-ft. The EQS SUV’s battery is barely bigger, at 108.4 kilowatt-hours as an alternative of 107.8.

Additionally carrying over is a normal, 10-degree rear-axle steering system, which helps the EQS SUV shrink round its 126.4-inch wheelbase. With the wheel cranked, the massive Benz can activate a 36-foot-wide dime, a quantity that matches the a lot smaller CLA-Class. Because it does on the EQS sedan, the rear-axle steering makes the SUV a lot much less intimidating to drive and park in tight confines, and getting a glimpse within the side-view mirror of these rear wheels toed out that far is at all times good for a smile.

Issues diverge when it’s time to hit the highway, although. The EQS SUV is kind of a bit heavier than its sedan sibling – 6,228 kilos versus 5,888 within the case of the EQS 580 variant during which I spent most of my time. That added mass is plainly evident as quickly because the wheels begin turning. With 536 electron-shaped horses obtainable with a twitch of the accelerator, the EQS 580 SUV by no means feels gradual, however it’s positively a bit much less sprightly than the sedan.

The load additionally comes out to say hi there when being launched to any of the curvy roads that the Colorado Rocky Mountains have to supply. Drive the EQS SUV injudiciously and also you’ll be met with loads of physique roll and a few gut-dropping understeer. The GLS’ 48-volt lively anti-roll bars that lean into corners can be a godsend right here, however alas, they’re unavailable on the electrical SUV. Dial issues again and the EQS turns into a lot better behaved, with well-controlled physique motions and progressive steering that enables the motive force to choose a cornering line and keep it up.

Talking The Similar Language

Like virtually each different Mercedes-EQ product, the EQS SUV has a clean, fashionable form that conjures up opinions in all places it goes. With a sloping hood and excessive rear roofline, the profile seems to be much less like a streamliner and extra like a minivan, however there are many nice particulars that enhance its look in particular person. For starters, the gloss black grille panel might be outfitted with teensy little Mercedes stars engraved right into a substrate beneath the floor, giving it some fashionable glitz. The three-element LED headlights and coiled taillight graphic have a complicated look, and my tester’s non-obligatory 21-inch wheels look large and imposing.

The Mercedes-EQ subbrand’s DNA is everywhere in the inside of the EQS SUV. As on the sedan, the 450+ and 450 4Matic fashions come commonplace with a 12.8-inch middle touchscreen and 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, mounted in a slanted binnacle that sprouts from the middle console á la S-Class sedan. Nevertheless, the non-obligatory Hyperscreen (commonplace on the EQS 580) ditches the separate show binnacles in favor of a single pane of glass spanning the dashboard and concealing the instrument cluster and an identically sized touchscreen in entrance of the passenger, with a 17.7-inch middle show separating the 2.

The Hyperscreen feels a bit gimmicky at first, however permitting the passenger to fiddle with their leisure and luxury capabilities with out distracting the motive force or overlaying up the navigation show is fairly useful. What’s extra, the co-pilot can add waypoints or locations, decreasing distraction even additional. Operating the newest MBUX software program, every of the screens works properly with good contact response and simply understood menus. The one exception is the on-screen lumbar help adjustment, which is so, a lot worse than a easy four-way button close to the seat switches.

Limousine SUV

Most significantly, the EQS SUV is way more comfy than the lower-roofed sedan. With an 8.2-inch-taller profile, the SUV will get away with an upright seating place that doesn’t compromise headroom. The entrance row feels just like the sedan, with supportive, comfy seats and panoramic sightlines – although the sloping hood is invisible. The place the SUV actually units itself aside is the second row, which feels cramped within the sedan on account of that top, battery-laden ground. Against this, the taller EQS has a natural-feeling hip level and good thigh help, and the rear seat slides and reclines to assist passengers discover a stress-free seating place.

And but, despite its nominal relation to the spacious Mercedes-Benz GLS – and the corporate’s personal insistence that the 2 are very shut in dimensions – the EQS SUV has a crowded and uncomfortable non-obligatory third row. Anybody taller than 5-foot-5 will run out of headroom, and there’s solely sufficient area within the footwell for the shortest of legs. Making issues worse, entry to the world is difficult if there’s somebody within the first row of seats. The swap that folds the second row will solely go thus far if the primary row is occupied. The third row simply isn’t well worth the non-obligatory price, so save your cash.

The five-seat EQS SUV has as much as 31.0 cubic ft of cargo room with each rows up, in addition to a beneficiant underfloor cargo space for storing smaller gear. Fold the seats down and you’ve got 74.2 cubes to play with. With the non-obligatory third row, cargo space goes from 6.8 cubic ft with all seats as much as 28.2 cubes behind the second row or 71.3 behind the primary row. All of these numbers do lag behind the equally sized Tesla Mannequin S, however the Mercedes ought to nonetheless be enough for most individuals.

Soiled Canines

As a part of the primary drive expertise in Denver, Mercedes organized for me to take an EQS SUV off-road. I anticipated the course to be little greater than a washboard dust highway, giving me the prospect to get some mud on the physique however little else. As an alternative, a Mercedes-Benz engineer guided me via a slim, muddy path higher fitted to UTVs than automobiles. The EQS SUV we used for the off-roading was fitted with all-terrain tires as an alternative of the low-rolling-resistance rubber discovered on most examples, however in any other case, it was similar to the Benzes that arrive at sellers this fall. The truth is, the A/Ts will probably be obtainable as a Mercedes accent, in case you so want.

The usual Airmatic suspension can add as much as an inch of additional floor clearance, whereas the 4Matic system’s off-road settings and cameras present loads of data to maintain the EQS SUV transferring ahead. With about 9 inches beneath the SUV’s clean stomach (closing floor clearance is TBD), there’s greater than sufficient clearance to recover from many obstacles – though wheel articulation stays decidedly skewed towards luxurious as an alternative of functionality. The forthcoming 2025 EQG mannequin will most likely reverse that calculus.

What’s most commendable in regards to the EQS SUV is its skill to string via even the tightest obstacles. Due to that 10-degree rear-axle steering, the EQS SUV has a tighter turning radius than a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, a powerful displaying for a seemingly road-oriented EV. Including to the off-road enjoyable is the electrical motors’ instantaneous torque – simply squeeze on the accelerator just a little at a time and the EQS finally claws its means up, even when the floor is muddy, rutted, and rocky. Shade me impressed.

Emotionally Charged

Driving on the identical wheelbase because the EQS sedan, the SUV is definitely 5.5 inches shorter from bumper to bumper. The stubbier proportions do some harm relating to aerodynamic effectivity, which is rated for a drag coefficient of 0.26 – up from the sedan’s 0.20. That, together with the added weight, means the rear-drive EQS SUV has a Mercedes-estimated vary of 305 miles, whereas each all-wheel-drive variations can obtain 285 miles earlier than needing a jolt. Though not formally validated by the EPA simply but, these numbers are down on their EQS sedan equivalents by 45 and 55 miles respectively.

They’re additionally down on the Tesla Mannequin X (which is EPA-rated at 348 miles) and the BMW iX xDrive50 (324 miles). The EQS 580 SUV can’t even sustain with the sporty iX M50, which will get a 288-mile score from the feds. Hopefully the Mercedes will proceed in its EQS sedan sibling’s custom of outperforming its EPA rankings.

Whether or not or not it does, we doubt many homeowners will probably be dissatisfied with the fashionable, subtle charging structure below the EQS SUV’s funky pores and skin. A 9.6-kilowatt onboard AC charger comes commonplace, totally juicing the battery in about 11 hours and quarter-hour – simply sufficient for an in a single day, off-peak cost. At a DC quick charging station, the EQS will slurp electrons at a price of as much as 200 kilowatts, good for a 10-to-80 p.c cost in 31 minutes.

As with different EQ merchandise, the on-board navigation does a superb job of routing towards the quickest public chargers, offering the motive force with all the data they should make lengthy journeys, even together with suggesting how lengthy to juice up at a specific charger to be able to arrive at a given vacation spot with a certain quantity of vary left. Such capabilities do wonders to scale back vary and planning nervousness that comes with road-tripping an EV.

Will It Mix?

A base worth of $105,550 (together with a $1,150 vacation spot cost) for the EQS 450+ SUV is $2,190 greater than the equal sedan mannequin. Go for the EQS 450 4Matic and be ready to pay $108,550, whereas the flagship EQS 580 4Matic prices $127,100. Mercedes didn’t have particular choice pricing obtainable on the time of this writing, however I’d estimate my hard-loaded EQS 580 Pinnacle to price about $140,000, together with niceties like heated and ventilated entrance and second-row outboard seats, consolation neck pillows, four-zone local weather management, a head-up show, Burmester 3D audio with Dolby Atmos, and extra.

With higher construct high quality than the iconoclastic Tesla Mannequin X and extra swish styling than the BMW iX, it ought to attraction to conventional luxurious shoppers seeking to reduce their gasoline payments or scale back their carbon footprint – slightly than tech-happy EV fanatics who might discover the EQS SUV’s vary considerably missing. Despite that comprehensible effectivity reduce, the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV remains to be a greater purchase than the sedan, in my not-so-humble opinion. Its rear seat is extra adjustable and liveable than that of the fastback five-door, but it nonetheless retains a lot of highway presence and a snug, relaxed demeanor.

Whether or not that’s sufficient to fend off current and future competitors from the likes of Lucid, Rivian, BMW, Tesla, and Fisker stays to be seen. However the EQS SUV remains to be one hell of a Mercedes-Benz, via and thru.

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