Compared to the regular EQS upon which it’s based, the SUV is 7.8 inches (20 centimeters) taller for better ground clearance. It even has a dedicated off-road mode with a hill-descent feature, while rear-wheel steering is standard. The latter has a 4.5-degree maximum angle, but can be optionally bumped to 10 degrees via an OTA update.

As expected from a flagship luxury SUV, the Mercedes-EQS gets standard air suspension for a silky-smooth ride. The list of goodies includes a HEPA filter, ventilated seats, five-zone climate control, and a head-up display with AR. Speaking of comfort, the massive wheelbase of 126.3 inches (3,21 meters) makes the cabin supremely spacious. The distance between the axles is far greater than its rivals, even if the Model X also has three rows.

Mercedes will sell the 2023 EQS SUV with standard rear-wheel drive. The 450+ model has an electric motor mounted at the back where it makes 355 hp (265 kW) and 419 lb-ft (568 Nm). Step up to the 580 4Matic and you get AWD with a combined output of 536 hp (400 kW) and 633 lb-ft (858 Nm).

The Euro version will have a range of 660 km (410 miles) WLTP while the EPA rating is unknown. Replenishing the lithium-ion battery pack from 10% to 80% takes 31 minutes when DC charging at 110 kW. From 10% to 100% using a wallbox, it’ll take nearly 11 and a half hours.

Mercedes will build the EQS SUV in Tuscaloosa where the EQE SUV is going to be assembled as well. The larger of the two will be arriving at dealers in the US towards the end of the year. The smaller should follow shortly, with an electric G-Class to land in the coming years. These new dedicated EVs will join the EQA, EQB, and EQC crossovers, which are electric adaptations of their respective combustion-engined models.

Source: Mercedes-Benz

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Up front, the two cars couldn’t be more different. The BMW i7 is big, bold, and brash, with massively imposing kidney grilles, flashy split headlights, and LED backlit grille trim. On the flip side, the Mercedes-Benz EQS Sedan is far more traditional looking, at least as far as EVs go. Its grille, while not actually a grille, is more traditionally shaped and its headlights look like headlights.

In profile, the BMW i7 definitely takes it. While the i7 isn’t exactly a supermodel, the EQS has the silhouette of a melted jelly bean. The BMW i7 looks more like a traditional BMW sedan, with its three-box shape, tall roofline, and Hofmeister Kink. That might not sound sexy but it’s handsome and sophisticated, while the EQS just looks dull.

Out back, the Mercedes-EQS’ rear light bar is more visually interesting than the normal BMW 7 Series lights of the i7 and the way its rear haunches flare out past its pillars gives it real presence. The BMW i7 is so inoffensive from the rear it’s actually boring. There’s nothing wrong with it, just nothing particularly interesting, either.

However, their exterior looks take a back seat to their interiors. Just look at them. Both cars sport absolutely fabulous looking cabins, filled with sci-fi-looking tech, enough ambient lighting to shame a German night club, and simply absurd levels of luxury.

From the front passenger compartment, the Mercedes-EQS’ Hyperscreen is far more impressive looking than BMW’s iDrive 8. Though, taking up all of that real estate with a massive screen does make it seem a bit less premium. Whereas the BMW i7 seems to have a nice mix of old-school luxury and futuristic tech. The way BMW replaced the traditional dash and door panel trim with a crystal-effect light bar is a neat idea and it works beautifully with the natural wood trim higher on the dash.

As nice as it is in the back of an EQS, it isn’t even close to as exciting as the back seat of the i7. Not only do both rear seat passengers in the i7 get their own little screens built into their door panels, to control everything from their ambient lighting to their climate, but there’s an optional 8k theater screen that drops down. It’s so overly opulent and impressive, you’d think it was the back of an S-Class…

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For a vehicle that has rear-wheel steering with a 10-degree angle, some of us would have expected the flagship electric sedan to ace the moose test. However, the vehicle’s massive weight reared its ugly head as the EQS was not as nimble as some would’ve expected. The 580 4Matic version tested here tips the scales at a whopping 2,585 kilograms (5,700 pounds), and that’s without including the driver and any possible options.

It’s worth noting the fullsize luxury sedan tested by Spanis’ km77.com came equipped with 21-inch wheels wrapped around in Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 tires. With the car in Comfort mode, the journalists managed a successful run at an entrance speed of 72 km/h (45 mph), which they say was rather poor. They went on to mention the EQS had moderate body roll during the slalom and was registered with a considerably high exit speed of 52 km/h (32 mph).

Because it’s a far lighter car, the S-Class tested had a slightly higher entrance speed of 74 km/h (46 mph) even though it lacked the EQS’ fancy four-wheel steering setup. Subsequent moose tests with higher entrance speeds conducted with the Mercedes EQS ended up hitting a few cones. In these evaluations and in Sport mode, the test driver noticed quite a bit of understeer from the electric luxobarge.

Interestingly, the driver says he didn’t notice any major differences between Comfort and Sport. Chances are the EQS AMG 53 version will fare better since it has a stiffer suspension setup and sharper steering, but that remains to be seen.

Source: km77.com / YouTube

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has now issued a second recall, and this time around, it’s related to the eCall function. Once again, the issue stems from bad software that may restrict or disable the emergency call system altogether. Interestingly, the NHTSA mentions a single car will be subjected to the recall, specifically an EQS 450. However, the gasoline-fueled S-Class in S500 and S580 flavors share the same software bug, bringing the grand total of recalled vehicles to 1,239 units.

The unfortunate owner of the 2022 EQS will either drop by the local dealer to have the eCall system sorted out or Mercedes will push an over-the-air update. It goes without saying the fix is going to be applied free of charge. It’s worth mentioning the more convenient OTA update can only be applied if the vehicle’s owner has a “Mercedes Me” subscription. If that’s not the case, the only way to solve the problem is to visit a dealer to have the update performed.

A single car being recalled by the NHTSA is not the end of the world, but it goes to show software is gradually becoming the Achilles’ heel as vehicles become rolling computers. With good reason, more and more people are starting to believe some automakers are in a hurry to launch new products, which increases the risk of getting a car with faulty software. In most cases, the bugs are easy to fix, but it would obviously be better not to waste time at a dealer to have the issue resolved since not all problems can be ironed out with an OTA update.

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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The three-pointed star is selling a zero-emission vehicle already in the world’s second-most populous country as the EQC has been imported to since 2020. However, the EQS will be the first dedicated EV to be sold in India as the crossover shares the same platform with the combustion-engined GLC. Also coming to the South Asian country are the EQB and EQE models, with both scheduled to arrive later this year.

Electric vehicles do not represent a hot commodity in India due to their high asking prices, which is especially true in the case of EVs sold by a luxury brand. For example, the aforementioned EQC kicks off at the equivalent of $144,567 at current exchange rates, mainly because the local authorities are taxing fully built import cars at an exorbitant 100%.

The local Mercedes-Benz division isn’t going into any details for the time being regarding how much money will have to be invested to build the EQS in India. However, Martin Schwenk did tell ANE around $54 million have been invested in the last two years to bring the grand total to approximately $351 million.

Mercedes has pledged to become a purely electric brand by 2030 where market conditions will allow it, but it’s safe to say India won’t be ready by then. Customer demand is unlikely to catch up in these next eight years, let alone for expensive models produced by luxury brands.

Source: Automotive News

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The total absence of any kind of emotion through the controls made  for me an experience I would not want to repeat again soon. The engineers at AMG however ensured me that they were up to the task of providing me with a much better, involving drive. I gave them the benefit of the doubt and took the EQS 53 AMG for a spin, on LA highways and a mountain pass near Palm Springs. My thoughts? Let me surprise you!

A High-Performance Electric Limousine

Many people including AMG themselves will let you believe that the EQS is AMG’s first attempt at an all-electric performance car. That’s not completely true. The limited-run SLS Electric Drive, revealed in 2012 is officially the first EV from Affalterbach, but you could argue that the EQS is the first mass-produced EV. It combines luxury and performance in a package that isn’t available in the current automotive world. Of course, other manufacturers like Audi, BMW, Lexus, Infinity, Bentley and Rolls-Royce will follow in the years to come, but at this moment the EQS is alone in this market space.

The car rides on Mercedes’ EVA2 group platform for electric vehicles, including the EQE and where we will also see the EQS SUV, EQE SUV and a future EQS Maybach variant. The aim for the AMG EQS is to proof that an AMG electric car can have a powerful personality as its internally combusting brethren. Yes, I am aware that the sonorous sound track from an ICE AMG is totally missing, but the last decade there has been more to AMG than just tyre smoking hooligans with the monstrous V8 soundtrack. More sophisticated driving characters have flowed into the different vehicles, making them better driving machines without losing the distinct nature of an AMG.

The EQS the engineers really looked where they could actively insert AMG’s DNA into the mix. It meant dramatically improving straight-line performance, increase the emphasis on handling and driver involvement, and increase the braking performance, but also look at enhancing the driver focus in connection to the cabin interface, altering the styling and increase its presence, to add a host of performance-focused technology and drive modes inside for the driver and its passenger to enjoy.

Drivetrain And Performance

Let’s start under the “bonnet”. The EQS 53 has a twin-motor setup similar to the EQS 580. The motors have improved hardware, better cooling and enhanced software allowing for a performance output of 484 kw or 560 kw (more on this later) and 1020 Nm of torque. The battery connected to both AMG-derived motors is the 108 kwh package we saw on the other EQS models. The difference between both performance levels is based around you as customer opting for the AMG Dynamic Plus package. With the package installed, the 0-100 km/h sprint is done in 3.4 seconds, 0.4 faster than without the package. The top speed also goes up when you check the box on the order form: 250 km/h instead of 220 km/h.

All in all, it’s not too bad if you consider the immense size and 2,575 kg kerb weight of the car. This size and weight, of course, becomes even more obvious and a notable point when I took the EV up a sloping mountain pass with hairpins. Add this to horrific weather combining horizontal rain, 8 degrees outside temperature, plus heavy winds, and the overall challenge of keeping it on the road should have been more challenging than it really was.

Start to chuck it into corners and you feel the EQS’ weight come into play. The tuned chassis, however, really makes the AMG EQS stand out from its Benz counterparts. The air suspension and rear-wheel steering – both standard – plus the enhanced steering allow for a completely different experience over the normal EQS I drove in July. The vehicle feels more connected to the road and enables you to be more precise. The more communicative steering feel isn’t sportscar-like, but does allow you to feel a lot more confident through the corners and use the dual motors’ performance to really attack faster bends. The car feels surprisingly more agile and lighter as if AMG have shed off a few hundred kilos somewhere along the way.

Driving Modes Specific To EVs

The driving modes offer different steps when it comes to your connection with the car. Quite similar to what you feel in other AMG vehicles. The most noticeable are the different synthetic sounds pumped into the cabin, making the EV experience more pronounced. If requested, they can be switched off, of course. Via the steering-wheel-mounted paddles you are able to alter the level of energy regeneration in three steps. Keep it in the middle for the best brake feel, which as a whole has improved greatly over the EQS 580, but its inconsistent pedal travel still requires some adjustment after stepping out of a conventual car.

All credit goes to the engineers at AMG, who kept their promise and developed a package that is considerably more agile and enjoyable to drive. The overall balance of the car is impressive to say the least. Of course. there is more tire noise and a firmer ride, but that is also what you would expect from an AMG model. All in all, the connection with the road has overall been improved, while the engineers didn’t touch on the sheer essence of what an EQS should bring to the table. This is felt after you leave the twisty roads behind and drive the EQS in a more civilized manner. At that moment, the luxury model will reward you with the same refinement as the non-AMG models.

This leaves us with a small recap of what the EQS platform has to offer and how the EQS 53 differs from its Benz brothers when it comes to exterior or interior design. Let’s first look at the outside. The Germans fitted a black panel front grille with horizontal struts and a series of AMG batches. The digital front lights are standard and you have the choice between 21 or 22 inch AMG specific wheels in Heritage or Aero designs shod in Michelin Pilot Sport EV tires. The rear spoiler and rear diffuser are AMG specific.

High-Tech Cabin

On the inside, you are greeted by the standard EQS package featuring a few AMG highlights. The 56-inch Hyperscreen comes as standard and is a total of 1.4 meters wide. Within each of the three OLED screens you have the AMG performance menu or AMG center cluster options available for you. The AMG steering wheel is combined by AMG style seats and the use of Alcantara throughout the interior. The base of the seats in the front and rear are still too short for my liking. The side bolsters of the front seats have been clearly improved and keep you better planted.

On the charging front, the 108kw batter offers a 585 km range and the ability to recharge 300 km of range in 19 minutes, and from 10 to 80 percent in 31 minutes. We didn’t have the chance to really test its range abilities, which means we have to believe AMG’s words for now. Additionally, the EQC uses a 400-volt electrical architecture and can charge at up to 200 kw.

For those in the market and intrigued by the prospect of owning an EQS, the AMG-variant seems to be the only choice for those looking to keep some of that driver involvement while combining the high level luxury nature with outright performance. This AMG EQS shines in this department, especially in comparison to the soleless 450 and 580-models, which are more comfortable cruisers rather than high-performance machines. The AMG-variant is in many ways an achievement for the engineers in Affalterbach, who showcase that they can do more than just produce V8 power-saloons/wagons and brilliant hot-hatches with drift modes. My applause goes to them. Job well done!

[Images provided by Mercedes-Benz for media use]

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The issue stems from an “incorrect configuration” the two flagship models from Mercedes have received, which poses quite a risk since it encourages distracted driving that could ultimately lead to accidents. This software glitch impacts the EQS450 and EQS580 as well as the gasoline-fueled S580 for a grand total of 227 vehicles.

On an EQS or S-Class with the proper configuration, the TV function is automatically disabled once the vehicle is no longer stationary. In addition, the web browser is also turned off as soon as the vehicle gets going. The problem only occurs if the affected vehicles have an active and connected Mercedes me account.

Here is how the NHTSA describes the problem: “Due to a deviation in the documentation process, as part of the regular Mercedes me connect communication between the vehicle and the vehicle backend server, the MBUX system on certain vehicles might allow activation of television and internet display while the vehicle is being driven.”

Perhaps that wouldn’t be such a big problem on a mainstream vehicle, but the Mercedes EQS is fitted with a massive 17.7-inch infotainment system as well as a 12.3-inch display mounted in the dashboard on the passenger side. Together with the fully digital 12.3-inch instrument cluster of the driver, the zero-emissions luxobarge features a so-called Hyperscreen measuring 56 inches wide and taking up 2.6 square feet of dashboard space with three displays housed in the same piece of glass.

The recall comes only after a few days after the NHTSA contacted Tesla to express its concern about a recent software update allowing front passengers to play video games on the vehicle’s large display. The infotainment system does send out a warning (“Playing while the car is in motion is only for passengers”) before starting a video game to ask for confirmation, but a simple touch of the screen opens the game.

That seems even more dangerous than playing videos, so it’s probably only a matter of time before Tesla will be forced to revert this change and block the video game functionality once the vehicle is in motion.

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Arriving next year on the EQS and the S-Class, Drive Pilot will initially work on 13,191 kilometers (8,197 miles) of highways in Germany. The three-pointed star mentions it’s already conducting test drives in other parts of the world, including the United States and China. The tech will be rolled out gradually in global markets, but only when the legislation will be approved to recognize a Level 3 autonomous driving system.

How does Drive Pilot work? On eligible highway sections, it will initially be available at speeds of up to 60 km/h (37 mph) by controlling the speed and distance while “effortlessly” guiding the car within its driving lane. The system is advanced enough to take into consideration traffic signs and even unexpected traffic situations by performing evasive maneuvers within the car’s lane to avoid an accident.

The key difference between a Level 2 and a Level 3 system is allowing the driver to look elsewhere while Drive Pilot does all the work. Compared to the current system offered by Mercedes, the upgraded version boasts extra sensors, including a LiDAR, a rear window-mounted camera, and a microphone. It even has a moisture sensor embedded into the wheel well, not to mention redundant steering and braking systems and a redundant onboard electrical system. In case one of these fails, the driver can safely take control of the vehicle.

In some situations, the driver is urged to take control of the car. Should the warnings be ignored, the EQS / S-Class will automatically brake and gradually come to a halt while flashing the hazard lights to warn the other drivers. Once the vehicle is fully stopped, the Mercedes-Benz emergency call system is turned on and the doors and windows are automatically unlocked so first responders can quickly pull the driver out of the vehicle.

Audi had announced a similar system for its flagship A8 fullsize luxury sedan, but ultimately abandoned getting approval in Europe.

Source: Mercedes-Benz

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Being the flagship electric car from Daimler, it doesn’t come as a surprise the EQS grabbed all five stars. The zero-emissions liftback tested by Euro NCAP was the 450+ model in the AMG Line specification with a left-hand-drive layout and a 4×2 configuration. The luxury EV is classified as an “Executive” car and tipped the scales at 2,480 kilograms (5,467 pounds).

Archrival BMW also had one of its latest electric vehicles evaluated by Euro NCAP and the iX also got an overall rating of five stars. However, the premium SUV posted slightly lower scores than the EQS, with an adult protection of 91%, child protection of 87%, 73% for vulnerable road users, and 81% for safety assist.

The version that underwent the crash test was an xDrive40 with all-wheel drive and built in a LHD setup. Classified as a Large Off-Road vehicle, the BMW iX weighed 2,573 kg (5,672 pounds), which isn’t all too surprising given its sheer size and the heavy batteries it has to carry around.

By far the biggest disappointment was the Renault Zoe as it did not receive any stars, despite earning a maximum five-star rating in 2013. The model has since moved on to the second generation, but it’s essentially the same model launched about a decade ago. Euro NCAP has made its tests even more difficult, which has translated into the loss of all stars.

The fact that Renault removed the seat-mounted airbag that protected both the head and the thorax to replace it with a thorax-only airbag has negatively impacted the result. The Zoe is also showing its age in the event of a crash and it also lacks some safety features that other vehicles offer as standard, such as automatic emergency braking.

Euro NCAP also evaluated the most affordable EV money can buy in Europe, the Dacia Spring. Surprisingly, it proved to be overall safer than the Zoe by going home with a one-star rating. However, the tiny electric hatchback was eclipsed by the likes of the Fiat 500e and the MG Marvel R as both earned four stars.

As a final note, the Mercedes EQB got the GLB’s five-star rating from 2019, while the Audi A6 plug-in hybrid, Mazda2 Hybrid, and the Range Rover PHEV scored five stars as well.

Source: Euro NCAP

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However, a real-world test conducted recently by Edmunds brought a major improvement to the EPA rating as the journalists managed to squeeze out no fewer than 422 miles from the electric sedan’s massive 108-kWh battery pack. An improvement of 72 miles is a major achievement considering official fuel economy ratings typically provide optimistic figures compared to the actual range of an EV.

One of the reasons why Edmunds was able to extract 422 miles from the electric equivalent of the S-Class has to do with a short options list. As you all know, adding extra features increases the weight of the vehicle, but that wasn’t the case for their EQS 450+ test car as it had few extras. That said, it was still far from being a light EV as the silent luxobarge still tipped the scales at a rather substantial 5,500 pounds (nearly 2,500 kilograms). That’s actually a bit more than fullsize luxury SUVs powered by combustion engines.

The flagship Mercedes EV was tested over the course of 12 hours at 67 degrees Fahrenheit (19.4 degrees Celsius) during which it covered 20% more than EPA said it would do. It’s now the electric vehicle with the longest range ever tested by Edmunds, besting Tesla by a significant 77 miles. During the evaluation, the car used the standard 20-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 rubber measuring 255/45 R20 at both axles and described as being “range-optimized summer tires.”

As a refresher, the EQS 450+ comes in rear-wheel-drive form with a single electric motor mounted at the back, producing 329 horsepower and 419 lb-ft of torque. It has enough electric punch for a 0 to 60 mph spring in five and a half seconds and an estimated top speed of 130 mph, which should be more than enough for most people shopping in the luxe EV segment. Those in need of more oomph can step up to the EQS 580 4Matic or the range-topping AMG EQS 53 with as much as 751 hp and 752 lb-ft.

Source: Edmunds

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