Time and again we are amazed at the modest role that Mercedes has played in the field of electric cars until now. Finally, the brand comes with a startling model. Is the Mercedes EQS – the S-class among electric cars – the start of a successful plug-in offensive?
Mercedes cannot say it more clearly: “For us, the EQS is the most important new product of the coming years.” Not the current S-class, which came on the market at the end of 2020. And not the brand new C-Class, the best-selling Mercedes worldwide in recent years. The EQS should dispel all the skepticism that Mercedes has faced over the past five years: that the brand was far too late with its electric offensive and that we had to make do with existing models that had an electric motor and battery pack installed just as quickly.
Mercedes EQS is the most streamlined car in the world
The EQS is the first Mercedes to use a completely new platform for electric cars. Depending on the version, the range is up to 780 kilometers. This brings the Mercedes EQS close to an S-class, the long-distance runner par excellence. You can drive from Amsterdam to the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart without having to top up even once. Mercedes can also show off the Cw value of 0.20. There is no conventional car in the world more streamlined than this large limousine.
Mercedes is particularly proud of the way in which braking energy is recovered. The software takes into account the current circumstances and the route that is yet to come. You can choose what you want to do: not use the brake pedal at all and decelerate by releasing the gas, a moderate recovery, or no recovery of the braking energy at all.
Downhill without using the brake pedal once
For the first test drive, where we will conquer challenging Swiss Alpine passes, we imagine ourselves Hannibal. Only we don’t get a herd of elephants, but an electric Mercedes. We start with the rear-wheel drive EQS 450+, with 333 hp and 580 Nm. The way this version wipes the floor with even the steepest winding roads is impressive. The Mercedes EQS does not seem to have to make any effort, while the cornering speeds border on those of lightweight sports cars with a combustion engine.
“Arrived in the valley, the brakes are still cold and the battery has been charged for kilometres. ”
Going downhill is even more fun: if you put in a little effort, you’ll descend without even using the brake pedal once. Start in Sail mode (D-), then switch to D with a flick of the paddle on the handlebars to slow down gently for the turns, then click D+ to maximize recuperation. Another ‘double click’ on the paddle and the EQS sails down the mountain in D again. It takes some getting used to, but after fifteen minutes you have mastered how to make maximum use of the conditions to recover the energy. Arrived in the valley, the brakes are still cold and the battery has been charged for miles.
In perfect silence on the highway with the Mercedes EQS
We try the same game again in the more powerful EQS 580 4Matic+ with 4WD and 524 horsepower. It’s a bit faster and has more torque, but it’s no nicer to drive. Only on wet roads, after such a typical short downpour in the mountains, is it useful that the EQS has four-wheel drive. The four-wheel steering is nice, because then the long wheelbase of the EQS suddenly seems centimeters shorter in tight turns and when maneuvering.
Back in the valley, the new electric star shows its best side on the Swiss highway: you can safely put on a string quartet by Haydn, because no nuance is lost in the beautiful scores that switch between piano and forte. The silence is perfect. Now we can focus on other things.
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Not in the mood for the hyperscreen? There is also an ordinary dashboard
The EQS offers a lot of space on all seats, but we expected that. The large hyperscreen now has our attention. It seems that the display is made up of three smaller screens, but it still looks high-tech. If you don’t like all those pixels, you can fall back on a dashboard in the familiar style of the S-class. So with a freestanding touchscreen in the middle. Software updates in progress over the air. Wireless, in other words, entirely in accordance with the fashion used by Tesla.
The Mercedes EQS can do everything itself up to a speed of 60 km/h: braking, accelerating and braking again. If you want, you can drive faster and go up to 210 km/h. This limited top speed applies to both versions of the EQS.
Charging the Mercedes EQS is fast, but not lightning fast
Our test report contains many pluses and few minuses. However, the EQS does not set a new standard on all parts. In terms of charging speed, for example, it is not the best of the plug class. The EQS 450+ and the EQS 580 4Matic+ have a 107.8 kWh battery. Fast charging is possible with a maximum of 200 kW. And that value is below what the Hyundai Ioniq 5 (220 kW) and Audi E-Tron GT and Porsche Taycan (270 kW) can do. On the other hand, your patience will not be tested for an extremely long time, because at the right charging station it is possible to top up 300 kilometers of range in 15 minutes. A 22 kW on-board charger is optional on the EQS.
“In terms of charging speed, the EQS is not the best of the plug class.”
Those who have money now really have something to choose from at Mercedes. Will it be the S-class, a bastion in the Mercedes range, or will the CEO boost his image with an electric EQS? Mercedes is no longer concerned about its electric range and is watching the German elections with great interest. The range is no longer the problem for the German motorist, but the lousy infrastructure of the charging stations.
Conclusion
With the EQS, Mercedes has built that electric car for which we go hand in hand. The range is large, the charging speed is good. The fact that he has no equal in the field of comfort and luxury, you hardly have to report with a Mercedes. Tech enthusiasts will be thrilled by the hyperscreen. In the class of the large limousines, the Mercedes EQS currently has no competitors.