The new Mercedes EQS is the electrical equivalent of the Mercedes S-class. And that creates high expectations. Can the EQS deliver on that? Not quite. Even though it is without a doubt a fantastic electric car. These are three advantages and three disadvantages of the largest and most expensive plug-in Mercedes.
Benefit 1 – The rear wheel steering of the EQS is top notch!
The Mercedes EQS is more than 5 meters long, but behind the wheel of the top limousine you don’t notice that for a second. The (optional) rear-wheel steering works really great and gives the EQS the turning circle of a compact city car. Strange sensation too, you really feel that the Mercedes’ ass is dying in an unnatural way.
Advantage 2 – Traffic light display is very useful
The moment you’re at the front of the traffic light, a camera feed appears on the large infotainment system, showing you the traffic lights. So you no longer have to lie forward on the dashboard to see when the light turns green. A bit redundant, you would think, but secretly just very handy.
Advantage 3 – Range Mercedes EQS is impressive
Mercedes installs a 107.8 kWh battery in the EQS. That’s a big one. And you can see that in the range. Officially, the EQS 580 4Matic should be able to reach a little more than 650 kilometers. In our range test, at a constant speed of 100 km/h, exactly 539 kilometers remained. And that makes the EQS the longest-lasting EV we’ve ever tested.
Downside 1 – Those crappy touch buttons on the steering wheel
There are many buttons on the steering wheel of the EQS. The fact that they are not physical buttons, but small touchscreens does not make operation any easier. The OK button with arrows in four directions is a kind of mouse, with which you can scroll up, down and from left to right in the digital instrumentation. It is not very intuitive because the button is too delicate.
Downside 2 – Rear headroom is dramatic
In a large luxury limo like the EQS you expect lots of space in the back. But you won’t find that in the electric Mercedes. Because of the streamline, its roofline slopes sharply. And that means that you quickly sit with your crown against the roof or the panoramic glass roof in the second row. That is simply unacceptable in an S-class equivalent like the EQS.
Disadvantage 3 – The Mercedes EQS doesn’t feel that special
The EQS is an electric alternative to an S-Class, but it doesn’t feel that way. A few months ago we had an S 500 4Matic Lang on the Car Revieweditors, who made much more of an impression than his electrical brother. Separately, three editors said about the EQS that they had the feeling of being in an E-class, not in an almost 175,000 euro top sedan from ‘Das Haus‘ from Stuttgart.