Spend a day a pre-production Mercedes Benz EQS in 2022 gave a thorough look at what the German carmaker did with the billions of dollars it spent on electrification.
The EQS is a carefully designed flagship sedan that brings together the automaker’s MBUX information system, a new electrical platform and improved performance. It’s an indefensible endeavor to set a new standard for a full – size luxury sedan that happens to be electric.
The luxury electric sedan is meant to show American consumers what Mercedes can (and wants to) deliver in the future with EVs. And the stakes are high. The German carmaker is working on the successful implementation of the EQS in North America.
Image credits: Mercedes-Benz
“This is the beginning of a whole new era, because so far we have had a completely flexible platform in place with hybrids, ICEs and BEVs,” said Christophe Starzynski, head of the EQ brand. Mercedes has added three more electric vehicles. by 2025 to its U.S. portfolio, including the EQE and two additional SUVs. “This is the first time we have really designed and developed all the technology in a battery electric vehicle.”
The EQS is the 17-foot-long flagship derivative of the S-Class, Mercedes-Benz’s most luxurious sedan with a base price of $ 110,000. (So far, prices on EQS have not been announced.) It has its best technology to date. While most customers will not appreciate all the doodads available in this car, they may find it useful in the extensive cloud for information, or just a software update.
The first ride
A fully charged EQS is such a leap forward that it makes the new S-Class feel like it is from another era.
The EQS 580 4Matic model I tested has the 56-inch hyper screen, head screen, acoustic glass, rear seat entertainment and an air filtration system, which Starzynski said predates the pandemic, but obviously feels very momentary.
At the time of writing, the exterior of the car is under cover until it is announced on April 15th. The version I tested was partially covered, so I can not tell you much about the shaped nuances of its A-pillar.
Image credits: Mercedes-Benz
My five-year-old daughter accompanied me on the test drive. We started at the Mercedes Manhattan dealership, where EQS was displayed in the shop window. As I approached the car, the driver’s door swung open automatically with great fanfare. From the vantage point of her seat, my daughter was playing with the back screen floating in front of her. She chooses ambient lighting in pink and purple colors for the cabin. Her best takeaway: “It’s a sparkling rainbow ride.”
The rear-seat experience actually matters quite a bit, as EQS is driver-friendly, a prerequisite for luxury cars in China, the hub for EV sales for the next decade.
Image Credits: Mercedes-Benz
Meanwhile, the spacious driver’s seat in front, for a tall person like me, was accentuated by the cushion that wrapped around the bottom of my neck – the most comfortable rides I’ve had. Once it is belted, the car is comfortable. Look at the bells and whistles of lighting and sound design.
As much as I could appreciate the sensation of sonic silver waves to compensate for that faint EV whistle, we soon chose to explode the five – year – old’s current favorite Barbie soundtrack from the glowing set of 15 Burmester speakers. (There are unfortunate compromises involved in bringing a five-year-old along for the ride.)
Everything in the EQS stems from the 56-inch Hyperscreen OLED, which is divided into three separate exhibits that extend from door to door. Personally, it is not as intrusive as it appears in photos. The elliptical contour has a gamer-like cabin sensitivity.
The MBUX features are located on the 17.7-inch OLED screen, to the right of the steering wheel. The passenger can also choose to personalize their own touch screen. Inside the powerful computing system are 24 GB of RAM and 46.4 GB of RAM per second and eight CPU cores.
Image credits: Mercedes-Benz
The user experience
Simplicity is a hallmark of good design, embodied in the best Apple products. In contrast, Mercedes has always provided a dizzying set of user experience options and provided various approaches to accessing information. This trend is conveyed in the EQS, using the controls on the steering wheel, armrest and main screen. On test drives, I find several options for controls that distract attention. I’m never sure if it’s because I did not have the time to adapt, just as it takes a few weeks to get used to a new feature on a smartphone, or that it’s simply too much . I noticed the heads up was displayed, but it was one place too many to look at during the time I spent in the car.
Image credits: Mercedes-Benz
What prompted me was that the MBUX system studies driver behavior over time. At the end of my ride, the screen module reminded me that I might want to rebuild my active seat massage. In short, I was able to bypass the other controls and focus on what I wanted to use the most. Voice commands were decent, though my high pitch could blunt the system. I have not yet encountered a speech system for cars that understands me all the time.
There is no room for analog in the EQS experience. The graphics are bright, multidimensional and clear. One downside was that my fingerprints were stained on the touchscreens. Pro tip: bring a good spritzer and cloth before taking photos. Another small gripe was that the steering wheel looked like it was designed for a person with much larger hands than mine, and it was a little uncomfortable to access all the features stored on the wheel, which forced me have to look down to find the right places. Finally I rely on the MBUX middle screen to adjust the settings.
My favorite part of the EQS user experience is how it handles reach messages. The different screens on the line show at all times how many kilometers I have left, if my calculations for my destination are realistic, and are mapped to where I can charge.
The series
About that battery. The model I drove has a 107.8 kWh battery pack that drives two electric motors used in the four-wheel drive system. The range according to European tests is 470 miles, but can decrease according to American EPA test standards. I drove about 125 miles back and forth from Manhattan to a small town called Beacon and back, without first recharging me.
Image credits: Mercedes Benz
I pulled up the screen to postpone ChargePoint options offered one click. It also distinguishes which stations have 200 kW GS fast chargers available, which according to Mercedes takes about 15 minutes to recharge. To convince consumers of battery life, Mercedes has added a warranty that covers the loss of battery capacity, valid for a decade after purchase, or more than 150,000 miles.
The takeaway
The drive itself delivered powerful performance, as one would expect with 517 hp and 406 lb of torque at work. The EQS beats the competitive pull coefficient at .20, which is a pleasant fact for cars, but not essential knowledge for ordinary drivers.
It always takes a while to ride comfortably with a long saloon, but just like the S-Class, the EQS handles its relationships with grace, and it rotates easily due to the standard rear-wheel drive. It reflects the S-Class safety features and ADAS systems. The ride settings include classic and sporty, which can be achieved through the steering wheel or through the armrest. I’m generally a sporty driver, and I like the spicy feedback this mode has delivered.
“Of course we will develop it further,” Starzysnki said, adding that the ADAS features will be enhanced by software updates. Customizable updates such as light settings are also available for download.
The biggest difference between the EQS drive is its battery recovery system. Intelligent recovery mode optimizes the battery and controls the driver’s actions. Normal recovery reduced the disturbance. I played around with the one step on the highway. Managers also cannot choose support at all.
Image credits: Mercedes-Benz
The use of the mainstream EV in the United States feels like it’s right around the corner – and it could come even faster than expected if President Biden’s infrastructure plan succeeds. But carmakers will have to do much more than avoid Tesla if they want to attract the attention and dollars of American consumers. According to Experian, in 2020, EVs accounted for only 1.8% of U.S. car sales and reported in Automotive News.
Livestock change takes time, money and a long-term commitment. The next level of Mercedes-Benz EQS edges the playing field one step closer to the tipping point when the EV part of the architecture is no longer newsworthy, but the expectation for a luxury vehicle.
(Disclosure: in 2018, I was a Mercedes-Benz EQ Fellow for the Summit Series program, sponsored by the automaker, and I was featured on the EQ homepage.)