With its not-so-traditional exterior, space-age inside and born-electric platform, that is probably the most radical Merc you should buy.
The EQS is the way forward for Mercedes-Benz and a very good onerous have a look at what lies forward for the world’s oldest carmaker, which has given discover to the combustion engine. The corporate has acknowledged that it’ll make its vary totally electrical by 2030, properly earlier than the EU’s finish date of 2035 for the inner combustion engine.
The EQS is the primary Mercedes to be constructed on a bespoke EV structure moderately than on an IC engine platform modified for electrification. Developed from a clear sheet, the grounds-up EQS – free of IC engine encumbrances – ditches many century-old traditions and is in-built a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility with the most recent manufacturing processes. Briefly, that is probably the most radical, revolutionary and high-tech Merc you should buy.
The EQS ditches the everyday three-box form of a sedan for a extra mono-volume silhouette.
That is instantly apparent within the EQS’s form; thus far faraway from the stately ‘three-box’ S-class. The cab-forward, virtually ‘one-box’ or mono quantity silhouette could be very un-Merc and also you’d by no means think about this was a Mercedes if not for the massive three-pointed star on the grille. Besides that it’s not a grille however a blanked out, black panel with a number of miniature three-pointed stars etched on it and lit by tiny LED lights. A full-width LED strip that runs throughout the sting of the bonnet connects the headlamps, while on the rear, the tail lights, with their ‘helix design’, have unbelievable detailing and are joined by a light-weight band too. At night time, the illuminated lights look completely gorgeous.
Mercedes EQS: exterior
The EQS is a giant automotive measuring 5,216mm lengthy, 1,926mm broad and 1,512mm tall. It has an extremely lengthy 3,210mm wheelbase just like the S-class, however the overhangs are a lot shorter. The graceful and well-rounded design is dominated by the curved roof that arches from the entrance fender to the tailgate. And that’s one other custom the EQS breaks; you don’t get a typical trunk lid, however a fastback that pivots upwards, hatchback fashion, to disclose an enormous 610-litre boot, which, once more, is in sharp distinction to the small trunks we’ve all the time complained of in Merc sedans.
The huge 610-litre boot is in contrast to different Merc sedans.
What the EQS misses out on is a entrance trunk, or ‘frunk’. In actual fact, you possibly can’t open the entrance bonnet in any respect! The clamshell bonnet is sealed off from prospects and might solely be opened by workshop technicians. Strive telling that to resort safety workers after they ask you to pop open the bonnet!
However, when you can’t open the bonnet, how do you prime up the windscreen washer fluid? The filler bottle is built-in with a flap within the left-hand facet fender which springs open with a delicate press to make filling simple. Very intelligent.
Washer fluid filler built-in under the rear view mirror.
Mercedes says that sealing off the bonnet makes the EQS extra aerodynamically environment friendly, and that is totally plausible, as a result of the EQS has an ultra-slippery coefficient of drag (Cd) of simply 0.20, the bottom on any sequence manufacturing automotive. Additionally lowering drag are the flush door handles, which, by the way, are the one widespread bits with the S-class. Nevertheless, in each different method, the EQS hammers dwelling the purpose that it isn’t an electrified S-class however an all-new EV, with S-class ranges of luxurious. The most important variations lie the place you possibly can’t see them, and that’s below the ground.
The EQS’s electric-only EVA platform comes with the choice of a single motor for the rear axles or a pair of electrical motors driving all 4 wheels. The speaking level is the 107.8kWh battery pack, the most important but in a manufacturing EV, that sits in a crash-proof compartment housed throughout the huge wheelbase. Armed with the best capability battery ever, you possibly can anticipate the EQS to have phenomenal vary. In response to a Mercedes-Benz India supply, the official vary ‘can be in extra of 750km’, which is an unbelievable 550-650km in real-world driving situations, greater than sufficient to kill vary anxiousness as soon as and for all.
You’d by no means think about this was a Merc, if not for the massive three-pointed star on it.
The flip facet is {that a} larger battery takes longer to prime up. In Europe, the ultra-fast charging community (200kW and above) will prime up from 10-80 p.c in round half an hour. Nevertheless, in India, you’ll be fortunate to search out something greater than a 50kW DC charger, which might take round 90-95 min for a similar 10-80 p.c cost. Recharging at dwelling by way of a 11kW wallbox quick charger will take a very good 10 hours. So it’s essential plan your charging rigorously.
Like with most EVs, the battery pack nibbles into the bottom clearance, which is a precariously low 134mm on the EQS. This wasn’t an issue on Germany’s clean roads devoid of any pace breakers and potholes, however how a lot of a problem this might be on Indian roads stays to be seen. Let’s not neglect the EQC, Mercedes’ first EV in India, which hasn’t acquitted itself over pace breakers regardless of being an SUV.
India will get 20-inchers and taller tyre sidewall.
The EQS comes with a number of wheel dimension choices from 19 to 21 inches. While our check automotive in Germany got here with 21 inches, the India-spec automotive will get 20 inchers and a taller tyre sidewall for higher cushioning towards our roads.
Mercedes EQS: inside
If the outside is revolutionary, the inside is straight out of Star Trek. The EQS’s spaceship-like cabin is jam-packed with the most recent tech and a digital overkill. The hero is the a lot vaunted 56-inch ‘Hyperscreen’ that stretches pillar-to-pillar, throughout the dashboard. While you get all the way down to utilizing it, you realise it’s truly three screens joined collectively below one steady glass panel. The driving force and entrance passenger get a 12.3-inch display screen every, while the primary infotainment system within the centre will get a moderately giant 17.7-inch touchscreen show. The driving force’s display screen is just like the screens in different Mercs with the MBUX system, which, together with a helpful and crisp heads-up show, offers you all the information you want.
The 56-inch Hyperscreen homes three screens for the motive force and entrance passenger.
Point out have to be manufactured from the upgraded navigation software program that mixes an actual time video of the street forward with instructions overlaid on the picture. It really works brilliantly, particularly when navigating by means of sophisticated motorway interchanges. The entrance passenger has tons to play with on their display screen apart from viewing the map or selecting music. There are a bunch of video games, just like the very addictive Tetris, bundled right into a unit to maintain you engaged for hours. Nevertheless, the motive force gained’t be capable of see your scores or know what you’re as much as as a result of from the motive force’s seat, the show of many capabilities can’t be seen to keep away from distraction. That’s tech for you!
The primary display screen is analogous in performance to these within the new S-class and C-class and, so far as touchscreens go, is sort of intuitive to make use of. The menus you swipe by means of are all logically laid out, while the aircon icons are completely displayed on the backside of the display screen for straightforward entry. There aren’t any old school buttons and even the few ‘onerous’ buttons for the drive modes, quantity management and hazard lights are contact delicate. Worse are the contact delicate controls on the steering wheel current in each new technology Merc which it’s a must to annoyingly frisk to get them to work. The seat management ‘pictogram’ on the door panel can be contact capacitive and the juicy tactile clicks with which these controls operated on earlier generations of Mercs is now gone.
To make up, the EQS’s ‘Hey Mercedes’ voice assistant is probably the most effective in any automotive. It’s eerie how simply it understands instructions stated in several methods and accents, be it from switching on the cruise management, opening the sunroof, turning on the aircon, getting a therapeutic massage or plotting a brand new route on the nav. In actual fact, so good is the EQS’s voice help that it makes fairly a number of touchscreen capabilities redundant. And, after all, you’ve got Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which profit from the massive display screen.
Rear-seat legroom is unbelievable, however area tight for a fifth passenger.
It’s important to crouch a bit to get contained in the cabin, however when you’ve plonked your self on the soft-leather seats you’ll discover they’re the epitome of consolation. The entrance seats have beneficiant again and below thigh assist with ample bolstering all spherical to properly cosset you. Within the Unique trim variant we examined, the seats might be cooled, heated and include a myriad therapeutic massage choices.
Within the backseat, the EQS isn’t as spacious because the lengthy wheelbase S-class and the sloping roof does lower into headroom, however even tall passengers gained’t have a lot purpose to complain. Legroom is solely unbelievable, there’s plenty of underthigh assist and the again relaxation might be electrically reclined. The center seat is sort of slender, so a fifth passenger gained’t be too comfortable in right here and it’s greatest to make use of this limo as a four-seater by flipping down the armrest housing a removable pill to manage leisure within the rear seat when you lean again into the pillow smooth headrests.
Like with most born-electric platforms, cupboard space is in abundance, particularly within the central console, which doesn’t should cede area to a transmission. The central cubby gap is spacious and below the console too, you possibly can retailer a small bag.
The remainder of the cabin is beautiful too and constructed to S-class ranges of high quality too. It abounds with smooth contact supplies and a cultured mixture of wooden, aluminium and piano black finishes. The Walnut brown wooden centre console with pin stripes on the top-spec EQS580 and the turbine vents wouldn’t be misplaced on a luxurious yacht. And the high-end Burmester audio system sounds simply sensible.
The adjustable ambient lighting with 64 colors to select from brings the interiors alive at night time. The LED strips working below the sprint and throughout the doorways pulsate with completely different colors and even glow purple while you flip up the aircon temperature or ground the accelerator pedal. It’s like having a Diwali celebration inside with out noisy fireworks! However there are fireworks of a special variety while you press down on the precise pedal.
Mercedes EQS: efficiency
The jolt of energy you get while you ground the accelerator takes you unexpectedly. You simply don’t anticipate the heavy EQS to leap off the road in a really un-measured, un-Mercedes method. This isn’t a daily Merc however typical of the EV breed, which serves up torque immediately. Within the case of the top-end EQS 580 examined right here, it’s 856Nm and 523hp, which propels this 2,585kg limousine to 100kph by way of two permanent-synchronous electrical motors driving all four-wheels, in simply 4.3 seconds. Acceleration peters out at larger speeds, however there’s nonetheless sufficient grunt for fast overtakes and high-speed cruising. On a derestricted part of the autobahn, hitting 160kph was a breeze, after which progress was much less fast.
The tomb-like silence contained in the cabin units a brand new benchmark for refinement.
The EQS isn’t meant to be a efficiency sedan (for that there’s the EQS AMG 53) and prioritises refinement and luxury over every little thing else. EVs are supposed to be quiet and the EQS is shockingly so with solely a small trace of wind noise above 120kph. The tomb-like silence contained in the cabin units a brand new benchmark for refinement and you may truly hear your self breathe. If you’d like sound, you possibly can have it artificially induced by selecting from a choice of powertrain soundtracks – a synthesised mimicry of engine notes, with corny names like “Silver Waves” and “Vivid Flux”. It sounds fairly foolish and is greatest switched off, so you possibly can get pleasure from whole silence, which is one purpose to purchase an EV. If there’s a niggle, it’s the aircon fan, which, within the solitude of the cabin, sounds too loud if the blower pace is greater than two.
Regardless of weighing 2,585kg, the EQS feels agile on the street.
Regardless of its weight, the EQS feels fairly agile and nimble and flows fairly fortunately down a twisty street. The steering, although missing in really feel, is sort of mild; it’s not a really participating automotive to drive, however there’s little physique roll and is sort of conscious of course modifications, which eggs you on to hustle it in, once more in a really un-Merc method. (What number of occasions have we used this time period by now?!) The important thing to EQS’s simple dealing with is low centre of gravity from the hefty battery and four-wheel steering – customary on the 580 variant. The rear wheels flip by as a lot as 4.5 levels, which makes the EQS really feel fast and shrinks the turning radius to simply 11.9mm – unbelievable for such a long-wheelbase automotive.
Experience high quality is once more superb and also you merely can’t really feel the street below you. The adaptive air suspension can predict and keep in mind the street in entrance of you, and does an incredible job of isolating you from bumps and unhealthy surfaces. It’s simply that it was onerous to discover a unhealthy stretch of street within the countryside outdoors Stuttgart. The ultimate check for all that suspension tech can be on the streets of India and it stays to be seen how properly the EQS copes in hostile situations.
The unbelievable roads within the countryside out Stuttgart gave us little concept in regards to the EQS’ trip high quality.
The brakes have been a bit disappointing and lacked really feel particularly with the regen on zero. The center regen setting (operated by way of the paddle shifters) improved braking really feel, while probably the most aggressive setting was robust sufficient for one-pedal driving.
Mercedes EQS: anticipated worth, verdict
Mercedes-Benz India will first launch the AMG EQS 53 on August 24, and observe it up with the EQS 580 someday in the course of the festive season. Whereas the AMG EQS 53 can be introduced in as a Fully Constructed Unit (CBU), the EQS 580 will take the Fully Knocked Down (CKD) route.
Costs are usually not sure, however estimate it to be something between Rs 1.82 crore and Rs 2 crore, which is on the pricier facet. However what’s for sure is that the EQS will blow the posh EV market away with its futuristic design, space-age cabin and sensible driving expertise. Regardless of breaking the mould and lots of Mercedes traditions, the EQS has not overlooked what the model stands for. It’s nonetheless received luxurious, refinement and high quality at its core, wrapped in a high-tech package deal. That is the most effective electrical luxurious automotive by far.
Additionally learn:
Mercedes-Benz EQS video evaluate
Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4Matic+ launch in India set for August 24
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