With the EQS, Mercedes continues to re-write the rules of what a luxury limo should be. Jonathan Crouch takes a look at the revised version.
Ten Second Review
With this EQS, Mercedes' most opulent EV, the Stuttgart brand has tried to redefine what the luxury limo of the future will look like. It now gets a bigger battery, a more opulent rear seat and the option of a more traditional look. And still claims to be the most aerodynamic production road car yet made. The cabin is suitably futuristic, the drivetrains are potent, the technology's impressive - and of course, the prices are high. Everything you'd expect really - from a car that, equally, might be everything you wouldn't expect a large luxury boardroom conveyance to be.
Background
What might the luxury limo of EVs look like? This is the Mercedes take on that question, the EQS, a car we first saw back in 2021. Early EQ Mercedes models mirrored the look of their combustion counterparts quite closely, but the EQS looks nothing like an S-Class, outside or in. And of course, the driving and ownership experience it offers is completely different too.
One thing is common though. The S-Class has always been the model on which we've first seen Mercedes choiciest engineering and electronic innovations, features which then filter down into more affordable cars in the Stuttgart maker's portfolio. So it is with the EQS, which pioneers new technology in aerodynamics, cabin screen tech and charging - to name just three things amongst many - which will all be seen in future smaller Mercedes EQ models. But started here with this one. Here, we look at the updated bigger-battery version of this model announced in Spring 2024.
Driving Experience
There are three EQS models, starting with the base EQS 350, which uses a 96kWh battery that energises a 292hp motor and provides for an EV range of up to 409 miles. The key change with this updated model though, is the introduction of the new, larger 118kWh battery for the top two variants (up from 108.4kWh before). This features on the EQS 450+ (with 360hp and up to 481 miles of range); and the top AWD Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+ (with 658hp and up to 378 miles of range). These figures should be more achievable than those quoted before because the energy recuperation now works more strongly - at up to 3m/s, twice the previous strength. This means the brake discs will be used less, so Mercedes has introduced a function that will automatically apply them occasionally to keep them properly active.
As before, under the skin across the EQS line-up, the 4-link front suspension set-up with its multi-link arrangement at the rear is closely related to the that used in the S-Class and, as with that car, adaptive air suspension is standard, with its parameters adjusted depending on the drive mode you select - choose from 'Eco', 'Comfort', 'Sport' and 'Individual'. The ride height falls at above 74mph, which improves aerodynamic efficiency and ups the driving range. Predictive camera-based suspension tech is missing, but this car nonetheless wafts over speed humps and tarmac tears as if they weren't there. It's probably our favourite thing about it. That pillowy ride doesn't mean a dynamic downside through the turns, but there's little enjoyment to be had from throwing this car about, so it's just as well that few owners will want to.
Four-wheel steering is standard, which sees the rear wheels turning by up to 10-degrees compared to those at the front - or by as much as 9-degrees with the AMG '53' version. They turn in the same direction as those at the front to help stability at high speeds - and in the opposite direction to aid manoeuvrability at parking speeds. It works too: the EQS boasts a turning circle of 10.9-metres with the 10-degree rear axle steering set-up, which is extraordinary for a 5.21-metre long limousine. You're going to need to make proactive use of the aforementioned clever energy recuperation system, which is manually selectable via steering wheel paddles in three stages - 'D+', 'D' and 'D-' - or select 'D auto' to do it all for you if you can't decide.
Design and Build
If you ever wished the EQS had more of the stately presence of the S-Class, well now it can courtesy of an added alternative front panel option offered with the 'Business Class' variants. This uses vertical slats and chrome plating to replicate the look of a combustion-engined S-Class - and adds a bonnet-mounted three-pointed star. Most variants though, retain the original model's AMG Line-style front.
Otherwise, things are as before when we first saw the EQS back in 2021. Here, we're looking at the five-door hatch version; there's also a separate EQS SUV crossover model which sits on the same bespoke EVA platform. With this EQS hatch, Mercedes set out to create the world's most aerodynamic road car - and achieved an uber-slippery drag coefficient of just 0.20Cd. Smooth surfaced panels devoid of creases help here, as does the coupe-like profile, the short overhangs and the frameless doors with their flush fitting handles. There's a large fastback-style tailgate. The clamshell-style bonnet can't be opened.
Inside, the big news with this update is the standardisation of the brand's striking 55.5-inch MBUX Hyperscreen, which gives you three separate displays housed beneath a single, curved panel that's 141cm wide. Of these, the driver gets a 12.3-inch instrument screen, there's a 17.7-inch central infotainment monitor and a third 12.3-inch display sits ahead the front passenger.
Just as important for likely customers are the changes made to the rear seat, where on all models the back rests now recline to 36-degrees - or as much as 38-degrees with the optional 'Rear Comfort Plus' package fitted, which includes neck and shoulder heating and allows the front passenger seat to automatically fold forward to increase leg space. Rear seat space is of course fundementally generous, thanks to the long wheelbase enabled by the EV underpinnings. And, as before, a removable tablet can be specified for back passengers, along with a pair of 11.6-inch screens. With the 350 and 450+ variants, there's a huge 620-litre boot, extendable to 1,700-litres with the seats folded. With the AMG 53 version, the 4MATIC+ system restricts boot space to 580-litres.
Market and Model
You're going to need to think in terms of a price starting point of just under £100,000 for EQS ownership; that's for the base EQS 350 model, which has the smaller 96kWh battery, offers 292hp and is the starting point in the EQS hierarchy. The alternative for around £13,000 more is the EQS 450+, which has the bigger 118kWh battery and offers 360hp. Both variants are rear-driven and come with a choice of three trim levels - 'AMG Line Premium', 'AMG Line Premium Plus' and 'Business Class' (the latter with a combustion S-Class-style front end bearing an upright three-pointed star).
The only way of getting the 4MATIC drive system with the conventional EQS body style in the UK is to opt for the fastest version of this car, the Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+, which also uses the 118kWh battery. Predictably, given that power for this performance variant rises right up to at least 658hp, that's an even costlier confection, priced from just under £162,000 at the time of this review in either 'Night Edition' or 'Touring' forms. Your other alternative is to opt for the EQS SUV body style, which offers similar drivetrain options to those you can have with this conventional model.
Here though, our focus is on the conventional EQS body shape. It rolls out of the same Sindelfingen factory complex as its close cousin, the Mercedes S-Class, which of course is a saloon (the EQS is a five-door hatch) and is a car that costs much the same as an EQS if, as would be most relevant, your point of comparison is with the S580e Plug-in Hybrid S-Class model.
Cost of Ownership
We gave you the EV mileage figures in our 'Driving' section - up to 409 miles for the 96kWh EQS 350; and up to 481 miles for the 118kWh EQS 450+, which falls to a best of 378 miles for the heavier 118kWh Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+. The now much-stronger energy recuperation system should make these figures more achievable than those previously quoted.
The EQS, a little surprisingly, hasn't adopted the 800V electronic architecture that top Audi and Porsche EVs use; there's a 400V system, hence the rather restricted 200kW DC rapid charge capability (a Porsche Taycan or Audi e-tron GT have 800V architecture that can charge up to 320kW). Still, a 10-80% DC rapid charge in all EQS models will take only just over 30 minutes. Mercedes claims that up to 186 miles of range can be added in as little as a quarter of an hour.
As standard, you get an 11kW AC on-board charger which, using an AC charging point, tops up the car from 10-100% in 12 hours 15 minutes (it's 18 hours 30 minutes using a commoner 7.4kW wallbox). The respective AC charging times for the 96kWh EQS 350 are 10 hours 15 minutes (11kW) and 15 hours (7.4kW).
On all variants, we like the clever choice of different charging programmes - 'Standard', 'Home' and 'Work', each of which allows you to pre-set things like departure time, maximum charge level and air conditioning settings. There's also a feature that Mercedes calls 'Eco-charging', which lowers the load on the battery during charging in a way that improves the longevity of the lithium-ion cells. As usual with an EV, you can lower the battery's charge state to a pre-set limit; or delay charging take advantage of off-peak electricity.
Summary
Just as the Mercedes S-Class was in many ways the original boardroom level large luxury saloon, so in future years, the EQS will be seen as being the first car to fill that role for EVs. You might think that the looks lack the traditional gravitas that a car in this class is expected to have. But that's because nothing - not even the crucial issue in this class of pavement presence - has been allowed to get in the way of the relentless engineering drive towards efficiency that characterises this car. The luxury limo of the future must have less environmental impact on its surroundings than the supermini of the past. And for that to happen, a big saloon of this kind must change; radically.
The EQS epitomises the need for that. It's different because going forward, cars of its kind will have to be. And, just as significantly, it's the first European brand EV to properly trump Tesla when it comes to driving range. Of course, as a top-level executive, you may not be quite ready for this level of radical change. If so no, no problem: that's why Mercedes still makes the S-Class. But if you are, in this car, the future awaits.
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