In the battle of aesthetics versus aerodynamics, there are winners and there are losers. In the eyes of many, myself included, the Mercedes-Benz EQE electrical sedan sits squarely in that latter class. Anonymous to the intense, its ambiguous form merely disappears in a busy parking zone. That doesn’t cease it from being a improbable automotive with good efficiency, stable vary, and a refined trip, nevertheless it simply isn’t a lot to have a look at.
When I first noticed the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV, I confess I didn’t suppose a lot of it, both. It is, in any case, only a taller EQE with a hatch. But, after spending a couple of days motoring round in a single, considering it in quite a lot of settings whereas sitting within the Portuguese solar (the automotive, not me), I confess I’ve modified my tune. I genuinely suppose the EQE SUV is a giant visible improve.
Full Disclaimer: Mercedes-Benz wished me to drive the EQE SUV so badly, the corporate flew me to Lisbon, Portugal, put me up in not one however three posh lodges, and plied me with all of the vegan beetroot carpaccio I may eat.
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Both EQE fashions share the identical basic type signature: A swooping black plastic nostril surrounding the Mercedes-Benz emblem. The black faux-grille on the EQE sedan simply kind of eases its manner into the hood, which to me is a giant a part of what makes the sedan so anonymous-looking. On the EQE SUV, there’s a sharper definition between grille and hood, entrance and prime, that offers the electrical crossover only a smidge extra persona.
It’s a lot the identical story on the rear. Where the sedan’s roofline lazily arcs down proper into the rear bumper, the SUV’s terminal finish is extra outlined, due to the liftgate and the pert little spoiler that hangs from it.
To be clear, the EQE SUV is not any stunner. Nobody’s going to go fumbling for his or her cellphone to snap an image when this crossover idles by on a busy road. But it does a minimum of have some presence that the sedan largely lacks.
Another factor the EQE SUV has over the sedan, in fact, is cargo house. The rear hatch opens onto a quantity that’s way more conducive to lengthy street journeys or large canines. There’s 20 cubic toes of house with the seats up, to be precise, rising to 59 with the rear seats folded. That compares unfavorably to the Tesla Model Y’s 34.3 cubic toes with the seats up, or 76.2 with them folded. (The Tesla additionally has a frunk, which the EQE lacks.) One level in favor of the Mercedes: Those rear seats are break up 40/20/40, making it simple to get greater cargo like skis or snowboards in there whereas nonetheless carrying two rear passengers.
Getting these passengers into the rear seats can also be simpler right here than within the sedan. The larger roofline and customarily extra spacious format make the again a way more comfy place. The entrance is roomy, too. The EQE sedan all the time felt a bit claustrophobic to me, however after two days of driving round within the EQE SUV, in fashions with and with out the large panoramic glass roof, I by no means had that very same hemmed-in feeling.
The greatest seats are up entrance, although, and should you don’t thoughts paying a bit additional, they’ll even therapeutic massage you. (They’re an $1,100 choice on the EQE sedan, and will value about the identical right here.) The normal 12.8-inch, vertically oriented show is giant sufficient to make it simple to navigate via the countless choices and configurable options on the EQE. Likewise, the 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster is extensively tweakable, nevertheless it’s all easy and straightforward to do. Mercedes’ MBUX interface does a terrific job of placing buttons and choices the place you count on them, reasonably than burying them in countless menus.
While the taller, prouder SUV profile makes room for extra of that pretty inside, there are some drawbacks, the most important being a discount in aerodynamics. The EQE sedan has a remarkably slippery 0.20 coefficient of drag. The EQE SUV, alternatively, drops to 0.25. That’s nonetheless excellent, however the additional resistance to the wind, plus a bit additional weight (5,300 kilos vs. 5,201 for the sedan, when each are 350+ fashions), has an unlucky impression on vary. At greatest, with the rear-wheel-drive EQS SUV 350+, you’re taking a look at 279 miles of battery vary per the EPA. At worst, with the 350 4Matic, it’s 253 miles. The 500 4Matic splits the distinction at 269 miles. All variations use a 90.6 kilowatt-hour battery pack.
In alternate for the additional vary (and a further $11,600), the EQE SUV 500 4Matic will get you 402 hp and 633 lb-ft of torque. The 350 4Matic, in the meantime, provides you 288 hp and 564 lb-ft, whereas the single-motor, rear-drive EQE SUV 350+ nets you a similar 288 hp however 417 lb-ft of torque. Both 4Matic variants of the EQE SUV function new, quick-disconnect entrance driveshafts that permit the automotive to coast or gently speed up with out the parasitic drag of the entrance motor, however can nonetheless have interaction it underneath onerous acceleration, regeneration, or when the rear wheels lose traction. Every EQE SUV additionally encompasses a warmth pump, which ought to make it way more environment friendly than the sedan when working the heater in chilly climate.
Speaking of onerous regeneration, whilst you can toggle between two regen modes utilizing wheel-mounted paddles, even the “strong” setting is on the gentle facet, falling properly in need of the one-pedal expertise that I (and numerous EV drivers) want. Mercedes-Benz’s “Intelligent” regen mode is current as properly, which makes use of the adaptive cruise-control logic to modulate regen primarily based on site visitors, nevertheless it’s clearly too good for me. Despite spending many hours in lots of Mercedes EVs with this function, I nonetheless don’t prefer it a lot.
I drove all three powertrains accessible on the EQE SUV. While the five hundred actually has the sting on the subject of urgency, each of the 350 fashions are lots fast. Any of them leap ahead in that time-honored EV manner, however whereas the less-powerful vehicles appear to expire of steam at round 40 or 50 mph, the five hundred will maintain you planted in your seat properly previous the velocity restrict.
I like a fast automotive — all of us do — however outright velocity isn’t actually what the EQS SUV is about. It has succesful dealing with and oodles of grip, whether or not you go together with the fundamental “comfort” suspension or the elective Airmatic adaptive setup, however with beneficiant physique roll and a considerably relaxed response to steering inputs, it simply isn’t a very enthusiastic dance associate. Keep it to a waltz, not a Charleston, and it’ll maintain you smiling.
There is a Sport mode right here, in fact, and a customizable “Individual” mode as properly, however far and away one of the simplest ways to drive the EQE SUV is in Comfort. All EVs are typically quiet, in fact, however whereas some can let numerous street noise or suspension complaints into the cabin, the EQE SUV simply absorbs all that power and channels it into one other dimension. The trip high quality and near-silence listed below are actually on one other planet in comparison with EV crossovers just like the Tesla Model Y or Ford Mustang Mach-E.
That simply makes the EQE SUV a greater platform to assist the Burmester sound system with Dolby Atmos. There are upgrades accessible, however the base stereo sounds excellent. You will, although, have to pay additional for some issues that you simply may count on to return normal on a luxurious EV, together with adaptive cruise and, tragically, a heated steering wheel (a $250 choice on the EQE sedan, too).
Just like how aerodynamics affect the EQE line’s nameless exterior styling, the slight ache of lacking normal options has a logical clarification: the U.S.’s draconian new EV tax incentives, which provide $7,500 off the sticker value of a qualifying electrical SUV that prices $80,000 or much less. The EQE SUV’s beginning MSRP? $77,900 for the 350+, slightly below the road for eligibility. But verify off greater than a few choices, and you’ll kiss that credit score goodbye. Interestingly, the EQE SUV is similar value for both the rear-drive 350+ or the 4Matic, simplifying the choice considerably: winter efficiency or maximal vary?
It’s onerous to cease your self from checking numerous choice bins — in any case, that’s a part of the enjoyable of shopping for a luxurious automotive (so I’ve been advised). But regardless the way you spec it, from base mannequin to top-shelf with AMG Line styling, with the EQE SUV, you’re getting a smooth-driving, quick-accelerating, and handsome all-electric crossover.
Well, higher trying, anyway.
Source: jalopnik.com