Mercedes EQS 450+, the one with the biggest …
… range. With the claimed 729 kilometers on a full battery, I would be fine without charging the car for the whole week I’m testing the Mercedes EQS. Challenge accepted!
350, 450+, 580 and AMG 53
The Mercedes EQS comes in a variety of different flavors and powers. The 350 and this 450 + are the rear-wheel-driven ones, while the 580 and AMG 53 can enjoy the Mercedes “4-Matic+”-system. Other differences can be found in the price, range, power output, and therefore logical acceleration time. Do you want to know more about the EQS 580? Go check out the review -here- from our man, Ward.
Mister long range
I need to start with a confession: “I ain’t the biggest fan of the EV”. The combination of long charging times and the rather small radius always keeps me at a large distance from them. About 400 kilometers, most electric cars don’t reach that in 1 charge. But then I saw this EQS 450+ with an extreme range of 729 kilometers! So they say. Enough for my daily commute in a week to work and the sports club (a small 60 km a day) without charging ones! In defense of the car, I forgot the drive from and to Mercedes Belux which gives it an extra 90 km and the trip to the restaurant -because, you drive a nice car and you need to go to a restaurant-. Drum roll … I didn’t make it. Bummer!
Bringing the car to life at Mercedes Belux and I instantly noticed 2 ranges. The 729 and one with 100 kilometers less. And the gap between those two just grew when I changed my temperature, I choose to use the massage seats and put the car in its most sporty setting. Aaaaa, the life of an electric car owner! Beautiful #sarcasm! But I know a trick to save electricity! Drive 100 km/h on the highway -a huge difference from 120 km/h- and don’t put the EQS in “Sport”. Where the Sport-modus is one of my favorite buttons in cars, the EQS 450+ could do without it. A 0-100 km/h-time of 6,2 seconds and a top speed of 210 km/h with 333 hp and 565 Nm of torque don’t scream sportiness. But that sportiness is something you will never miss in this Luxury EQS. It feels like a crime -punishable by death- to make it more sporty or more aggressive. Let the Porsche Taycan, Audi RS e-Tron GT, and Tesla Model S fight over who’s the most sporty. Mercedes easily takes home the title of “most comfy”.
The chassis emphasizes comfort and less on driving dynamics. In the corners, the car will tilt thanks to its weight (2,4 tons!), but even with that chassis and the weight, the car can do a powerslide. Instant torque, baby! The Mercedes EQS 450+ feels big and small at the same moment. Big and strong presence to drive on the road with a high seating position, but also smaller than the 5,2 meters thanks to the 4 wheel steering.
0.20
With a Cd value of 0.20, the Mercedes EQS truly slides through the wind and can bring a “27.0 kWh/100km average consumption” to the game. To get this number, Mercedes styled the EQS to be as streamlined as possible with a closed grill. This quest for low resistance gives the car a minimalistic styling that you could call boring. You called it that! We didn’t. Or did we? Leave that behind you. Another important number is 200 kW. That peak charge value can be reached while the Mercedes EQS 450+ is fast/supercharging. In 30 minutes, the EQS 450+ can charge from 10% to 80% giving it an extra 280-300 kilometers.
The exterior certainly exhales class. The black with the chrome details and big rims give the car a serious statement. Almost S-Class worthy. Almost, but not completely and that’s the story of his life.
Almost
The strangest feeling wasn’t given by the driving dynamics, but by the interior. The EQS has to be the full electric S-Class, but sadly the EQS comes up short. The first time I took place in the interior of the EQS I was blown away. The soft materials, the great build quality, the silence around you, and the crazy big hyper screen with Tetris and Airhockey. It’s unbelievable, it’s overwhelming. But my colleague, Beau, was testing the S580e -review coming soon- and I had a taste of that car. The difference between those 2 cars is like the difference between American football and rugby. American football is cool, but if you have ever seen rugby, American football looks for pussies.
Conclusion
This EQS starts at 123.420 euros (BE). Yikes, that’s steep. Take the “Edition 1”-pack and you get a super-fancy “walnut wood yacht”-look trim parts, massage seats, and a panoramic sunroof. Don’t forget the hyper screen and you end up with a car of 150.000 euros. Double yikes! But if this is the future, the future isn’t that bad. The Mercedes EQS is clinical just like every other EV, but you can forgive it with this Mercedes. The silence -thanks to the great isolation- and the ease of driving all contribute to a great daily driver to get you from A to B in the best possible way!
