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The Mercedes-EQ EQS is being called the world’s first genuine luxury EV. It goes on sale later this summer and is due in the UK before the year is out
Mercedes-Benz has revealed the EQS, the first all-electric luxury saloon from its Mercedes-EQ sub-brand. It is the pure EV equivalent of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class – complete with a range of almost 480 miles.
Officially the world’s most aerodynamic car, the EQS boasts exceptionally large ‘next-generation’ batteries, the biggest of which has a usable capacity of 107.8kWh. It can use 200kW DC rapid chargers too, giving 186 miles’ range in just 15 minutes.
Built on an all-new pure electric architecture, the EQS is intentionally different in appearance to a conventional S-Class. Its cab-forward design and fastback rear makes it visually distinct from combustion engine cars, even at a first glance.
It’s inside where the EQS really stands out. The dashboard is dominated by HD displays which Mercedes-Benz calls MBUX Hyperscreen. It stretches almost the full length of the dashboard and is made up of three displays set below glass, which visually merge into one.
This includes a 12.3-inch OLED display for the front passenger – their own display, control and YouTube viewing area, which is apparently disabled if the driver glances at it.
Hyperscreen has a ‘zero-layer’ design: users don’t have to scroll through multiple submenus, as key functions are claimed to be always on the top level. This has been achieved through a great deal of artificial intelligence and context-sensitive awareness, 'elevating in-car infotainment to a new level of sophistication'.
At launch, there will be two versions. The EQS 450+ is rear-wheel drive, boasting 333hp and 0-62mph in 6.2 seconds. The EQS 580 4Matic is all-wheel drive, with two motors delivering 523hp and 0-62mph in just 4.3 seconds (although it’s not planned to launch in the UK).
A later Mercedes-AMG version will produce more than 700hp, while cheaper versions with smaller batteries are also planned.
Stretching to almost 5.2 metres in length, the EQS is a very large car, with huge amounts of interior and luggage space. The basic car duly weighs almost 2.5 tonnes.
It also has, remarkably, more than 350 sensors, which record distance, speed, acceleration, lighting, precipitation, temperatures, seat occupancy – even the driver’s eyeblinks and passenger’s speech.
Algorithm-controlled processing units monitor everything and help the EQS ‘learn’ from its inbuilt artificial intelligence.
Even the Burmester sound system is next-generation, complete with ‘calming… immersive and impressively realistic onboard sounds including Forest Glade, Sound of the Sea and Summer Rain.
“The EQS is designed to exceed the expectations of even our most demanding customers,” said Daimler AG CEO Ola Kallenius. “That’s exactly what a Mercedes has to do to earn the letter ‘S’ in its name… we don’t award that letter lightly.”
