The shift to electrification is within the works at Mercedes-Benz. The brand new S-Class is wonderful, nevertheless it did not make the ultimate reduce this yr as a result of it was upstaged by its future alternative: the EQS.
A full-size electrical hatchback, the Mercedes-Benz EQS is a tour de power even the S-Class cannot match because it lays the groundwork for the German automaker’s future. The EQS earned its spot on the Motor Authority Finest Automobile To Purchase 2022 finalist checklist because the market’s first true electrical luxurious automobile (sorry, the Tesla Mannequin could also be costly, nevertheless it is not a luxurious automobile).
2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS first drive (EQS 580)
2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS first drive (EQS 580)
2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS first drive (EQS 580)
Primarily based on Mercedes’ new MMA platform, which is able to underpin most of the upcoming electrical Benz fashions, the EQS appears to be like like nothing else on the highway right this moment due to its cab-forward design and quick roofline that creates a slippery coefficient of drag 0.20. Its design is about effectivity and the futuristic look is a facet profit.
2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS first drive (EQS 450+)
The EQS’s cabin is a tech showcase highlighted by the elective Hyperscreen, which contains three dashboard screens lined in a single 56-inch pane of glass. Practically each touchpoint within the pillowy inside is roofed in both glass or mushy leather-based. At night time, the ambient lighting makes the inside really feel like a high-end night time membership.
The bottom EQS has enough energy, and the opposite fashions are downright fast. The bottom 450+ mannequin makes use of single rear motor that gives 329 hp and 419 lb-ft of torque and launches the automobile from 0-60 mph in 5.9 seconds. The twin-motor EQS 580 mannequin provides a front-mounted motor that ups whole output to 516 hp and 631 lb-ft whereas additionally offering all-wheel drive. The 0-60 mph dash drops to 4.1 seconds and makes freeway passing extra assured.
Each EQS attracts its energy from a 107.8-kwh battery pack; single-motor vehicles have 350-miles of EPA-rated vary, whereas the dual-motor EQS 580 has 340 miles of vary.
2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS
The suspension is the EQS’s secret sauce. An air suspension paired with adaptive dampers comes commonplace and permits the EQS to glide over the highway whereas dismissing bumps. In Consolation mode, it may possibly wallow at occasions on the freeway, however round city it is chic. Between the isolating suspension and the near-silent powertrain, it is typically laborious to inform simply how briskly the EQS is transferring down the highway. Rear-axle steering helps shrink the EQS round corners, too.
Whereas the EQS upstages the most recent S-Class, which is a feat in itself, it is not good. We take subject with the brakes, which really feel mushy when first utilized however get higher after the handoff from regen to friction braking. The design makes the automobile appear to be it landed from outer house, nevertheless it’s actually not as fairly because the S-Class, and the proportions elicit ideas of the not-so-upscale Chrysler LH fashions of the Nineteen Nineties and early 2000s. The Hyperscreen’s high-set gauge cluster nearly obstructs the view forward, and the sheer quantity of data on the quite a few screens can really feel overwhelming.
2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS first drive (EQS 450+)
Luxurious vehicles not often make it to the ultimate spherical in Motor Authority‘s Finest Automobile To Purchase competitors as a result of we worth enjoyable behind the wheel. The EQS is so good, although, and such a game-changer within the electric-car market, that we now have to contemplate it.
Will the Mercedes-Benz EQS’s mixture of know-how, experience consolation, energy, and electrical luxurious be sufficient for it to win Motor Authority‘s Finest Automobile To Purchase 2022 competitors? Examine again on Jan. 3 once we announce the winner, together with the winners from our sister websites, The Automobile Connection, and Inexperienced Automobile Stories.
