Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV review: Large seven-seat EV steps up the opulence

The Mercedes-Benz EQS is the brand’s first electric SUV that is built on a bespoke EV architecture – and we’ve driven it.

The EQA small SUV and EQC mid-sized SUV that are already on sale use existing ICE architectures with electric components added, but the EQS SUV starts with a skateboard-style chassis that allows the motors and batteries to be positioned optimally.

Utilising the underpinnings of the EQS sedan, the made-in-America EQS SUV adds a wagon body that is about 20cm higher. As a full-size SUV there’s also the option of a third row of seats to take capacity to seven people.

The EQS SUV was launched to the media in Colorado, where we got behind the wheel for our first drive.

There are no direct rivals at this stage, with the closest options being the Tesla Model X that is currently not available here as well as the smaller BMW iX.

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Just going on sale overseas, the EQS SUV is slated to arrive in Australia in the third quarter of 2023.

Value

Pricing is yet to be announced for the EQS SUV but it’s expected to start somewhere around $250,000.

There are currently three models available: the EQS450+ with a single electric motor, the EQS450 4Matic with two motors driving all four wheels and the EQS580, which has the same hardware as the 450 4Matic but with software that allows for more power. Mercedes-Benz is also rumoured to be working on a flagship Maybach model. There are no plans for a hotter AMG model.

Equipment levels have not yet been confirmed, but it’s fair to assume there will be lots of gear as standard.

That includes a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and 12.8-inch centre screen. Mercedes-Benz also offers a Hyperscreen that covers the width of the dash. It’s effectively three screens – a 12.3-inch instrument cluster for the driver, 12.3-inch display for the passenger and a more lavish 17.7-inch screen in the centre.

It’s a lot of pixels and also brings a bigger, bluffer dashboard to accommodate them all.

The Mercedes-Benz EQS is covered by a five-year unlimited kilometre warranty, while the high voltage battery is covered for 10 years and 250,000km – currently the best battery warranty in the business.

Inside

At about 5.3 metres long and two metres wide the EQS SUV is a big vehicle. Those up front have loads of space. The dashboard is quite dominant and in-your-face; opt for the Hyperscreen and it steps up a notch due to the extra real estate required to house all the additional display space.

It’s the middle row that is the place to be, borrowing limousine genes from its EQS sedan sibling. The flat floor liberates more foot room, there’s ample space under the front seats and even the tallest of passengers will be impressed with the knee room.

Even the optional third row is decent for those prepared to make the journey further back. Not quite adult friendly, but adult capable – and a snip for kids. There’s also a similar level of luxury to other parts of the cabin, with USB-C outlets for each occupant (there are multiple ports in every row), an arm rest, cupholders and a storage binnacle and air vents to keep things fresh.

In any direction you look finishes are top notch. Leather covers many surfaces while a soft trim called Neotex graces the tops of the doors and dash. Adjustable ambient lighting and a vast array of available colours and trims ensures customisation from the traditional to the bold.

Less impressive is some of the switchgear. The steering wheel is a mass of buttons, sliders and touch pads that requires some familiarisation before you go clicking. And simple things such as adjusting the volume requires a slide or press of a button that makes big adjustments harder than a circular dial.

At least there’s a voice assistant to help out with basic functions as well as artificial intelligence that learns your favourites and adjusts the layout of the screen – or makes suggestions – accordingly.

Luggage space is 645 litres when the EQS SUV is configured as a five-seater. An electrically sliding middle row can extend that to 880 litres, in turn reducing legroom. Boot space reduces by about 10 percent if you option the third row of seats. And if you’re using all seven seats there’s a modest 195 litres of space for gear.

Forget about a frunk (or front trunk) because there’s no additional storage under the bonnet.

Performance and efficiency

There are two electric motors in the EQS450 4Matic. The front motor makes 135kW and 290Nm while the rear ups that to 265kW and 568Nm.

However, they don’t produce their peaks together, so there’s ‘only’ 265kW and 800Nm in total.

There are plenty of EVs with more power, but the 800Nm of torque is an impressive number – and one that defines how the EQS450 drives.

Punch the throttle from a standstill and it makes light work of circa-2.7 tonnes of SUV. The trip to 100km/h takes a claimed six seconds.

There’s less enthusiasm the closer your velocity is to triple figures, but equally there’s more than enough to make for easy overtaking and add speed as required.

Claimed WLTP electricity consumption is between 20.2 and 24.3kWh per 100km, depending on the wheels and tyres fitted.

Running on 21-inch Goodyear rubber we found it used about 24kWh per 100km during a mix of driving that took in plenty of freeway running as well as mountainous winding roads.

The WLTP range is claimed at between 511km and 610km – again, dependant on the exact spec – although our experience suggested something north of 450km was readily achievable in the real world.

Fun fact: the motors in the EQS450 4Matic are the same ones used in the more powerful EQS580, which makes 400kW and 858Nm. It’s only software holding those extra kilowatts back to allow the marketing department to provide a logical step-up to the next model (the 580 is not confirmed for Australia but could make an appearance). So if you reckon you’re a whiz at software it could be an easy way for a big (51 percent!) power boost.

Charging

The EQS SUV is a big car and has a battery pack to match. Its capacity is 108.4kWh, the equal biggest available currently in Australia (it matches the EQS sedan).

The EQS450 4Matic has the industry standard Type 2/CCS Combo plug, accessed through a door that looks like a fuel filler on the driver’s side. The company says the location of the charging door was hotly debated internally. Despite consideration given to other locations – including concealing it within other components – the feedback from customers was that they wanted something obvious and traditional.

The standard AC charge rate is 11kW, which would mean a 10-hour charge for those that can utilise the maximum capability. The more common 7.4kW charger would take more like 15 hours for a full charge.

Those who think they need a faster AC charge can opt for the 22kW charger (it’ll cost extra), which should provide a full charge in around five hours.

Faster DC charging can be done at up to 200kW, but as always with DC charging that peak won’t be held for long. In the right conditions Mercedes-Benz says you can add more than 200km of range in 15 minutes.

Of course, there are no chargers that provide 200kW at the 400V level the EQS SUV charges at (350kW chargers can only provide 175kW at 400V or 350kW at 800V).

Mercedes-Benz says it is exploring the potential for 800V charging in future but that for now it’s limited to the more common 400V standard.

There’s no vehicle-to-grid (V2G) or vehicle-to-load (V2L), although Mercedes-Benz says it is working on the former. Unfortunately it requires a hardware update, so early cars won’t have that functionality.

Ride and handling

Instead of conventional coil springs there’s air suspension as well as adjustable dampers to allow for tweaking of the dynamic responses.

In regular Comfort mode it’s very relaxed and sumptuous, soaking up large bumps beautifully and recovering quickly for the next challenge.

Sport firms things up, but not radically. It also builds on the already-impressive flat stance when pushing on through corners.

The low-profile tyres and stout body lead to the occasionally clumsy clunk into a grate or sharp join in the bitumen. But on the whole there’s more comfort than clangers.

But that sensation of weight raises its head again in bends. The EQS SUV is extremely capable and composed, but you’re often reminded that there’s lots of mass to coax around a tightening curve. Confident? Yes. Agile? No.

One thing helping manoeuvrability is four-wheel steering. There’s a modest 4.5 degrees of steering in the rear wheels as standard, but the cars we drove featured the optional 10-degree rear steering system.

While also helping with parking and tight city streets, it makes roundabouts that little easier while also tucking the tail in through hairpins.

There’s also a surprising benefit off-road. If you need to hug a tree or slink around a tight bend then having the rear wheels kicking the tail out can mean the difference between a single manoeuvre and a three-point turn.

There’s also an off-road mode which we tried on a brief rocky course. The cars we drove had 20-inch wheels with more rugged Cooper all-terrain tyres, something not offered by Mercedes-Benz.

The additional 25mm of ground clearance helps with keeping the smooth underbody away from rocks, but it comes with a penalty that involves stiffening the ride to the point where there’s no suppleness.

While the EQS450 4Matic impresses with what it can do in rough terrain, the minimal wheel articulation and lack of a spare tyre limit its usefulness. Sure, the electric smarts and progressive throttle response may help with modest rough road tracks, but it’s also a long way from a proper off-roader.

As well as slick traction management systems that make feeding on power in slippery situations that little bit easier, the central screen can display a virtual image of what is under the bonnet. It’s useful for off-roading, at least.

Talking point

It may have a huge bonnet, but the EQS SUV has no frunk, or front trunk (boot). Blame it on tradition. While the EQS SUV is brimming with modern tech, designers say they wanted to focus their luggage efforts on the rear of the car, with familiarity the goal (that’s also the reason the fuel filler flap isn’t hidden but instead looks like a traditional fuel filler flap). Their argument is that many EV owners use a frunk to store charging cables, but many people now install home wallbox chargers or accessing public chargers that already have cables attached.

That focus on the rump means you can’t pop the bonnet on the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV. Or, at least, owners can’t. 

Service departments have a way in, but the only access to the goings-on beneath the clamshell bonnet is a small cavity that opens to allow refilling of the windscreen wiper bottle.

So, what is under the bonnet? We couldn’t convince the Merc people to give us a peek. But we’re told it’s a mass of electronics as well as the HEPA filter to clean the cabin.

Safety

As with the rest of the equipment package, the EQS SUV’s safety artillery is well endowed.

It includes airbag coverage down either side (there are different length curtain airbags for five- and seven-seat models) as well as front airbags, driver’s knee airbags and a front-centre airbag. Rear side airbags are also available and are expected to be fitted to cars sold in Australia (as happens with other Mercedes-Benz models).

There’s also no shortage of driver assist systems, incorporating everything from auto braking in forward and reverse and rear cross traffic alert to blind spot warning and driver monitoring.

The driver monitoring can even trigger a darkening of the passenger screen if it detects the driver glancing sideways too much.

Some of the systems take the tech to a new level, too; there’s an Exit Assist system, for example, that monitors vehicles approaching from each side. But rather than warn of the vehicle as the driver is opening the door – something that could be too late – it detects a hand approaching the handle to let out an early warning.

Verdict

The Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV is a predictable EV power play from a company that knows plenty about spacious luxury machines. 

It’s big and opulent and makes for a plush and persuasive luxury act – one that can also carry up to seven people. It comes at the expensive of agility with the EQS almost proudly showcasing its heft.

That emphasis on traditional Mercedes-Benz values has created a car likely to rest on the fringes of the EV space due its big price tag.

Mercedes-Benz EQS450 4Matic specifications

Price: From about $250,000

Basics: EV, 5/7seats, 5 doors, SUV, AWD

Range: 511-610km (WLTP)

Battery capacity: 108.4kWh

Battery warranty: 10 years/250,000km (guarantee of 70 percent of original capacity)

Energy consumption: 20.2-24.3kWh/100km

Motors: 1 front 135kW/290Nm and 1 rear 265kW/568Nm, combined outputs 265kW/800Nm

AC charging: 11kW, Type 2 plug (22kW optional)

DC charging: 200kW, CCS Combo plug

0-100km/h: 6.0 seconds