Frankfurt Once the platform has been fully developed, it all happens in quick succession. This is easy to read on the Mercedes EQS and EQE. Both electric sedans had their debuts within a year. And in just over six months, the Swabians will be launching the third model based on the same architecture, the EQS SUV. It marks the flagship of the electric SUV models, very similar to what the conventional models of the GLS are currently doing.
An electric SUV over five meters long with up to seven seats? In Europe, these dimensions should not exactly meet with enthusiasm. Here they love it more compact. But Germany is no longer the measure of all things in the car world. China and the US set the tone. This is where the buyers live who treat themselves to big cars, whether they make sense or not. Prestige and status are very important in the societies there.
At 5.13 meters, the EQS SUV embodies a lot of this without being overly ostentatious. The designers have made an effort not to make the body as upright and bulky as on the GLS. The EQS SUV is ten centimeters lower than its combustion engine counterpart.
The design has a valid reason: efficiency. Air resistance accounts for more than three times the share of fuel consumption than the entire electric drive. All body details on the EQS SUV therefore received aerodynamic fine tuning. It ranges from the lower profiling of the running boards and special aero rims to the tear-off edge of the roof spoiler. During the vote in the wind tunnel, people even thought about camera mirrors, which would offer much less resistance to the wind than normal mirrors.
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But SUVs are also mainly used in urban environments, where aerodynamics are not important, but the displays for the mirrors constantly draw electricity. And it always comes from the battery. Due to the same architecture as the EQS sedan – both have a wheelbase of 3.21 meters – the same-sized high-voltage battery with a usable capacity of 107.8 kWh is also located under the EQS SUV. The energy content should be sufficient for a distance of 660 kilometers, measured according to the WLTP cycle. In everyday life it should be around 500 kilometers.
All body details received an aerodynamic fine tuning.
The EQS and EQS SUV are also close in terms of drive. When the car comes out in the fall, the 450+ will be the entry-level model. It has a 265 kW/360 hp electric motor on the rear axle. The 4Matic variant also has 265 kW, but still has a motor on the front axle.
The provisional top model is the EQS SUV 580 4Matic with 400 kW/544 hp. Mercedes will submit a Maybach variant later, which will certainly be given a few additional kilowatts.
The designers have made an effort not to make the body as upright and bulky as on the GLS.
High engine performance and a weight of over 2.5 tons not only require a large battery, but also efficient charging management. An 11 kW on-board charger is provided for use at home, with 22 kW available as an extra. Up to 200 kW are possible at CCS high-performance charging stations (direct current), such as those found along the freeways.
Mercedes designed the battery cells in such a way that the high charging current can be kept constant for as long as possible. It should be possible to “refuel” about 250 kilometers within 15 minutes.
>> Read also: Up to 850 kilometers range: Mercedes wants to halve the consumption of electric cars
The package concept shows that SUVs are increasingly taking over the function of station wagons. The trunk holds 645 liters, the rear seat backrests lie flat, and up to 2,100 liters fit into it. No station wagon can do that. The rear row of seats can be pushed forward electrically by 13 centimeters, the trunk then grows to 800 liters.
Mercedes also offers a third row of seats with two individual seats as an option. For adults, however, it gets quite cramped here. A trailer hitch is also available for the EQS SUV – and with it up to 1.8 tons can be hooked.
The interior of the EQS SUV shows a familiar picture. The cockpit was taken over 1:1 from the sedan. The hyperscreen – which also costs an extra charge for the SUV – is already in great demand for the EQS sedan, especially among Asian and American customers. Display, brilliance and responsiveness are excellent, operation and menu navigation are intuitive.
The hyperscreen – which also costs an extra charge for the SUV – is already in great demand for the EQS sedan.
The basic layout, internally called the zero layer, always forms the navigation map. The other options are sorted above this. Everything is easy to grasp and easy to understand. And if you don’t want to click, press or swipe, simply use the MBUX voice control. It is one of the best that is currently available on the market.
The same applies to the electronic assistants that abound in the EQS SUV. This is part of the security philosophy of the house. Mercedes recently received certifications for semi-autonomous driving.
The SUV is ten centimeters lower than its counterpart from the combustion engine world.
The EQS SUV is likely to be the first electric SUV that can be driven at level 3. In today’s almost everyday convoy traffic on the Autobahn, the driver can then take his hands off the steering wheel at speeds of up to 60 km/h and relax and concentrate on other things than just staring stupidly at the rear of the vehicle in front and wasting his time.
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