Without driving a car, it’s impossible to tell whether it’s going to be good or bad. However, there are certain cars enthusiasts can always be confident in. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class is one such car, as it’s consistently at the top of the luxury car segment. So when the three-pointed star decided to make an all-electric S-Class, we were all naturally intrigued. While we haven’t driven this new all-electric Mercedes-Benz EQS just yet, the specs, interior design, technology, and preliminary drive reviews are incredibly impressive.
For starters, let’s take range, as it’s the most important figure for all EVs at the moment. The Mercedes-Benz EQS will pack 107.8 kWh battery pack, which gives it a WLTP-rated range of 480 miles. While the U.S. EPA is tougher than the WLTP, it should still have an EPA-rated range of around 400 miles. That puts it right in line with the best from Tesla and even Lucid. Additionally, it gets two electric motors with a combined 516 horsepower. Immediately, that range and power gives the EQS better EV specs than anything from the Germans.
More than that, though, it also gets a class-leading 200 kW max charging speed. Admittedly, very few charge stations can accommodate that sort of charging speed, so few customers will benefit from it right away. Still, when the opportunity presents itself, the EQS can gain about 190 miles of charge in just 15 minutes.
All of that is well and good but some Teslas already have similar figures. What makes the EQS impressive is that it packs all of that incredible technology into an S-Class’ wrapping and Mercedes-Benz’s typical build quality. So the cabin is absolutely fabulous and jam-packed with a level of luxury that, if any S-Class is anything to go by, would make a Tesla feel like a Trabant. We’ve already discussed Mercedes’ new Hyperscreen technology, which is deeply impressive and gorgeous to look at.
There really are only two things standing in the Benz’s way: style and price. As for the former, we don’t know exactly what the Mercedes-Benz EQS will look like, as we’ve only seen it in factory camouflage, however it does look like an electric bean. Admittedly, in its defense, that wind-swept styling gives it a coefficient of drag of just 0.20, which makes it the most aerodynamic car on the market.
As for price, Mercedes-Benz has yet to release pricing. It’s easy to assume that it will be priced similarly to the S-Class but we fear it will be quite a bit more expensive for a couple of reasons. For starters, all of that impressive battery and cabin tech is pricey, so Mercedes is going to need to recoup some of that cost. Additionally, with those specs, if the EQS is priced similarly to the standard S-Class, it’s likely going to cannibalize S-Class sales and Mercedes might not want that for the same reason Porsche won’t cannibalize the 911. However, if Mercedes sees the EQS more as a long-term replacement for the S-Class, this might not be an issue.
If the Mercedes-Benz EQS looks good enough and is prices similarly to the already immensely popular S-Class, it will have the potential to be the one of the best premium EVs in the world. So if it can deliver on those two things, every automaker should fear the EQS. If you want a great overview of the new EQS, check this video from Roadshow.
