2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV Embiggens the Electric Flagship
Take all the goodness of the EQS sedan and make it larger -- that's the EQS SUV in a nutshell.
Mercedes-Benz's lineup follows a pretty simple pattern: Build a car for most every segment and introduce an SUV analogue for each. It's no surprise that its Mercedes-EQ electric system would follow the same trend. We've already driven and enjoyed the flagship EQS sedan, so now it's time to think a little bigger.
Mercedes-Benz on Tuesday unveiled the 2023 EQS SUV. The formula behind it is pretty straightforward, taking the EQS sedan and enlarging it, retaining the EQS' 126-inch wheelbase but adding 7.8 inches of height. It's not a perfect cousin of the large GLS-Class SUV, though. The rear roofline's taper helps the EQS SUV cut through the air more efficiently, something that wouldn't happen if the roof were flat all the way to the rear end. Yet, there is still enough room inside for an optional third row of seating.
The EQS SUV's styling shouldn't come as a surprise. The front fascia's headlights and grille were basically cribbed from the EQS, and we've seen a similar "face" on both the EQE and EQB. Going forward, expect to see a lot more of this countenance. The rear end adopts the same single-taillight setup as the EQS, but the SUV's rear proportions make the lights look much slimmer. The running boards below the doors are integrated into the body and actually contribute to the vehicle's aerodynamic prowess, although the automaker has yet to share an official drag coefficient. It won't be as slippery as the EQS, but it should still be mighty efficient.
Inside, the EQS SUV picks up all that's great about the EQS. Everything is covered in materials that are soft or warm to the touch, whether it's the leather throughout the cabin or the clever new rosewood trim that has stainless-steel Mercedes stars pressed into it. The second-row seats can slide fore and aft up to 5 inches. With the third-row seats down or not included, the trunk offers up to 31 cubic feet of storage, expanding to 74 cu. ft. with the second row folded down. Put all the seats up, and that capacity drops to 7 cubes.
Hyperscreen is quite the conversation starter.
Hyperscreen, which is optional on the base EQS 450 Plus SUV and standard on the EQS 580 SUV, combines a 12.3-inch gauge display, a 17.7-inch infotainment screen and a 12.3-inch passenger screen behind a single pane of glass. It runs the latest version of Mercedes-Benz's MBUX infotainment system, which includes embedded navigation with natural language recognition, in addition to the usual smartphone stuff like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The system can accommodate up to seven unique profiles, activated by a fingerprint sensor or facial recognition (Hyperscreen's required for that last part). Six 100-watt USB-C ports will ensure everybody's devices stay charged on long trips.
Safety tech didn't take a back seat in the EQS SUV, either. Standard kit includes adaptive cruise control with route-based speed adaptation, automatic emergency braking, active lane-keeping aid, blind-spot monitoring, vehicle-to-x communication, active parking assist and a surround-view camera.
Having already taken a ride in the EQS SUV, I can report that it's quite the comfortable cruiser, and it's surprisingly capable off-road, to boot.
Two trims will be available at launch. The EQS 450 Plus SUV uses a single motor on the rear axle to produce 355 horsepower and 419 pound-feet of torque, while the EQS 580 SUV bumps those figures up to 536 hp and 633 lb-ft by adding an electric motor on the front axle, granting it all-wheel drive as well. Its 107.8-kilowatt-hour battery doesn't have any estimated range figures attached, but both variants use the same pack, and it can accept charging up to 200 kW. At a relatively standard 110 kW, the battery can charge from 10% to 80% in just half an hour. A traditional at-home wallbox on 240-volt power will require 11.25 hours to charge from 10% to 100%. Just like the EQS, the EQS SUV also features multi-mode regenerative braking with an adaptive setting that can bring the car to a stop in traffic.
There are also a bunch of cool bits on the EQS SUV that you can't necessarily see. Standard air suspension makes the ride pretty smooth, as I learned on my first-ride opportunity a couple months ago, plus 10-degree rear-axle steering is standard, making tight urban turns much easier. And 64-color ambient lighting adorns the interior. An optional winter package heats the steering wheel, rear seats and windshield, while an acoustic comfort upgrade adds insulating glass for a quieter cabin.
The 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV will arrive at dealers in late 2022. Pricing is still TBA, but for context, the EQS 450 Plus sedan starts at $103,660 (including $1,050 in destination charges), while the EQS 580 starts at $126,950. Expect the EQS SUV to be around that price range, likely a smidge above it.
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