Mercedes-Benz has released the first of a series of teaser videos of its upcoming EQS electric sedan to generate some buzz around what will be its flagship zero-emissions vehicle.
The EQS, part of the German carmaker’s EQ series, is not its first electric vehicle: the EQC electric SUV has been available on the laggard Australian market for more than 12 months now.
But for the first time, Daimler will introduce an in-house competitor to its luxury S-Class, even though the EQS has a completely different design and claims a different market position.
Last we heard of the EQS from Mercedes-Benz was the spruiking of its “big screen” cinematic dash that promises to lend a space-age feel to the cockpit.
Now, in the German carmaker’s new video (see below), chief engineer of Mercedes-Benz’ e-Drive system Eva Greiner shares some of the finer details of the EQS ability and handling as she takes self-confessed “car freak” Felix Smith a few minutes behind the wheel.
Smith starts by trying out sports mode: “I’m fully accelerating out of a corner here and it just feels like it staying on the rails. I trust it, it’s really precise and I feel confident going fast in it right away.”
Another feature shared by Greiner is the EQ Assist, which she says is combines GPS data to help the vehicle predict what is coming – even before the driver.
Combined with torque shifting – which allows the car to drive with either the front or the rear motor to suit comfort, efficiency or dynamics, creates a driving experience that clearly impresses Smith.
After comparing a drive behind the wheel of an S-Class, he says, “This one just sticks, it’s a huge difference.”
The Mercedes EQS is slightly shorter than the new long-wheelbase S-Class but thanks to the batteries in the vehicle floor and empty engine compartment at the front, it will have a larger interior.
Although in the video the EQS is still hidden behind a camouflage wrap, the exterior design appears markedly different from that of a normal sedan and looks more like a hatchback model with a long wheelbase and markedly short body overhangs.
The windscreen merges almost seamlessly into the bonnet. At the rear, too, the large rear window tapers flat into the short trunk lid, reminiscent of a mixture of the Mercedes CLS and the Porsche Panamera.
Like the Mercedes EQC, the EQS will also be available as an all-wheel drive. A package from the EQC should provide the drive in the basic version, the two electric motors of which provide 300 kW power output.
To be able to compete against the lower-class Tesla Model S, more powerful versions are also being planned.
There is also a huge step forward in terms of battery performance.
Despite its generous dimensions and an empty weight of 2.5 tonnes, Mercedes-Benz says the EQS should have a range of 700 kilometres on a single charge.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.