Mercedes-Benz EQS Is The Newest Electric Member Of The S-Class Family

The EQS offers a peak range of around 770km which should be more than enough for most

• The EQS shares its design language with the EQC and EQA electric SUVs.

• It can be had in RWD and AWD versions, the latter with one motor on each axle.

• Quick DC charging of 200kW can top up the batteries in just 31 minutes.

• Regular charging takes 5-10 hours depending on the wattage of the charger.

• It uses rear-wheel steering for increased manoeuvrability and stability.

• Interior dominated by a large glass that runs the length of the dashboard, integrating the three screens on offer.

• Rest of the interior is majorly white and draped in man-made leather.

• It will come to India sometime next year.

• Expect it to be priced at Rs 2 crore or above.

Mercedes-Benz has been dipping its feet in the electric car pond for some time now with smaller, less luxurious (by Mercedes standards) vehicles. It has now finally taken the training wheels off and revealed what is the S-Class equivalent of electric cars: the EQS. It is its first fully developed ground-up electric car, sitting on a new platform that will be used for other cars too.

The EQS’ simple design is reminiscent of the EQA or even the EQC. The lines on the body flow from one end to another quite beautifully, and you’ll hardly find any sharp edges in the design. As a sedan, it gets a roofline that slopes more than its SUV counterparts. The grille is simply a piano black surface with a huge Mercedes-Benz logo on top, which likely houses an array of sensors and radars. The surface comes in a 3D star pattern on select variants as well. The bumper underneath features some cuts and creases for aerodynamic purposes, but nothing over the top. The headlights too, although LED, look quite regular. The theme is similar at the back, with no outlandish design. You do, however, get two LED tail lamps that are connected by a light bar. The dual-tone paint scheme adds a bit of modernity to the design, which is overall quite aerodynamically efficient, with a coefficient of drag of just 0.20. That’s better than any other production car in the world!

The most important part of an S Class is the interior, and the EQS is special in this regard as well. The most notable aspect here is the huge curved glass on the dashboard that stretches from the instrument cluster all the way to the passenger side. It accommodates three screens that are highly customisable and control all the features of the EQS. The cabin contrasts the black of the screen quite well, with a full-on white colour scheme. The doors, seats, armrests, everything is decked in white and leather. A few other interior themes will likely be on offer.

Looks and cabin aside, the most important thing for an electric car is the powertrain. The EQS is available in two configurations: RWD and AWD. The former uses a 333PS electric motor on the rear axle that can put down 568Nm of torque from the get-go, propelling it from 0 to 100kmph in just 6.2 seconds. The latter uses a second electric motor on the front axle, which combined with the rear puts out a total of 523PS and 855Nm of torque, meaning the AWD EQS goes from 0-100kmph in just 4.3 seconds. The top speed in both modes is limited to 210kmph. The German carmaker also has a more high-performance model in the works that could see the electric motors pumping out in excess of 700PS.

Mercedes has stacked a huge 107.8kW battery pack on the floor of both the models, meaning they take the same amount of time to charge. It will take 5 to 10 hours for a complete charge using a regular home charger and just 31 minutes using a 200kW DC charger. Mercedes has stated that according to the WLTP (Worldwide harmonized Light-duty vehicles Test Procedure) cycle, the EQS will do 770km on a charge. This number will be slightly lesser for the dual-motor version.

Just like all electric cars, the EQS also gets a bunch of cool features. First and foremost, you get rear-wheel steering as standard, which is not only cool, but also helps in achieving a shorter turning radius at slow speeds and better stability at high speeds. The doors of the sedan can open automatically as you approach it and can even be controlled by gestures, once you are inside the car. Not just that, the EQS also gets a parking system that automatically parks the car, without you needing to be inside it. There is even a valet mode that will automatically park it in the parking area without user supervision. This technology, however, can only be used in certain places where the infrastructure supports it.

Also See: Upcoming Electric Cars In India

Also See: Upcoming Mercedes-Benz Cars In India

Apart from that, the EQS packs in all the bells and whistles you expect on an S-Class limousine. And as far as the price is concerned, you can expect it to be positioned above the base S-Class, which starts at Rs 1.4 crore. The EQS that comes to India will be priced above the Rs 2 crore mark, as the EQC, which is already sold here, costs more than Rs 1 crore. We expect the EQS to come to India in around a year as the German carmaker is quite serious about launching its EQ products in India.