Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV Review: Sense and Silence

Mercedes’ EQS SUV is assembled in India, making it equally appealing to the head, heart and wallet

Exterior

‘Smooth’. ‘Flowing’. ‘Minimal’. These are words that’d probably come to mind when you look at the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV in the flesh for the first time. Being the flagship of the Mercedes’ electric SUV range, it most definitely has a serious presence. Most of that can be attributed to its sheer size, measuring a massive 5.1m in length. Its relatively modest 1.7m overall height, however, might lead you to believe that it looks more like a station wagon than a tall and butch SUV (like its diesel cousin, the GLS, for example). 

Nonetheless, the EQ range of cars know how to make a statement. Mercedes has done well to give the vehicle a distinct identity, with now signature elements such as the connected LED daytime running lamp set up, the large piano black grille (with Mercedes logos, no less) and the edge-to-edge LED tail lamps with helix-like details. 

The AMG-line trim on the India-spec EQS include some high-gloss black trim pieces on the bumpers as well as a set of delicious 21-inch alloy wheels. 

Mercedes is offering some interesting paint options too. We’d urge you to check out the Emerald Green and Velvet brown in person, for it not only stands out from the usual grays, whites and blacks, but also suits the EQS’ calm but strong personality. 

Interior

The flush-fitting door handles pop out in one smooth swoosh, almost welcoming you into the cabin. XL-sized doors open really wide, so be mindful while parking in tight spaces. Getting in and out of the EQS is easy and you probably won’t require the side step that Mercedes has thoughtfully provided. Elders in the family might. 

As you’d expect from a top-spec Mercedes, the quality of materials will leave very little room for complaints. A soft-leatherette wrap covers almost every surface you’d interact with, making the cabin feel upmarket. The dashboard design is nearly identical to that of the EQS sedan, with three screens, some brilliant-looking aluminium-finished AC vents and tons of gloss black finishes. There are some open pore wood accents on the central tunnel too. Save for the gloss black elements that feel a little out of place, the EQS’ interior design will have you go wow. 

With powered seats (including memory), and a powered steering adjust — finding a driving position is quite easy. You can also ask the vehicle to set the right position for you by simply entering your height. The front seats have ample support, even if you are generously proportioned. Paired with the heating and massage functions on offer, we wouldn’t blame you if you asked your chauffeur to take a few days off. 

It’s mega on practicality too, with sufficient space in the door bins, a deep central armrest, and under the centre console. 

It’s the second row where you’re likely to spend the most amount of time. Here too, the EQS impresses. These rear seats are electrically adjustable too. There’s ample kneeroom, foot room and headroom to really relax. That said, the seats could do with a little more recline. Mercedes also provides a pair of high-quality headphones and neck pillows to help you zone out on your commute. 

The EQS’ practicality quotient is upped by the third row. We’d categorise the EQS as a 5+2 seater, given that the third row is best used by kids. The seat is placed close to the floor, and even with an electric slide function for the second row, the space to enter the third row is restricted. 

Boot Space

With the third row in place, you’d be able to fit a couple of cabin-sized trolley bags. However, if you wish to carry more, you’d have to fold the third row down manually. The second row gets the electric fold functionality which gives you more cargo space that you’d possibly ever need. 

Features

The EQS is available in a single fully loaded spec. Feature highlights include: 

Other features you’d expect from a vehicle in this class including wireless charging, 360° camera, configurable ambient lighting, front seat massage, panoramic sunroof, powered tailgate are all bundled in. Weirdly enough, the rear seats do not get sunblinds. 

Performance

The EQS SUV is available in a single ‘580’ spec for the Indian market. Specifications are as follows: 

Driving the EQS is surprisingly easy. Despite being a mammoth, you’d be surprised to find that it isn’t a handful whether driving in peak city traffic or on smooth flowing highways. We liked that there wasn’t any ‘getting used to’ involved. The response from the throttle, and the brakes felt ‘natural’. 

If you push the accelerator to the floor, we’re certain you’d mutter an expletive or two. A 4.7 second 0-100kmph time is impressive for a small, powerful sedan. To have that with a 7-seater family SUV is borderline ridiculous. The 858Nm of torque is put down without much drama, and you’d be hurling towards illegal speeds very very quickly. 

You can choose between Comfort, Eco, Sport and Individual driving modes which tailor the response of the accelerator, suspension and steering. You can also alter the amount of brake energy regeneration on offer. 

The 809km range might not be achievable in the real world. But you could very realistically do well north of 500km on a full charge. We like that the vehicle always displays a minimum and maximum range. There’s also an option to ‘Maximize Range’, where the vehicle will cut back on energy consumers such as the climate control, seat heating etc. and switch to the leanest drive setting. 

The EQS supports both AC and DC fast charging. At 200kW, the EQS can charge from 10-80% in just 31 minutes giving you ~420km of real world range. If you charge the vehicle with the 22kW AC wallbox charger, a full charge from zero takes 6.25 hours. 

Ride and Handling

You’d assume driving a large car such as the EQS would be tedious. Well, there’s some relief in the form of rear wheel steering that can tilt the rear wheels by up to 10°. At low speeds, the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction to that of the front wheels, giving you a tighter turning radius. At higher speeds, they turn in the same direction, virtually lengthening the wheelbase and providing more stability. The steering wheel itself is light enough to be operated by a single finger. It makes maneuvering a giant like the EQS SUV an easy affair. 

We didn’t really push the EQS SUV through corners to have a firm opinion on the handling prowess. For whatever we did manage, the vehicle felt neutral and predictable, but very evidently (and obviously) tuned for comfort. 

Safety

Safety features on the EQS SUV includes upto 11 airbags and a host of tech including active brake assist, blind spot assist, and lane keeping aid. While the ADAS features are much appreciated, we still think Indian road conditions are a little too chaotic for precise German ADAS logic. We’d use this only on well marked highways and switch it off for heavy city use. 

The EQS SUV has received a full five star crash test rating from the EuroNCAP in December 2023. 

Verdict

For what might seem like just another super lux car, the EQS SUV actually has solid sense built into it. It gets the looks, comfort and tech part of the luxury car must-haves done just right. 

The asking price of Rs 1.41 crore, is around Rs 9 lakh more than a diesel GLS. For the exclusivity, better performance and tech, that’s something you could justify easily. The lower running costs (not that it’d matter) will feel like a pleasant bonus. There’s peace of mind too, with a 10 year, unlimited kilometer warranty on the battery pack. 

If you’d want your next luxury car to not just announce to people that you’ve arrived in life, but also tell them you’re doing so sustainably — the EQS SUV should be on your radar.