Mercedes-Benz EQE Electric saloon; plus EQS SUV

TESTE R’S NOTE Two four-wheel steering options will be offered. One can swivel the rears up to 4.5deg, the other up to 10deg. London limo drivers will be grateful for the latter. GK

TESTED 10.3. 2 2 , A R V I D S J A U R , S W E D E N ON SA LE S U M M E R MERCEDES-BENZ EQE

ElectricE-Classequivalentaimstoaddsomeexcitementtoultra-refinedEQSrecipe

This undisguised cold-weather prototype is our first taste of Mercedes-Benz’s all-electric alternative to the E-Class. Specifically, it’s a four-wheel-drive EQE 500 4Matic, and a car at a more advanced stage than the rear-wheeldrive EQE 350+ that I sampled from the passenger seat in February. It’s also a good deal more powerful.

With a dual-motor driveline using hardware similar to that seen in the even longer, more opulent EQS 450 4Matic, the most powerful of the planned ‘mainline’ EQEs develops around 402bhp. That’s 114bhp more than for the EQE 350+, although still 67bhp less than the AMG-fettled EQE 43 4Matic and a way off the 617bhp of the AMG EQE 53 4Matic.

Bookending the range at the lower end is the EQE 300+, meaning the EQE line-up will be five models strong at launch later this year.

Energy is provided by a standard 90kWh battery, which can be heated or cooled on the move in a preconditioning process aimed at ensuring that it’s always ready to accept the fastest possible charge.

In the EQE 350+, the battery is claimed to provide a WLTP range of up to 410 miles. Mercedes isn’t providing any range claims for the EQE 500 4Matic just yet, but it does concede that the all-paw variant can’t match the figure of its rear-driven sibling. The maximum charging rate is said to be 170kW, which translates to 155 miles of range in 15 minutes.

While sharing a design lineage and many key details, the EQE is arguably smarter-looking than the EQS. More compact dimensions, a lower overall height and a shorter bootline provide it with more balanced proportions all round – at least to my eyes.

The biggest difference between the first two cars based on Mercedes’ EV-specific EVA platform, though, is at the rear. In place of the large liftback tailgate used by the EQS, the EQE receives a traditional bootlid. As well as incorporating a very subtle lip spoiler, it houses a full-width LED band between each of the tail-lights.

There’s also a clear sense of familiarity from the EQS inside.

The driving position isn’t as low as that of the Porsche Taycan but is still low enough to make it feel quite snug. This feeling is further enhanced by a high centre console and relatively shallow glass within frameless doors.

Buyers will also be able to choose between separate instrument and portrait-oriented infotainment displays or Mercedes’ impressive Hyperscreen, which stretches across the entire width of the dashboard.

Refinement is the area in which the EQE makes the biggest impression initially. Even by EV standards, it’s wonderfully silken and whisperquiet, just like the EQS.

However, the steering, while direct in typical Mercedes style, is a little heavier than that of the EQS. It’s well judged, too, making the EQE easy to wield, and possessing a confidence-building seam of weight and resistance as the pace increases.

Performance is also excellent, and responsive, just as you would expect. At 4946mm long, the EQE is quite a big car, yet it accelerates with all the enthusiasm and athleticism of a smaller, lighter offering. We expect 62mph to be reached in about 5.0sec.

Driving an EV on ice can be a daunting experience owing to the instant power delivery and nearsilence. However, the on-demand torque channelling of the 4Matic

The steering, while direct in typical Mercedes style, is a little heavier than that of the EQS

Torque vectoring across all wheels is highly effective

Direct steering controls a predictable chassis

system, which effectively provides individual drive to each wheels, and rapid-acting stability control, endows the EQE with quite breathtaking traction and all-round predictability.

On a twisting handling circuit, it proved pleasingly resolved, settling nicely during protracted instances of opposite lock. Our car was also fitted with optional four-wheel steering, and there’s a fundamental feeling of integrity to the way that it drives.

Part of this sense of solidity can be traced to its ultra-stiff body, which is even more rigid than that of the EQS.

I won’t pretend that I can tell you what the EQE feels like on the road, because I spent all my time skating over ice with big handfuls of oversteer and an even bigger grin on my face, but it’s clearly more agile and determined than the EQS.

It’s an EV for those who cherish their driving, more than those who prefer to relax in the back. The proof of that will come next month, when we will be able to drive the definitive production version of Mercedes’ latest EQ models. GREG KABLE

MERCEDES-BENZ EQE 500 4MATIC PROTOTYPE

Combines the refinement and luxury of the EQS with the kind of handling prowess to keep its rivals honest

Price £75,000 (est)

Engine Power Two electric motors 402bhp

Torque

tbc Gearbox 1-spd, 4WD Kerb weight 2400kg (est) 0-62mph 5.0sec (est) Top speed tbc Battery 90kWh Range, economy tbc CO2, tax band 0g/km, 1% RIVALS Audi E-tron GT, Porsche Taycan, Tesla Model S TESTED 10.3. 2 2 , A R V I D S J A U R , S W E D E N ON SA LE L AT E 2 0 2 2

MERCEDES-BENZ EQS SUV

StuttgarttriestooutsmarttheBMWiX

THE PLUSH SEVEN-SEAT EQS SUV is the third car based on MercedesBenz’s EV-specific EVA2 platform. Stretching to over 5.2 metres, it sits at the very top of the EQ line-up and is planned to form the basis of an even more luxurious Maybach variant.

The proportions are quite different from those of Mercedes’ combustion-engined SUV models, with a shorter bonnet and a longer wheelbase affording a large cabin.

“It’s not a conversion design, ” says Holger Enzmann, head of vehicle integration for EVA2-based cars. “Rather, it has been developed from the ground up without the compromises that you eventually run into when backing [an EV] onto an existing [ICE] platform. ”

The prototype I’m driving at Mercedes’ winter-testing facility in Sweden is an EQS 580 SUV, which the manufacturer says will have slightly more power and torque than the EQS 580 saloon, whose dualmotor driveline kicks out a sturdy 516bhp and 630lb ft of torque.

The uplift is to compensate for the SUV’s increased weight, which is expected to nudge 2600kg. On a related note, you sit 80mm higher than in the EQS saloon. You get a very commanding view forward within a capacious and fittingly upmarket cabin, and there’s an outstanding amount of leg room in the rear.

Predictably, the EQS SUV offers strong performance, even on ice. It’s silent off the mark but also extremely urgent and terrifically smooth. A determined stab of the throttle pins you into the expanse of the driver’s seat as the huge torque reserves are deployed individually to each wheel.

Nothing is official at this stage, but we expect the EQS 580 SUV to post a 0-62mph time of less than 4.5sec.

With its huge, 120kWh battery mounted low, the EQS SUV also corners smartly and with good response for such a large, tall car. The air suspension allows only a small degree of body roll, and even that builds in a progressive manner. The car feels sure-footed, even if you never lose that sense of its size and weight.

One of the keys to its impressive handling is the all-wheel steering. As in the EQS saloon, the system generates up to 10deg of steering angle at the rear, contributing to allround manoeuvrability and stability.

It will be a few months before we get to drive the EQS SUV on public roads, but in benefiting from the development that has already gone into the EQS and EQE saloons, it promises to provide stiff competition to the likes of the BMW iX and the Tesla Model X. GREG KABLE

MERCEDES-BENZ EQS 580 SUV 4MATIC PROTOTYPE

Supremely sumptuous and refined yet also mega-powerful, assured and pleasant to drive

Price £110,000 Engine Two electric motors Power 516bhp Torque 630lb ft Gearbox 1-spd, 4WD Kerb weight 2600kg (est) 0-62mph Less than 4.5sec (est) Top speed tbc Battery 120/108kWh(total/usable) Range, economy 380 miles, 2.9mpkWh (est) CO2, tax band 0g/km, 1% RIVALS BMW iX, Tesla Model X