The all-electric luxury sedan by Mercedes has been unveiled, the MERCEDES EQS. Based on s-class but in electric styling. With a magnificent range of up to 770km and -inch hyper screen.
- Mercedes EQS is what happens when battery power meets the pinnacle of automotive luxury.
- The EQS from Mercedes has a claimed range of over 770 kms, gets two battery pack options, and hits 100 kmph in 4.5 seconds.
- Despite the S in EQS, it is a major departure from the S-Class and has a futuristic cabin.
The EQS is similar to the S-Class and will offer world-class luxury on the move. On the design front, the EQS has been treated to a minimalistic approach. This has partly been done to improve the aerodynamics of the car. In fact, EQS has the lowest drag coefficient of 0.20. There will be a big grille at the front and a Mercedes star at the center of it. It will be blacked out to give a bold look to the front and embedded with a star pattern. The headlight units are sleek and so are the tail lamps. The side has been revealed in some photographs that do not have a camouflage. The side profile and the design of the alloys can be described as clean and elegant. The roof merges with the boot lid in a very smooth curve. EQS is based on the company’s EVA platform which is a modular architecture and can be used for other future EVs.
A standout feature of the interior of the EQS will be the optional MBUX Hyperscreen. While we have seen Mercedes fit large screens in their current ICE-powered vehicles, the Hyperscreen will be even bigger than those. The digital screens are seen on models like the new E-Class, A-Class, and EQC stretch from the driver to the centre of the dash. The 56-inch Hyperscreen on the other hand will extend all the way to the passenger side. It will have a glass construction and give a three-dimensional look to the dashboard. All the functions of the EQS will need some serious computing power that will come from an octa-core CPU and 24GB of RAM. That is more than what most modern home computers have..
The production EQS stays largely true to the 2019 EQS Vision concept, with an uncharacteristic cab-forward profile. Its appearance is dominated by what Mercedes describes as a “one-bow roofline” that stretches back to form a heavily angled liftback-style tailgate. Other key styling elements include a black grille panel bookended by a pair of angular headlights - themselves joined by a horizontal light bar. The fully enclosed light unit can be ordered with an optional three-dimensional star pattern.
The aluminum-bodied EQS also features a fixed clamshell bonnet, which wraps around the side to form the top of the front wheel arches. Rather than enclosing a front storage area, it is designed to be opened only during servicing. The filler bottle for the windscreen washer is integrated into a flap within the front left-hand-side wing, which swivels out when pressed.
The interior of the EQS is dominated by Mercedes' new digital Hyperscreen – a one-piece curved screen that stretches across the width of the dashboard and houses three digital displays – one for the instruments, one for the central infotainment and air-con functions, and another ahead of the front passenger.
It is controlled by the latest generation of MBUX – an operating system that supports touch and conversational speech input as standard as well as an over-the-air software capability that will allow owners to update various features, including a larger steering angle of 10.0deg for the EQS’s rear-wheel steer system, which gives a claimed 10.9m turning circle, together with subscriptions, temporary feature activations and what Mercedes calls “free software test phases”.
Although the EQS does without a front storage compartment like many rivals, its claimed 610 litres of boot space is 60 litres more than that offered by the S-Class and it extends to 1770 litres when the split-folding rear seats are stowed.
In the rear-wheel-drive EQS 450, a rear-mounted asynchronous electric motor delivers 329bhp and 338lb-ft of torque, while the initial range-topping EQS 580 - which will not be sold in the UK - puts a motor on each axle for a combined 516bhp and 631lb-ft.
Both cars get a 107.8kWh (net) lithium-ion battery, with energy content described as being up to 26% higher than that used by the EQC and a claimed range of up to 479 miles on the WLTP test cycle. A smaller-capacity battery is due to be offered next year for a lower range and list price, although its details have not yet been revealed.
Mercedes puts the 0-62mph time for the 2480kg EQS 450 at 6.2sec, with the 2585kg EQS 580, which boasts full torque vectoring, cutting that to 4.3sec. Both models receive a governed 131mph top speed. Also planned is an even more powerful version of the EQS from Mercedes' AMG performance car offshoot. Set to be revealed later this year, it runs the same dual-motor set-up as the EQS 580 but will take the total power output beyond 700bhp.
-by Amaan Attar
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