Although many people believe that an electric car is a luxury item in itself, in reality it is not. Yes, an electric car is still a bit more expensive than its internal combustion counterpart, but the price difference is no longer dramatic, thanks in large part to the gallop of inflation. Well, even the simplest internal combustion car cannot be bought cheaper than 20,000 euros, but a semi-well equipped vehicle will cost from 30,000 euros upwards. Against this background, 40 or 50 thousand for a mid-level electric car doesn’t seem like much anymore.
If you want to look into real space, then you have to open the door to the world of luxury cars. Until recently, Tesla set the tone in the expensive end with cars whose price hovered around 100,000, but now, as it looks like, Elon Musk’s products will be outcompeted by the Germans. And one of the main players in this field will be Mercedes-Benz, whose proposed EQS is the essence of comfort and modern technology in a green electric car package.
“Mercedes-Benz EQS 450 4Matic”
(Foto: Mercedes-Benz AG)
Starship feel
EQS has one drawback. But maybe this is a plus – how to look at it. Namely, from the outside this car does not look as expensive as it actually is. If we look at Bentley or Range Rover, then we immediately understand – this is a thick car! EQS doesn’t feel that way. Quite a long body, but the silhouette does not have distinct features of individuality, quite a lot of cars look similar. SUV as an SUV, nothing special. The back is not memorable either. The front is kept in the characteristic style of Mercedes, with a special emphasis on the logo with a three-pointed star, but it cannot be said that the solution for replacing the radiator grill was innovative and breathtaking. But it may be that it is meant to be – after all, Mercedes is a classic value and any design bashing would be superfluous here.
However, when you open the car door, you enter a completely different world. Where futurism reigns. The first thing that immediately catches your eye is the huge display, or hyper screen, which extends over the entire front panel. In fact, they are three separate displays, but they are so successfully incorporated into the panel that it creates the impression of a spaceship cockpit – blue screens everywhere, some kind of pictures and data flow everywhere. In front of the driver’s eyes is an instrument panel with a speedometer and everything else that should be there, but in the middle there is a huge screen where you can adjust the media system, seat settings (as it should be in an S-class Mercedes, there are the widest options for adjusting the seat configuration, as well as massages function) and a wide variety of car parameters, from safety aids to air circulation. There are virtual climate control buttons in the lower corners of the screen – they’re touch-sensitive, but so large and easy to use that even I didn’t get the usual gripe that the heat/cold controls should have physical buttons that are easy to find even without looking. The third screen is on the passenger’s side – he can study the car’s energy consumption, poke around the media system and have fun as he likes. You only need to take into account that dust accumulates on these screens, so you will have to keep a velvet cloth in the car and wipe them from time to time.
“Mercedes-Benz EQS 450 4Matic” (Photo: Rojs Maizītis)
Interior decoration is, of course, at the appropriate level for Mercedes. Adjustable LED accents of different colors, wood and leather trim, comfortable seats. There is plenty of space in the back – it seems I have never seen so much free space at the feet of passengers in any other car. Not only a suitcase, but even a bag of potatoes could be placed there, and the person sitting could still comfortably stretch their legs. The same can be said even for the trunk – it also has enough space for several suitcases.
Invisible helpers
As is customary in the latest generation of Mercedes cars, the driver can create his own profile, which will allow him to save the seat adjustment in the car’s memory, connect the smartphone immediately and automatically, as well as all other settings. A useful thing, because without your own profile, you have to accept the fact that every time you start the car, you will have standard settings in front of you. As if nothing, but some of them, at least for me, seemed a bit annoying, for example, the sound signal if you exceeded the permitted speed by even a couple of kilometers.
There are many kinds of assistance systems here. The fact that the car is stuffed with sensors and video cameras is no longer a surprise – as befits an SUV, it also shows what is happening on the sides of the car and even under it, if you have to drive through an obstructed area. When you stop at a traffic light, the street image projected by the video camera appears on the display. At first, I didn’t really understand why it was needed, but the revelation came on Kalpak Boulevard, where the traffic lights are placed so high that it is difficult to see them from the first car – here, too, the camera comes in handy, with the help of which you can see on the screen without any problems that the red light is on. On the other hand, when reversing in the field from a side road, the cameras will signal in time if another vehicle is approaching from the side, but if you do not react, the car will brake itself to prevent a collision. The sensors also respond perfectly to pedestrians and bicycles in the blind zone, not to mention cars. Another useful auxiliary function is a reminder of a phone left in the car – when you get out, a voice will sound to announce that you left your phone in the car.
“Mercedes-Benz EQS 450 4Matic” (Photo: Rojs Maizītis)
For a moment, it even seems that the possibilities offered by artificial intelligence are too many. For example, if there is a rise in the entrance to the house, then the GPS can be programmed so that when approaching this place, the car will automatically raise the ground clearance every time. Video cameras can also be programmed – if there is an obstructed or narrow section of the road on the way home, then this place can be marked on the map, and the side cameras will always be activated there, for example. The control of the sunroof really confused me: it turns out that you can open it not only by dragging your finger on the touch sensor, but also with a gesture. Namely, somehow I accidentally waved my hand near the hatch control unit, and it suddenly began to slide open. Such a turn of events can even frighten an unprepared person – what the hell is going on here?!
Highway liner
But how does driving EQS feel? Predictably pleasant. On the road, this car is like a big and stable liner. You don’t have the expected sensation of rapid acceleration – the car seems to accelerate leisurely, but after a few seconds you are surprised to conclude that the speedometer is at the 100 kilometer mark. The specification says that the car accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in six seconds, which is no space for an electric car, but it is not bad for a vehicle of such dimensions – it still weighs almost three tons. You don’t feel the speed here at all and you can very easily accumulate an impressive collection of penalty bills. It is enough to think a little, and look – it is already 130 km/h, but according to the sensations, it could be only 90. You can also choose a more powerful version of the car, but, to be honest, the power of the EQS 450 is also enough.
“Mercedes-Benz EQS 450 4Matic” (Photo: Rojs Maizītis)
To make it more interesting, the engineers have also provided a sound track that creates the illusion of driving a good old internal combustion engine. In sport mode, the engine sound imitation is, of course, louder and more aggressive. Such a solution may allow die-hard petrolheads to come to terms with switching to an electric car.
Although the car is not a sports car, it is very stable on the road. Thanks to the fact that the rear wheels can also be steered, the turning radius is unexpectedly small, and this steering also makes the car more stable during turns. Considering that this is an SUV, the off-road mode is not missing either, but at least I had some kind of psychological barrier with it – I couldn’t convince myself that this car should be driven somewhere in sand or mud. Although there is no doubt that the car would cope with such obstacles. I only threw the bow on dirt and forest roads myself, and there were no problems at all. Driving is soft and pleasant enough, because the air suspension does its job.
“Mercedes-Benz EQS 450 4Matic” (Photo: Rojs Maizītis)
If we are talking about the distance that can be traveled on a single charge, it is about 500 kilometers in summer. In winter, we can probably shave off about 100 km, but in any case, it’s not bad. While driving, you can load a little bit of energy into the battery with the help of the recuperation system, in addition, the so-called intelligent recuperation is also available, which will calculate by itself how to act better when you take your foot off the gas pedal – how fast or slow to brake.
Let’s move on to the most painful part of this story. So how much does it all cost? As already said at the beginning – a lot. Very much. However, this is a Mercedes S-class with the relevant comfort and all possible extras, so we can’t even enter a five-digit number here. Our test car cost less than 170,000 euros, and such a price automatically makes it accessible only to very wealthy people, and even buyers of state-subsidized electric cars will not be able to compare. Spin as you like, this is a luxury car after all.
“Mercedes-Benz EQS 450 4Matic” (Photo: Rojs Maizītis)
FACT
Mercedes-Benz EQS 450 4Matic
Engine: 256 kW electric motor
Power / torque: 355 HP / 800 Nm
Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h: 6 sek.
Distance per charge: about 500 km
Cena: 169 000 EUR
2023-09-16 05:25:00
#testing #electric #luxury #liner #MercedesBenz #EQS #4Matic