Mercedes S-Class — Intro
The Mercedes S-Class doesn’t want an introduction. For half a century, it has been the top-of-the-line mode from the Mercedes-Benz group of fashions. It’s the “mass-market” luxurious automobile section slightly below Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and the likes. The S-Class is the primary era that brings new Mercedes-Benz choices and expertise to the market.
An entire new era of the S-Class, primarily based on a clean-sheet electrical platform design, is now right here, and that’s the explanation to jot down this primary impressions article. This primary impressions piece, although, doesn’t do justice to this automobile. Every week within the arms of somebody who is aware of way more about automobiles than I do is required for an entire evaluation.
Delivery of the BEV
Mercedes’ street to electrification began with Tesla seeing a possibility to promote its expertise to Mercedes and get the monetary injection it wanted to outlive. This was in 2008, when the Tesla Roadster hit the streets. The Mercedes sub-brand SMART was trying into an electrical model, and Tesla may supply the electrical powertrain. This was the beginning of electrification at Mercedes and the salvation of Tesla when the Roadster was exhausting to promote.
Mercedes saved creating absolutely electrical variations of its automobiles, first on fossil gasoline platforms, just like the EQC and later EQB prototypes. It took just a few years to go from prototype to manufacturing. Figuring out one thing is the long run and guessing when it’s time to dive into that future are two very various things.
The event of the primary two prototypes was adopted by a clean-sheet strategy for the top-of-the-line E-Class and S-Class. My first impression is that this effort was not in useless.
Specs:
- Battery — 107.8 kWh, about 398 miles of vary.
- Motor — 245 kW and 568 Nm, all-wheel drive.
- Charging — 207 kW DC and 11 kW AC.
- Euro NCAP — ***** (5 stars)
- Size*Width*Top — 205.4” * 75.8” * 59.5”
The EQE 300 begins at €71,138 and tops out at €161,283 for the absolutely loaded AMG 53 4MATIC+ with choices.
The EQS 450+ begins at €109,090 and tops out at €215,255 for the absolutely loaded AMG 53 4MATIC+ with choices.
We did have some dialogue about choosing the EQE or the EQS for the “longlist.” They have been constructed with the identical constructing blocks, making them technically an identical in some ways. However the constructing blocks of the EQS are organized in a different way, leading to a distinct automobile.
The EQS has much more superior choices commonplace. Its battery is 17 kWh bigger. It’s 10.6” longer, which is used to create much more legroom within the backseats. It has a far greater trunk. And it has rear-wheel steering commonplace.
No one is shopping for a Mercedes with solely the usual choices. As the worth ranges reveals, it’s straightforward to spend extra on an EQE than on an EQS. The EQE is a driver’s automobile, however the EQS is a chauffeur’s limousine. That is the one one on this class in our longlist.
When exiting or getting into this automobile, seats are rolled again to make getting out and in as straightforward as doable. With out a profile, it’s a must to readjust seat and steering wheel each time. Maybe it ought to default to the final place when the motive force doesn’t have a profile, however I’ll create a profile if I ever get to drive this dream machine once more.
Driving Machine
My first problem was leaving the Mercedes supplier’s parking zone. Many Dutch roads have bicycle lanes. In my tiny Twingo and now Zoe, I used to be used to driving as much as the bicycle lane to have a view left and proper of the site visitors on the street. The lengthy nostril of the EQS pressured me to drive onto, and thus block, the bicycle lane to get a transparent view of the site visitors. That is solely partially a fault of the EQS — it’s largely a nasty design of the exit of the parking zone.
As soon as the street was clear, it was as straightforward to show onto the lane because it was with my Zoe because of the rear steering wheels. I feel the EQS is the biggest automobile I reviewed these previous few weeks, however the best to maneuver. I’m not a fan of rear wheel drive, however I fell in love with rear wheel steering.
It’s a very good driving machine. The world glides by in close to silence with hardly any vibrations of the wheels on the street. Maybe a Mannequin S is a greater driving machine, however maybe the EQS is the perfect. I might not know, it’s far outdoors my purview.
I did drive by means of cramped metropolis facilities, small nation roads, and broad highways. All of it was as straightforward appropriately. For the particular person within the again, he/she will depart it to the chauffeur. Simply learn, work, hearken to music, dream, and even make love; the automobile is not going to interrupt you.
Infotainment & Driving Help
I don’t play video games whereas driving and I’m a bit deaf, so I’ve no touch upon the infotainment capabilities of this automobile. I didn’t have a look at them.
The driving help is prime of the invoice. There isn’t any one-pedal driving, in all probability the one omission on this system. I did use lane holding, lane altering, and adaptive cruise management. All of them made me loosen up whereas driving, as they need to.
The driving help techniques should not simply working as they need to, they’re additionally very well mannered. Once I was utilizing adaptive cruise management in the appropriate lane and one other automobile was on the onramp searching for a spot to entry the primary street, the EQS slowed simply sufficient to make room for the automobile on the onramp. This conduct is obligatory in Germany, the place site visitors on the onramp has proper of manner, however to have it carried out so easily was a pleasure to expertise.
Usability
The usability of an electrical car is for me concerning the vary and charging pace. That mixture remains to be the defining metric to be used aside from day by day buying and commuting. The EQS is past this. It enters the part the place trunk house, legroom, cup holders, and towing capability begin to play a job within the usability of the BEV — the identical standards folks use for his or her fossil gasoline autos.
Evaluating the EQS with the identical metrics utilized by the patrons of smoke machines, the EQS wins.
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