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Transmission/Drive
The EQS 580 4Matic SUV sits at the top of Mercedes’ current lineup of electric vehicles. It’s a sleek looking SUV that manages to stand out from the sea of bland, boxy utility vehicles despite its fairly understated styling. It’s a simple looking car, but is one of the rare examples of an SUV that looks better than its lower-riding sibling, as the sedan reminds me of a techno dolphin while this is sleeker and, dare I say it, classier.
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I couldn’t get onboard with the Comfort mode as it softened everything up a little too much, meaning that the EQS SUV rolled about whenever you glanced at the wheel. This did nothing to please my travel sick road trip buddy. In Sport, the firmer suspension does a good job at mitigating this while remaining very comfortable, and the slower acceleration you get in Eco is buttery smooth and restricts any excessive motion.
$119,023
On the subject of range, I was impressed with that of the EQS SUV. Mercedes rates it for 285 miles per charge, and I was actually exceeding that in my time with the car. On the 190-mile journey from New York to a charge port in Binghamton, I used just 45 percent of the battery. When I plugged into a fast charger to test the car’s 200 kW charging speeds, the car’s display claimed it still had enough charge to cover another 100 miles. Despite this, I still plugged in for 50 minutes to take the car back up to 100 percent.
That display is one of five in this car. The entire dash is dominated by something Mercedes calls the “hyperscreen,” which incorporates a touchscreen in front of the passenger and a second as the center console. There’s a third display behind the wheel offering up digital dials. Flanking this massive display are two turbine-like air vents, which are very pleasing to twist into place and even come with a little circle in the middle that shows off the car’s ambient lighting color.
All of this is ensconced in a truly lovely interior. In my test unit this included light-colored leather that was soft to the touch, and stained walnut detailing in the center console and along the doors. Another wonderful touchpoint was the column stalks, which are unbelievably satisfying. Each is capped with a lovely metal end that’s textured and very pleasing to flick up or down. When you do that, there’s a satisfying clunk as the stalk clicks into place and the gentle tap of the indicator sound is kind of sophisticated. Ten out of ten, Mercedes.
These settings also alter the way the EQS corners. On the undulating roads around New York’s Finger Lakes the SUV rolls around turns in Comfort while the suspension works overtime to control its mass. A switch to Sport, once again, sharpens up the handling without making the car too aggressive. Because of this, I found myself sticking to Sport for most of the drive, or Eco when I needed to boost the range.
The settings for the car’s climate and lighting are controlled via those two touchscreens, which also manage things like driving modes and the car’s massage seats. These heated and vented massaging seats were a nice touch, with different programs on hand to keep you comfy on a long drive.
Under its shiny bodywork, which on my test car is finished in a lush Twilight Blue metallic color, the EQS SUV packs dual motors that create 536 hp and are powered by a 108.4 kWh battery, which Mercedes says is good for 285 miles of range. That battery also powers all the luxury accessories that Mercedes crammed into this car, which includes an expansive screen that makes up the dash, massage seats and even a bespoke fragrance that wafts around the cabin.
When it comes to the seat control itself, this is found in the door in a neat-looking control panel that mirrors the design of the door handle. They’re super easy to customize and can be quickly molded to fit your body and ensure maximum comfort. And while the massage function didn’t quite make it to the rear seats, those are also very comfy and come with a good amount of legroom. There’s even a middle seat that can fit a real adult or fold down to reveal two cup holders, a wireless charging pad and the fifth and final screen in the EQS.
Behind the second row is a good-sized trunk that had more than enough space for four peoples’ luggage for a long weekend, as well as a grocery run and a few bags of apples picked fresh from the trees. If you’re traveling solo and need more room, the rear seats electronically fold flat to reveal 74 cubic feet of luggage space.
Full Disclosure: Mercedes-Benz lent me a gleaming blue EQS 580 4Matic SUV with a fully charged battery for a weekend driving around upstate New York.
As well as the tech keeping you underway, Mercedes has crammed some excellent features into the cab of the EQS SUV, starting with the heads up display. It’s easily one of the smartest I’ve used and as well as telling you the usual stuff like speed and navigation instructions, it comes with an augmented reality touch. There’s a blue arrow that shoots off down the road to show you where you should turn and it will even highlight which lane you should be in.
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In the right drive setting, the car floats along the highway and its light steering makes navigating busy city streets a breeze. And, with electric power at its heart, any journey you make is going to be calm, peaceful and serene with just the gentle hum of the road and the car’s built-in scent wafting over you as you eat up the miles.
Off the line, the EQS SUV feels fast for a car of its size and weight, which is 6,228 lbs. Mercedes rates it as having a zero to 60 mph time of 4.5 seconds and while it’s quick at getting up to speed, you do notice the car’s mass when you hit the accelerator. There’s a lurching sensation as the car shoots forward, which is exacerbated in the Sport mode. This setting ups the car’s throttle response and is joined by Comfort, Eco and Custom settings that let you personalize the way the EQS drives.
There’s a lot to like about luxurious SUVs. They cram in more niceties than most houses, are packed with pristine finishes and come with more cutting-edge tech than you can shake a stick at. Now, after spending a weekend with the latest offering from Mercedes-Benz, I’m here to tell you that luxurious cars should also come with an electric motor instead of a noisy, uncivilized engine.
This left me thinking that if all the tech inside runs on electricity and electric power offers up such a smooth and silent ride, most luxury cruisers like this should probably run on battery power. So, if you are the kind of rich person that’s in the market for a swanky car to run around town, then the EQS SUV will do a great job at keeping you comfortable and feeling better about your life choices wherever the road may take you.
If you find yourself limited to AC ports, you’ll be waiting a long time to reach full power. While out for a four-hour hike, I plugged in at one such port and arrived back at the car to see just 26.4 kW had been added, which equates to 21 percent of the car’s battery. A charge from zero to full at such speeds would take more than 12 hours.
Thankfully, the EQS SUV does have a couple of tricks up its sleeve to extend your range. The Eco setting can limit certain functions to eke out battery life, and regenerative braking helps harness your stopping power. On the EQS, you can alter the level of regen from none, which makes it feel like every automatic Mercedes, to full one-pedal driving. To do this, there are two paddles that increase or decrease the regen. But, in a cruel twist, the minus paddle ups the regen and the plus takes it away.
This was the overall feeling I was left with after covering nearly 800 miles in the EQS SUV. Whether you’re driving the car or lucky enough to be chauffeured around in it, it’s an EV that puts comfort at the top of its priorities.
With all of those features packed in, the EQS SUV clocks in at $142,095, including destination. This puts it squarely in competition with cars like the new Range Rover or a fully-specced BMW iX.
2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS EQS 580 4MATIC SUV Specs
Automatic
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