The EQE is Mercedes' 410-mile electric exec | GRR
It may be something of a cliche at this point, it’s been plastered across more magazine covers than Cheryl Cole, but the Mercedes EQE, newly revealed at the IAA Mobility show in Munich, might actually be the first “Tesla killer”.
Why? Well, ignoring superficial performance numbers, it bests all current production Teslas by far with its most important number: range. Yes, 400 miles in the very latest Model S is good but the EQE bests it by ten.
Moreover, it’ll likely be cheaper, too, given the EQE is projected to start from £60,000. That’s cheaper than any Model S has been for some time and in fact, closer in price to a top-of-the-line Model 3. At this point all Mercedes doesn’t have on Tesla is a charging infrastructure.
Anyway, enough about the T-word. Let’s talk EQE. We’ve established it’ll be good for up to 410 miles of range and start from around £60,000 at the lower end. Visually, it’s very much in the EQ saloon family, drawing heavily from the EQS limousine, albeit with slightly different front lights and a stubbier window beyond the second row of doors.
That slippery body allows the EQE to claim the title of the most aerodynamically efficient car in production… alongside the EQS. That slipperiness is aided by the fact that the EQE will lower itself by an inch at speeds over 75mph to reduce drag. Dimensionally, it occupies near enough the same space as a CLS while on the inside being much more capacious than the E-Class.
The EQE 350 packs a 90.6kWh battery that can be charged from 10 to 80 percent in just over 30 minutes using DC fast charging. Once plugged in at a Plug & Charge station, the “Mercedes me” charge system gets the power flowing immediately and handles the transactional part for you.
The first EQE has 291PS (215kW), through the rear-axle, though performance models with over 600PS (441kW) are on the way. All-wheel-drive can also be added as an option, in addition to rear-wheel-steering which contributes a hefty 10-degree angle to improve urban mobility.
On the inside, the EQE will be familiar to those who’ve seen the EQS. Returning in a blaze of pixels is the hyperscreen. This 56-inch piece of curved glass houses a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 17.7-inch infotainment display and a 12.3-inch passenger display, all featuring Merc’s innovative MBUX user interface. Trimming the rest of the cabin is MB-Tex fake leather, while the EQS’s Energising Comfort massage and relaxation system is present too. The EQE gets new Sounds of the Sea, Summer Rain and Forest Glade settings.
Overall, then, while the EQS was the headline-grabber on its reveal, the EQE is the one you’d more likely consider buying. This could be a very real look at the evolved electrified future of Mercedes, except it’ll be on buyer’s driveways as soon as the end of next year. A full model lineup with pricing is expected soon, with the aforementioned AMG performance model expected to be revealed next year. Is the EQE the strongest rebuttal yet to the Tesla Model S?