The Mercedes-Benz EQE is SUV certified. The German automaker unveiled a better-driving, more utility-oriented version of its EQE sedan, and while the price is still being kept a secret, the EQE SUV is expected to hit US dealers from 2023.
We knew we’d be getting an SUV version of the EQE sedan since it was first unveiled last year. Mercedes did the same for its flagship EV, the EQS, which came out with the SUV version earlier this month. It is the fourth EV to be built on the carmaker’s new EV platform.
Mercedes says the EQE SUV will be “the most spacious representatives of its class”
With the EQE SUV, we get three trim levels — one rear-engine and two twin-engine versions — as well as an AMG performance variant. The main difference between the EQE sedan and its SUV counterpart is its size and interior space, with Mercedes positioning it as “the most spacious representatives of its class”.
The five-seat EQE SUV is even more compact than the sedan: at 119.3 inches, it has a wheelbase that is 3.5 inches shorter. This gives it more agility and agility on the road, the company claims.
The launch rear-wheel drive model of the EQE SUV will use the same 90.6 kWh battery pack that powers the base model of the EQS, which the company says will be good for an impressive 550 kilometers (341 miles) of driving on a full charge — though that figure is based on the more forgiving European WLTP standard, so a more realistic range estimate will likely be lower.
Still, that’s less range than the EQE sedan, which has a similar battery size but a more aerodynamic shape and smaller wheels, leading to a range of 660 kilometers (410 miles). The EQE SUV delivers 288 horsepower, or 536 horsepower for the four-wheel drive version. The AMG variant will deliver up to 677 hp on two electric motors and 21-inch wheels.
The EQE SUV will have a 12.8-inch OLED touchscreen in the center of the dashboard and a 12.3-inch instrument panel behind the wheel. The EV will include many of Mercedes’ other luxury attributes, such as the MBUX digital assistant for help finding charging stations and the like and an HVAC-plus audio experience that the automaker describes as “Energizing Comfort.” (Think of nature sounds.) The EQE SUV also gets over-the-air updates and upgrades.
In addition to the EQE sedan and EQE SUV, Mercedes will also release an electrified G-Wagen in mid-2024. The company says it will go all-electric by 2030 and commits to investing €40 billion (about $47 billion) in the effort.
The EQS already looks like a worthy competitor to Tesla’s Model S Plaid – the company said it was sold 30,000 EVs between July and September – so the upcoming EQE and the SUV version arriving in 2023 are all about trying to offer a slightly more affordable and approachable way to what Mercedes-Benz is doing at the highest level with its electric cars.
And as long as it performs, the EQE SUV could be a much more promising entrant to the market than some of Mercedes-Benz’s other early efforts, such as the EQC, which was full of compromises because it was built on an internal combustion engine platform rather than a full-fledged one. electric vehicle — one of the goals it set when it first unveiled the Vision EQS concept in 2019.
