The new Mercedes-Benz EQS 450+ isn't just Mercedes-first Benz's electric car, and this electric drive isn't just a glimpse at the all-new electrified S-Class - though both would be enough to get you excited.
It's also a first punch of the technology that will design all future Mercedes electric cars from here on out, as has long been the case with the brand's flagship - meaning any potential Mercedes customer should be inspired to read on. It's also the first opportunity to try the new Mercedes-Benz EQS 450+ in the UK, despite the fact that it's still in prototype form and far too early to have a whole pricing list.
As a result, we're paying more attention to see if the early 4.5-star rating from our previous trial was warranted or fair, rather than trying to figure out if the final half-star is conceivable. Any chance of receiving the highest honor will have to wait until next month when more thorough testing and complete spec information are released.
Forget your preconceptions: whatever you expect from the photos, your eyes will be on stalks not long after you stroll up to the Mercedes-Benz EQS 450+, pause as the door automatically opens upon detecting your approach, and your bum hits the delightfully - and sufficiently - sumptuous seat.
Is it true? It's the Hyperscreen, a three-in-one digital display that arcs across the dashboard in place of two regular (but still large) screens, measuring 141cm from left to right. If a car's wow factor is important to you, consider the Mercedes-Benz EQS 450+ electric vehicle. Captain Kirk, on the other hand, would undoubtedly pass out from the thrill.
However, there is important yang to the ying caused by its pure size, beloved. At a standstill, we found that using Mercedes' astonishingly reasonable voice control was preferable to using our fingers, both to prevent taking your eyes off the road and to avoid leaving evidence of your hit-and-miss efforts. Without a doubt, the experience would be beneficial. Furthermore, even on the gloomiest of days, there were enough diverting reflections to cause us to pause and long for simpler times.
As a result, the Mercedes-Benz EQS 450+'s lasting impression of the actual thing is simply how capable it is on the road. Even in this lower-powered incarnation, it boasts incredible speed, impressive stability, and control despite its near 2.5-tonne weight and a mind-boggling, if likely little ambitious, official range of 484 miles, aided by its slippery shape – supposedly the most aerodynamic ever seen on a production car. A quick charge of 10 to 80 percent can be completed in as little as 30 minutes, whereas a standard 50kW charger will take roughly an hour and a half.
All of this is delivered in complete silence, with the exception of some wind noise at higher speeds, and in supreme comfort (the supportive, massaging seats and loads of space all around stand out). It's also incredibly quick, thanks to rear-wheel steering, which improves agility at low speeds while simultaneously increasing endurance at higher speeds. It's immersive and seductively delightful in this way.
Despite this, the Mercedes-Benz EQS 450+ electric car is unable to truly challenge physics. While the direct, impressively handle some steering helps to hide this big car's dimensions, and the body control is superb on all but the most pockmarked roads, some of the UK's more significant, more repetitive bumps can't be flattened, and the tires run out of grip a little sooner than in a regular S-Class if you enter a turn or roundabout too eagerly.
In 2021, might this be the world's most capable electric vehicle? Yes, most likely. Is it then a five-star vehicle? The jury is still deliberating.
The effectiveness of that huge screen and the dynamic limits imposed by the massive battery weight are the two most obvious trade-offs. Neither flaw is unique to Mercedes, and it has done a better job than anybody else in overcoming them - at least for a luxury car with this level of capability, albeit not entirely in comparison to the Porsche Taycan's progressive realization.
Among the many intelligent driver assistance systems we highlight:
- The remote parking assistant helps the driver to park and unpark his vehicle using the smartphone.
- The revolutionary Digital Light headlamp technology, standard from the Advanced Plus equipment level.
- The optional Drive Pilot system allows the Mercedes-Benz EQS to move with a high degree of automation up to a speed of 60 km / h in situations with heavy traffic or retention.
- The warning of the danger of Microsleeps of Attention Assist analyzes the driver flashing.
The Mercedes-Benz EQS also guarantees that it will never stop technologically up-to-date. This is the first Mercedes-Benz offered the opportunity to upgrade its software throughout its entire life cycle, "technology Over-the-Air " (OTA).
The Mercedes-Benz EQS 450+ electric car is an exceptional smart vehicle. Depending on the equipment, it has up to 350 sensors that record distances, speed, acceleration, ambient light, rain intensity, temperature, seat occupancy; they even analyze the driver's blinking or the language in which the passengers speak. All this information is processed by electronic control units that make decisions in fractions of a second.
Aside from that, the new Mercedes-Benz EQS 450+ electric car has everything the S-Class is known for. It is an acceptable, pricey mode of transportation in every manner, as well as an irresistible demonstration of how delightful the future can be. Perfect may or may not exist, but there's a good possibility it'll be as close as we can get for a while.
Mercedes-Benz began selling the EQS 450+ and 580 4MATIC, its first fully electric luxury saloon, on Tuesday, with prices starting at 106,374 euros and 135,529 euros, respectively.
Customers can purchase subscriptions in addition to the traditional purchase of specific features. Temporary activations and free trial periods are also in the works.
