Mercedes Benz | When the EQS electric sedan puts on stilts

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the new electric flagship of its SUV family. Simply named EQS SUV (for SUV), this addition to the range will obviously seek to take advantage of the fashion for these higher-legged vehicles and thus tackle the Tesla Model X head-on.

Charles Rene
The Press

The visual recipe is therefore closely linked to the EQS in sedan format. It also shares the immense wheelbase of the latter (3210 mm) which is between that of a Chevrolet Tahoe and that of a Chevrolet Suburban, nothing less. This obviously benefits the habitability and testifies to the advances in terms of configuration made possible by the more compact electrical components placed low on the platform. This EQS SUV is also 20 cm higher than the sedan and has an additional row of seats to take care of its family vocation.

That said, the most fascinating element found on board the model remains its dashboard essentially composed of a juxtaposition of various OLED screens. An operating system with 24 GB of RAM and eight microprocessors manages this technological tour de force. Because it is now the sinews of war among luxury brands.

Speaking of dynamics, the EQS SUV will be based on two all-wheel-drive versions, the 450 4MATIC with 355 hp and 590 lb-ft and the 580 4MATIC with 536 hp and 633 lb-ft. No doubt an AMG version will eventually see the light of day to inflate these figures. Continuously adjustable rear steering and air damping ensure vehicle control.

A very large 107.8 kWh battery fixed under the floor acts as an energy reservoir and can tolerate a voltage of up to 396 V and a recharge capacity of 200 kW. No word on autonomy in the North American cycle, but the 600 km under European protocol (WLTP) suggests several kilometers in the bank.

On sale in Canada in the last quarter of the year at a price that should eclipse the $146,500 asking for the EQS sedan.