Mercedes-Benz India’s Number One Luxury car maker is going all out with their electrification mandate. They already got the EQ, EQC, EQB and the EQS all electric models into India and now joining the EV lineup is the EQE Electric SUV that was launched in India a few days back. We head to beautiful and enchanting Gulmarg in Kashmir to experience the latest German all Electric SUV in India. Read on to know all on the Mercedes-Benz EQE500.
Food for Thought
EQ is the series of all Electric car models from Mercedes-Benz. The first generation EQ model was showcased as the concept model at the Paris Auto show in 2016. The EQC was the 1st model from the lineup to go into production in 2019. Mercedes-Benz has since then got its EQ lineup with models which include the EQV, EQA, EQB, EQS sedan, EQS SUV, EQE sedan and the EQE SUV. Mercedes introduced the EQE electric in 2022 which is manufactured at the Mercedes-Benz facility in Alabama United States. The Electric SUV was codenamed X294 that is built using the modular all electric EVA platform. India gets the fully loaded model the EQE 500 4MATIC as a CBU import.
Exterior & Design
The Mercedes EQE at first look comes with a lot of road presence due to its dimension and styling. The all electric SUV stands at 4863mm in length, 2141mm in width and 1685mm in height and its wheelbase stands at 3030mm making it even bigger than the Toyota Innova Crysta or the Innova Hycross. Key styling elements include the Mercedes EQ family rounded body styling with the closed face with a massive grille finished in glossy black and multiple Mercedes Stars placed around the large Mercedes three star logo in the middle. All LED flushed Headlights get advanced digital technology and also come with the LED connected DRL strip that gives the face its unique styling. The front bumper adds to the rounded look and comes with a large faux skid plate finished in chrome. The large bonnet gets soft character lines that flow back adding to the aerodynamics for the front end.
Coming to the sides, this is where you realize the massive length of the SUV. You also notice the huge 20 inch wheels with EV specific multi spoke alloys, wheel arches get fiber cladding while the SUV comes with practical side step which is a part of the overall package. Door handles get the EQS like flushed feature which come out when unlocked and return back inside when locked. Glass area is large with the EQE badging placed on the front quarter glass flanked with the large rounded wing mirrors with blind spot warning feature on them. Chrome treatment around the glass area and the door handles enhance the already premium feel. The roof gets an all glass top which is massive in size.
Rear profile is again rounded with the overall styling. Key styling elements here include the prominent connected tail lights, large integrated spoiler with integrated stop lamp, glossy black winglets, and large rear bumper with a massive chrome faux skid plate, EQE 500 and 4MATIC badging and the Mercedes Benz logo that doubles up as the boot opener and flips up for the reverse camera.
Overall styling is very different yet very Mercedes EQ family like, quality and finish is super premium and drools tons of road presence grabbing your attention instantly.
Interiors & Cabin
Step inside the EQE and you are welcomed with typical Mercedes class premium cabin area that cocoons you the second you are In. You immediately notice the EQS sourced massive 56 inch display screen that runs across the entire dashboard from left to right. The key highlight here is the Xtra large sized MBUX Hyperscreen which infact are three screens cleverly mated to each other covering the entire dashboard. The instrument screen is a 12.3 inch display which reads out all the needed tell tales needed for the driver while the centre screen is the massive 17.7 inch touchscreen that runs on the latest generation MBUX operating system, comes with inbuilt GPS and has all the connectivity options like Apple Carplay, Android Auto, Bluetooth connectivity, climate control, seat control, entertainment FM and lots more. The third screen is again a 12.3 inch screen which works as the display unit for the front passenger. This touchscreen unit can be used to control nearly all the functions that the centre screen can and also can be used to play some inbuilt games that come preloaded. This mega MBUX screen that measures 56 inches in width runs using 8 CPU cores, 24 GB RAM and 46.4 GB per second RAM memory bandwidth with a Super OLED display that is covered by an anti-reflective Gorilla Glass material. Corning’s Gorilla Glass is normally found on personal devices like smartphones, tablets and smart watches.
You also get a smart looking ambient light strip that is customizable as per your mood placed just above the AC vents and its length extends into the front door pads. Center console comes with a unique wood finish storage area which houses the wireless mobile charger, can holder and the USB C ports. The EV start/Stop button and the drive mode shifter console along with the biometric and other control buttons are placed just besides the storage bin behind which is the arm rest with closable lid which has loads of space under it. The center console comes in floating styling with open space below which can also be used for storing some stuff. The cabin gets light color leather upholstery with a dual-tone finish on the dash and door pads. The steering gets premium leather wrapping along with full electric adjust for height and reach. Feather touch MFD buttons and metal inserts on the steering enhance its appeal. Seats get full leather upholstery with the front seats getting all electric adjust along with cooling, heating and massage feature.
The sound system on the Mercedes EQE is powered by 15 Burmester speakers hitting out 710 watts of premium 3D Surround sound with 2 soundscapes and Dolby Atmos on it. The Mercedes EQE comes with an electrically openable boot lid that houses 520 liters of boot space that can be further extended by folding down the rear seats if needed.
Rear seats get three adjustable headrests, foldable arm rest and dual zone climate control. Seating in the front is more than comfortable with excellent visibility of the road ahead and more than good space. Rear seats also offer some more than good comfort, legroom, knee room, headroom and shoulder room all in abundance. This being an EV there is no transmission tunnel hence the passenger seated in the middle gets some good flat space for his feet. Overall the comfort in the Mercedes EQE is very premium of typical Mercedes-Benz levels.
Electric Motor – Drive – Suspension
Powering the Mercedes EQE 500 are dual motors mounted on the front and rear axle. These motors are powered with the weather sealed 400V Lithium ion battery pack with an overall power output of 408PS and a massive torque of 858Nm. Mercedes claims an overall drive range of 550kms for the EQE with a 0 to 100kmph sprint possible in just 4.9 seconds and a limited top speed of 210 kmph.
First thing you notice once you are behind the wheels of the EQE is that this is a big vehicle but the comfort level and dynamics are such that you feel at ease immediately. Start the EQE and the animations on the screens welcome you in typical EQ fashion. Shift to the drive mode and you are off in total silence and premium style. The EQE even though is an EV, Mercedes has managed to put it some soul into it. The Steering feels lively and connected at all times and gets livelier as the speed builds, the overall drive feels positive and the fun factor is very much there. The SUV delivers tons of power and is pretty fast as and when you want it to be. You get preset drive modes that adds or reduces power delivery and increases or reduces drive range.
Along with meaty 20 inch tyres you also get Adaptive Air Suspension which can be raised or lowered or works automatically. In terms of off roading gadgetry you get the 4MATIC system to fully vary the torque distribution between the front and rear axles that continually does the monitoring for wheel slip and other parameters, the system can quickly reapportion the torque in response to changing driving conditions. And since the function is a built-in benefit of the dual motors, it adds virtually no weight to the vehicle. You get various drive modes and also the unique Mercedes Transparent Bonnet feature that allows the driver to see the terrain underneath the bonnet in live time during off roading. We didn’t take the EQE into any hardcore off road terrain but we did encounter some bad roads or no roads into the hills of Gulmarg where the Electric SUV behaved very nicely. You can expect an overall drive range of around 400kms on a single charge in actual drive conditions.
Verdict
Well the current trend is shifting towards Electric cars at a pretty fast pace, even in the premium segment the options available are growing rapidly. The Mercedes EQE is a fine example of what Mercedes can be expected to offer in Electric space in the near future. It has just the perfect premium appeal inside out you would expect from a Mercedes-Benz. Has loads of power, space, road presence and comes loaded with all the tech that you can expect for today and tomorrow along with top class safety features and a pretty good drive range and drive feel overall. At Rs. 1.39 Crore the Mercedes-Benz EQE is just the perfect Premium Electric SUV for you in this class and price range.
Words – Ritesh Madhok
Video & Photography – Bhushan Joshi