The Mercedes-Benz S-Class has been known as the flagship model from the German car maker for a long time, known for its premium looks outside and inside. Now going ahead with changing time and the gradual electrification of the car models Mercedes-Benz India has launched the all Electric version of the S-Class the EQS in India and what’s more the all electric Premium car is being manufactured here in India at their Chakan plant. We spend a day behind the wheels of the Mercedes-Benz EQS 580 4Matic for our detailed road-test review getting you all the information on it.
Food for Thought
Mercedes showcased the EQS Concept as the Mercedes-Benz Vision EQS at the 2019 German Motor Show and went into final production in April 2021. Mercedes says that the EQS is the “world’s most aerodynamic production car,” with a drag coefficient of 0.20. With 857kms range in a single charge the Mercedes EQS is the longest running EV in India. The EQS the largest sized touchscreen the 56 inches MBUX Hyperscreen that covers the entire width of the dashboard. The EQS makes a sound at low speeds to warn pedestrians of its presence. The EQS is the first Premium Electric Car to be built in India by Mercedes.
Exteriors
In terms of looks the Mercedes EQS 580 4Matic does remind you that it comes from the S-Class family but also sports many changes on it signifying its Electric identity. Upfront you get the closed EQ grille sporting the Mercedes logo on it along with the large three pointed star placed in the middle. The front bumper gets dualtone inserts along with chrome strip that runs across the width. Headlamps come with three LED beams, these are highly advanced Digital headlamps that can adapt themselves to the surrounding conditions and accordingly manage the thro, intensity and the level of the headlamp glow. There is a thin LED strip that runs across the width of the car just around the bonnet lip giving that rich EV look to the face of the EQS.
The bonnet is low slung thanks to the omission of the ICE engine while the fenders are sleek and slim in appearance with flat stamping on them. The EQS drives on 20 inch wheels which can be upgraded to 22 inch ones fitted on special EQ design dualtone alloys which enhance the aerodynamics. The side profile is very sleek and the body panels are smooth and rounded for obvious reasons. The key highlight here being the auto pop up door handles which also feels vey premium to grip when used.
Glass area on the sides come with two fixed quarter glasses one in the front and other at the end. The one in the front gets a bold EQS branding signifying itself. Sides of the EQS is further highlighted with the subtle use of chrome around the glass area, blacked out pillar and roof that also comes with a large glass roof. Meaty sized wing mirrors are placed on the doors giving the EQS more width to its stance.
Coming to the rear profile, the styling here is more like a sportback mostly due to the sharp angle that the rear windshield is placed at and the sloping rear profile. The boot lid opens up along with the rear glass in sportback fashion too while there also is a neatly integrated spoiler placed here. The tail lamps get a flurry ribbon design on them with LED glow and flushed slim packaging.
The boot area gets the LED tail light fitting running across it making the rear look extra unique, classy and stylish. Boot lid also sports the EQS 580 and 4MATIC badges along with the Mercedes star logo that doubles up as the boot opener. The rear bumper also gets dualtone styling and subtle chrome inserts along with stop reflectors finishing off the overall styling on the EQS 580.
Interiors
Step inside the Mercedes EQS 580 and you are in familiar territory if you been inside an S-Class. The cabin is large and feels bright due to the use of beige upholstery on the seats, doorpads, roof etc. 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.
There’s also ambient lighting installed in the lower part of the Hyperscreen that makes the whole display appear that it is “floating” above the instrument panel. This ambient lighting runs into the door pads and can be set as per the mood. Our favorite is the animated preset that shows the energy flow from the battery to the tyres or vice versa as per driving with the LED strips glowing accordingly. The steering gets a three spoke design with electric adjust and leather wrapping on it. You also get capacitive touch control MFD buttons placed on here.
The AC vents on the edges come in metal finish and in typical Mercedes turbine design with ambient light on them. The centre console gets a slidable storage bin which gets real wood finish on it. Placed here is the control buttons for the drive modes, finger print sensor, EV start stop button, audio controls. The centre console also gets a twin opening deep storage bin with its doors covered in suede leather. The door pads too get the generous use of beige, suede leather and wood finish along with the control buttons for electrically adjusting the seats. Coming to the seats, they get all leather upholstery and full adjust electrically. Premium features like massage and heating is also included on the feature list. Charging options include a mobile wireless charging dock, 6 USB C type charge ports and DC out port on the EQS.
Seating in the front is extra generous and comforting with everything falling in hands giving you that typical S-Class uber premium feel. Seats in the rear include two generous electrically adjustable seats and another seat in the middle which can be taken up by the foldable arm rest that also opens up the touch screen Samsung tablet just like the S Class and the GLS models. You can use this tablet to control almost all the settings of the car, from climate control to ambient lights to music and massage seats. Seating at the rear is like sitting in the lap of Luxury in typical Mercedes S-Class feel and comfort. Generous use of wood, metal, suede leather and piano black with ambient lighting makes the cabin of the EQS feel super rich, premium and very classy.
Not forgetting the super comfy soft pillow fitted on each headrests that make your head sink into them even when not intended to. For the audiophile you get a 15-speaker and 710-watts Burmester 3D sound system and also on the feature list is the Air Control Plus air purifier with HEPA filter that filters out 99.65 per cent of particles not forgetting the 3D heads-up display that does not distract the driver in any way. Mercedes-Benz is also offering a slew of interior trim options on the new EQS 580 4MATIC. The Mercedes EQS comes with a overall generous boot capacity of 610 liters. You also get AIRMATIC air suspension as standard to the first 500 units Also on offer is rear-wheel steering with 10-degree movement giving the EQS a turning radius of 10.9 metres.
Drive – Electric Motor – Range
Powering the Mercedes EQS 580 4Matic are two motors mounted on each axle in the front and rear that sources power from a 107.8 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. These motors belt out a total output of 523 bhp and 856 Nm of peak torque. The electric sedan delivers a claimed ARAI range of 857 km making it the highest range EV so far and can sprint from 0-100 kmph in just 4.3 seconds, in-turn clocking a top-speed of 210 kmph.
Charging
The EQS comes with a standard onboard 11 kW charger while the 22 kW charger is optional. The EQS can be charged from 10 to 80 per cent in 35 minutes using a 110 kW DC fast charging, while a 240-volt household wall charger will take 10 hours for a full top-up.
How is the EQS to drive?
Start the EQS and you are welcomed with the animation that plays with some BG sound and all systems are ready to go. Noteworthy here is that you can login to your profile in the MBUX using the face recognition, thumb impression or your password. Once you logged in the system sets the seat, steering, driving mode as per your setting. First thing that you notice is that this is a very fast car. Tap the paddle and the EQS sprints ahead in mini seconds and in no matter of time you hear the 80kmph speed warning play. The ride quality is plush, refined and extra comfortable. The EQS feels very lively and the steering feedback also weighs up as per the drive modes – Eco, comfort, dynamic. Power buildup is instant and if you know what you are doing you can win any drag race that you may enter with the EQS.
The EQS feels super agile and sprints ahead in typical Mercedes fashion without any range anxiety thanks to some clever gadgetry for the battery management. The two motors on each axle makes this an all wheel drive car and that also helps getting it more traction at times. The rear wheel steering helps turn the rear wheels to a maximum of 10 degree that’s a big boon during parking reducing the turning radius largely.
Safety
It goes without saying that the Mercedes-Benz EQS 580 4MATIC is a five-star rated EV by Euro NCAP. It also comes with ADAS features like active emergency stop assist, active lane changing assist, active steering assist, active blind spot assist and active lane keeping assist. It also has 9 airbags, ABS with EBD, crash protect battery placement, 360 degree intelligent camera and lots more.
Verdict
The Mercedes-Benz EQS 580 4MATIC is every bit like the ‘S-Class’ in terms of features, comfort, looks, space and safety. The best part on the Electric S –Class is its long runage of 857kms on a single charge which will surely end many range anxiety that one would get driving an EV. If you desire an Premium Electric car that can match up to the S-Class then the EQS is just that and lots more. Not forgetting it makes us proud for being manufactured right here in India. The Mercedes EQS 580 4MATIC can be yours for Rs. 1.55 Crore Ex showroom.