First Drive: 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580 4Matic

There may come a time when we don’t need to mention Tesla when talking about each and every new battery-electric vehicle that comes to market. We just haven’t reached that point yet. So it is with the launch of the 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS which, in any discussion I’ve had, is immediately put up against the Tesla Model S.

In reality, the comparison is not unwarranted. Indeed, Tesla’s biggest sedan has siphoned away plenty of buyers from the classic Mercedes S-Class in recent years, particularly in eco-minded California, long one of the German automaker’s biggest markets. So, it was fitting to head out to Silicon Valley for a first drive of the 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS, the most direct response to the Model S yet.

If all a reviewer did was measure 0-60 times, the German entry would be left in the dust by the Model S Plaid. But, when it comes to premium luxury sedans, there’s far more to consider — which is why the influential Auto Motor und Sport earlier this year declared the EQS “the best electric car in the world.” During several days of driving, I had a chance to see if that was fitting praise.

Overview

The 2022 Mercedes-EQS will serve as the all-electric alternative to the familiar S-Class line, and the flagship in a wave of zero-emission vehicles the Teutonic automaker will bring to market over the coming decade. Mercedes already has launched several other battery-electric vehicles in Europe and China, but the EQS is the first to reach U.S. shores.

The new BEV features a distinctive, if controversial, “one-bow” exterior design language, and a sci-fi-like interior anchored by Mercedes’ new hyperscreen which stretches across the entire instrument panel. Of course, it retains classic luxury features, such as its lavishly executed heated, cooled and massaging seats.

Two versions of sedan will be offered in the U.S., at least initially, the single-motor EQS 450+, and the EQS 580 4Matic which, as the name suggests, uses twin motors to not only boost performance but also add all-wheel-drive. Mercedes later will add a truly high-performance AMG version of the electric sedan, as well as an even more luxurious EQS Maybach — both teased during the recent Munich Motor Show. And to confuse matters, an EQS SUV is also set to reach market next year.

Exterior

The EQS isn’t just an S-Class kitted out with a pack of batteries and electric motors. Sure, it offers all of the luxury features you’d expect of a Mercedes flagship. But it also picks up on themes the automaker teased in 2019 with the Vision EQS concept car. That starts with radically different design language Mercedes calls “one-bow.” With only subtle deviation, a single, curved line flows over the top of the vehicle from bumper to bumper.

Like most new BEVs, there’s no need for air under the hood, so the traditional grille has been replaced by a solid fascia highlighted by dozens of small, backlit Mercedes tri-stars. There are small air intakes below the bumper, here to bring cooling air to the EQS electric drive system mounted below the load floor. Every exterior detail has been fashioned in the wind tunnel – including flush door handles that pop out only when you’re ready to enter the big sedan.

The payoff is a design that visually stands out from anything now on the road. But there are more practical benefits, as well. The EQS has a drag coefficient of 0.20, the lowest number of any automobile now in production. That translates into better range, improved performance and a notable reduction in wind noise.

The look is clearly controversial. Among media colleagues I’ve heard the EQS design described as everything from “brilliant” to “awful.” The reality is that aerodynamics will influence exterior design more than ever going forward. To my eye, the EQS styling will take some time to get used to.

Interior

With a combined 56 inches of digital displays, the Mercedes Hyperscreen stretches from pillar to pillar and completely dominates the interior of the new EQS. There’s no escaping it, short of closing your eyes, even if you’re riding in the front passenger seat. For those who want even more digital displays, you can outfit your EQS with a large heads-up display that provides a virtual reality, or VR, projection of arrows, seemingly floating off in the distance, to help point out your path when using onboard navigation.

Once you get past the Hyperscreen’s sheer, visual dominance you discover more classic Mercedes details worthy of an S-Class alternative. The familiar, turbine-style air vents are relegated to the corners of the IP, with thin horizontal louvers doing most of the work of climate control system.

The diamond-stitched seats in the EQS 580 are plush and comfortable, even after a long days driving. And they’re supportive enough to keep you in place when you mash the throttle and feel the sedan’s instant torque.

With no driveshaft tunnel, Mercedes designers found extra space to play with, coming up with a floating, two-level center console providing plenty of extra storage space.

The one-bow design does create some compromises. To ensure useful headroom for front and rear passengers, the cabin is a bit more cramped than a conventional S-Class — though the electric model also gains a cavernous trunk.

As with the exterior design, there are some controversial details in the layout EQS. Most notable is the oddly high position of the digital gauge cluster and steering wheel. The layout cuts into your line of sight, especially with the way the curved roofs flows into the steeply raked windshield.

Powertrain

The “base” EQS 450+ features a single, rear-mounted electric motor generating 329 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. By comparison, the entry version of the all-new, 2022 S-Class, the S 500 4Matic, turns out 429 horsepower and 384 pound-feet of torque from its mild hybrid inline-6.

Stepping up, I spent my time driving through Silicon Valley and the surrounding countryside in the new Mercedes-Benz EQS 580 4Matic. It adds a second motor on the front axle and bumps combined power up to a peak 516 hp and 611 lb-ft. That’s enough to launch the BEV from 0-60 in 4.1 seconds, about 1.8 seconds quicker than with the 450+. Top speed is electronically limited to 130 mph.

If you’re lining the EQS 580 up against the new Tesla Model S Plaid on a dragstrip, the race isn’t going to be lose, the California upstart’s sedan hitting 60 about two seconds before the Mercedes. But such specs are more useful for bragging rights than the realities of everyday driving. And whether you’re driving around town, or in heavy traffic, the EQS 580 has plenty of power, with that incredible, off-the-line acceleration that only electric motors can deliver. It’s an accelerative surge that will make you almost giddy as you blow by the rest of traffic.

(And, for a true apples-to-apples battle, we’ll have to wait to see what the AMG version of the EQS will manage off the line. Full specs haven’t been released yet but I’ve learned that top speed will jump to 250 kmh, or about 155 mph.)

The 108 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack will deliver an EPA-estimated range of 350 miles with the EQS 450+. Despite the added motor and significant boost in power, range drops just 10 miles, to 340 per charge, with the EQS 580.

The battery pack can go from a 10% state-of-charge to 80% in 31 minutes using one of the newer 400V DC public quick-chargers. Using a 240-volt Level 2 charger, a motorist can go from drained to fully charged in a bit over 11 hours.

Safety and Technology

It’s often said that today’s vehicles are computers on wheels. That certainly applies when it comes to the Mercedes EQS — and, as earlier noted, you realize that instantly as you slip into the driver’s seat and the big Hyperscreen comes to life.

While it runs from pillar to pillar, there actually are three separate displays tucked in under the glass panel. Key driving information pops up on the 12.3-inch gauge cluster. The infotainment display measures a full 17.7 inches. The front passenger gets a smaller touchscreen above the glovebox. It can be used to watch videos or duplicate much of what comes up on the center screen, including a smaller navigation map.

As with the conventional S-Class and other new Mercedes models, the EQS features the MBUX voice assistant. Say, “Hey, Mercedes,” and it will do everything from set a destination into the navigation system to change radio stations. In fact, it’s hard to come up with any vehicle functions you can’t control by voice, though you’d handle them either through the central touchscreen or from the capacitive touch controls on the steering wheel.

If anything, the center display might actually fall into the “too big” category. With hands on the steering wheel some key information — notably the distance to your next turn and to your final destination — are obscured. The good news is that the EQS can handle smartphone-style over-the-air, or OTA, updates. I was advised that the layout will be cleaned up with an MBUX coming during the next few weeks.

In keeping with the Hyperscreen design, the sedan’s head-up-display is also one of the largest on the market. It offers a wealth of information — too much, at times — including those dancing arrows that seem to float 30 feet ahead of the car. Come up to an intersection and they point out precisely where you need to turn.

While battery cars aren’t entirely silent, they are significantly quieter than vehicles with conventional internal combustion engines. You can enjoy the lack of noise or opt for one of three “soundscapes,” “depending upon the emotions of the moment,” said lead sound engineer Thomas Kuppers.

As you’d expect of a Mercedes, the EQS is loaded with advanced driver assistance systems designed to prevent dings in a parking lot and crashes on the highway.

Driving Impressions

In routine driving, the 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS drives much like the latest version of the S-Class. It’s a plush feel, almost like floating down the road, the 580 I spent my time with soaking up the bumps with its adaptive air suspension. Switch to Sport Mode and the sedan hunkers down a bit, but still offers a comfortably compliant ride when just cruising.

It tightens down automatically when you start driving more aggressively, as I did along part of the winding coast road north of Santa Cruz. While the EQS is substantially heavier than a conventional S-Class due to its massive battery pack, all that weight sits below the load floor, so you’ve got a much lower center of gravity than the gas-powered model. And weight distribution is closer to the 50/50 ideal. In a really tight corner you’ll feel the mass, yet the sedan turns more precisely than you might otherwise expect.

It helps to have rear wheel steering. The back wheels can turn as much as 10 degrees — though the direction they turn depends upon how fast you’re driving. On the open road that helps whip you through corners. Around town, it lets the big BEV maneuver and park like a much smaller vehicle.

Meanwhile, whether you’re launching off a stoplight or making a quick pass, there’s nothing quite like the feel of the EQS 580’s electric motors spinning up. With a single-speed gearbox, it’s pure, uninterrupted acceleration. And it lasts a lot longer than you expect. From a standing stop, you feel it in the seat of your pants well into extra-legal speeds.

Again, some decisions made by Mercedes engineers have kicked up controversy. Like all BEVs, the EQS uses regenerative brakes meant to recapture some of the energy lost when slowing down, sending it back to the battery pack to extend range. The EQS development team sought to maximize “regen mode,” and that means the initial feel of the brakes is somewhat squishy, especially compared to the S-Class. And the brake system will, under certain situations begin to engage even before your foot actually reaches the pedal. So, that pedal occasionally will begin to move on its own. It clearly will take more time than I had behind the wheel to get comfortable with that.

2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580 4Matic ­specifications:

Dimension	L: 207.3 inches/W: 75.8 inches/H: 59.6 inches/Wheelbase: 126.4 inches
Weight	5,888 pounds
Powertrain	Dual Permanently Synchronous Electric Motor with 385 kW Output
Fuel Economy	N/A
Performance Specs	516 horsepower and 611 pound-feet of torque
Price	Base price: $102,310; As tested: $125,310, plus $1,050 in delivery fees
On-Sale Date	Fall 2021

Wrap Up

During my time in Silicon Valley I had an opportunity to join a virtual chat with Mercedes CEO Ola Kallenius. He made it clear that the German brand is on a path to an essentially all-electric future. If the EQS is an indication of what’s coming, it’s clearly heading down the right path.

There are a small number of reasons to gripe about the EQS. I’m not a fan of the braking strategy, for one thing. But there are plenty of reasons to love the new electric vehicle, as well. It may not outrun the Model S, but it’s far fresher and, on the whole, more appealing than the now-aging Tesla flagship.

At a starting price of $102,310 — plus $1,050 in delivery fees — for the 450+, the EQS doesn’t fall into the “affordable electric” category, but it offers a lot for the money. The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580 4Matic starts at $119,110, with a fully loaded “Pinnacle” package jumping to $125,310.

In recent years, quite a few traditional S-Class buyers have jumped over to Tesla. With the arrival of the new Mercedes EQS, I expect many will be returning to Mercedes showrooms.

2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580 4Matic — Frequently Asked Questions