2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV: The ultimate throne goes green

Mercedes-Benz, with Tesla in its sights, is all-in on electric vehicles. And to generate precious profits on the road to an all-EV future by 2030, it's turning to the top of the pyramid. The EQS SUV, launched in the U.S. in the third quarter, is the third model built on Mercedes' new EVA2 platform.

It is available in rear-wheel and all-wheel drive and powered by a 107.8-kilowatt-hour battery that delivers an estimated 400 miles of driving range.

The EQS SUV rides on the same 126.4-inch wheelbase as the previously launched EQS sedan and shares the same power units and floor-mounted battery pack. It will be Mercedes' flagship electric SUV until an ultraluxury Maybach version eventually arrives.

The base EQS 450+ model has a single motor attached to the rear axle that produces 355 hp and 419 pound-feet of torque. An awd 450 4Matic version adds a front-axle motor that increases torque to 590 pound-feet, without a change in horsepower. At the top of the lineup is a dual-motor EQS 580 4Matic with 536 hp and 633 pound-feet of torque.

Mercedes offers three trim levels on the EQS SUV — Premium, Exclusive and Pinnacle — with various levels of technology and comfort.

The EQS SUV starts at $105,550, including shipping. The EQS 580 4Matic starts at $127,100, including shipping. The EQS SUV is assembled at Mercedes-Benz's plant in Vance, Ala. We've rounded up some early reviews.

"The EQS 580 is limousine-quiet and appreciably quick, with its dual synchronous AC motors. Owners can dial in three digitized soundtracks, all fairly gimmicky, called Silver Waves, Vivid Flux, and Roaring Pulse. The latter recalls a sampled mix of a V-8 and the chili-campfire scene from Blazing Saddles. The Hyperscreen, despite its allergy to physical controls, really is a wonder to behold. For the EQS, one flourish is a selectable 3D bar graph in the driver's cluster, whose 'G-force puck' moves through space to correspond with Drive, Accelerate or Charge statuses.

"Steering is robust and even a little communicative, by EV standards. A selectable off-road mode bumps the body up by one inch and optimizes all-wheel-drive torque distribution. On our steep, slippery off-road course, the EQS' traction and capability were surprising — capability that few owners will test, but it's there. Dirt or street, the 10-degree rear steer (up from a standard 4.5 degrees) reveals itself as the must-have option. It trims three feet from the EQS' turning circle, to 36 feet, shorter than most midsize sedans.

"The adjustable air suspension affords a sumptuous and occasionally floaty ride. But just like the sedan, the SUV's blended brake pedal — which transitions from regenerative to mechanical braking along its travel — is a literal drag. The pedal smushes into nothingness, delivers too little initial bite, and then turns strangely wooden. The non-linear brakes ultimately get the job done, but rarely inspire confidence, not a good thing in a nearly 6000-pound SUV. Fortunately, mellow SUV-style driving rarely requires touching the brake pedal. Four levels of regenerative braking include a one-pedal mode and an Intelligent setting that slows the Benz based on surrounding traffic and situations.

"Taking the enthusiast's view, the EQS will dust most gasoline-powered SUVs like they were old teapots. Yet it must be said: Power and performance are middle-of-the-road by luxury EV standards. The EQS drives pretty much as you'd expect for a flagship Mercedes SUV, no real surprises."

— Lawrence Ulrich, Road & Track

"When you're paying upward of $126k for an EQS 580 4MATIC SUV, it's understandable that you'd be more than a little picky. Range, tech, and flexibility rule the roost here, and if there was ever a time when building an electric car was simply a matter of swapping out gas for e-motors, then those days are far behind us. Half-measures just won't do.

"It's an SUV, but it's not quite the aesthetic we've come to associate with the category. Traditionally, SUVs are big, practical, boxy things: think Mercedes' own GLE and GLC. The challenge here is that squared-off sides aren't exactly aerodynamically friendly.

"The EQS SUV is, then, a softer version of the familiar design. Its slightly tapering roofline has hints of hatchback to it, even, though I doubt Mercedes' would appreciate my saying it. The super-smoothed detailing features — like the fared-in faux grille and sumptuous haunches — are carried over from its sibling sedan.

"As a result, there's a little less practicality here than in the automaker's other big SUVs. The EQS SUV has seating for five or, optionally, seven; there's 23 cu-ft of cargo space with all the seats up, or 74 cu-ft with them all down. In contrast, a GLE has over 33 cu-ft of cargo space with all its seats up — a benefit of its upright rear glass — despite being over 7 inches shorter.

— Chris Davies, Slash Gear

Maximum torque

"The lightest of the three SUVs, the 450+ is still a hefty beast at 5,963 pounds. Yet it proved surprisingly quick off the line, launching to 60 in just 6.5 seconds. Credit the fact that electric motors deliver maximum torque the moment they start spinning. And the drivetrain didn't let up as I headed out onto I-70 and into the foothills of the Rockies.

"With limited time, I chose to next take out the top-line EQS 580 4Matic. Even beefier, at 6,228, the added horsepower and torque immediately came into play, cutting the 0-60 launch time down to a factory-rated 4.5 seconds. Impressive enough, but the power became even more obvious executing high-speed passes out on the Interstate.

"The real test came as I exited off onto one of the windy mountain passes leading up towards the Rockies. The EQS responded admirably as I began to flog it around tight corners, the steering proving both responsive and predictable. There was only a modicum of body roll. For that, credit the SUV's standard Airmatic air suspension and adaptive damping system. There's also the low mounting position of the battery pack notably dropping the center of gravity compared to a GLS crossover — while helping provide a near 50:50 weight distribution.

"The 1-Pedal drive mode also helped. By simply modulating my foot on the throttle I found I needed to tap the brakes only occasionally, mostly when approaching a particularly sharp corner after blasting down a long straight. It takes time to learn how to use this feature but, personally, I wouldn't buy an EV that didn't offer 1-Pedal driving.

"The real surprise came about 90 minutes out from Denver where I caught up with a Mercedes guide and turned off onto a back trail normally used by a local adventure company. Switching to Off-Road Mode, the electric 4Matic system made easy work of the loose soil, steep, rubble strewn hills, moguls and sharp turns."

— Paul A. Eisenstein, The Detroit Bureau

"It's not like the EQS SUV has been winnowed down in the name of range. Lordy, no. A fully featured version is an auto cornucopia, overbrimming with hyperscreens and augmented reality, scent dispensers, powered seats, twinkling puddle lights, servile parking assistants and mind-reading, navigating AI.

"Among the electrification-enabled features: the rear-steering feature, which can angle the rear wheels up to 10 degrees, shirking the beast's turning circle to a remarkable 39 feet. On an off-road drive route, I curled a EQS SUV around turns so tight they would have stymied a Ford Bronco. It's Reed Richards, bendy leader of the Fantastic Four!

"The undercarriage (four-link front suspension, independent rear multi-link) is a masterpiece of elastokinematics, lofting three tons on four-corner air suspension and holding it steady with adaptive damping.

"Combined with the e-assisted brakes and steering — and atop the vehicle's heavy battery pack, acting like one big mass damper as the car bounds down the road — these systems impart a sort of giddy, instantaneous strangeness and stillness at the helm. Like, when you run deep into a curve carrying a lot of speed and you don't really feel it. This armored lockbox of a car doesn't really body-roll, doesn't yaw, doesn't wiggle. Very automobile 2.0. ...

"Complaints? I've got a one, in particular, and it's the compromised result of the extreme aero-efficient exterior design and the EQ platform's hard points. From the driver's seat, the SUV's front roof pillars are extra wide. There is also a large sail panel in the corner with a lot of window masking. Additionally, the very large outside mirror is mounted below the window sill. The hood scuttle is too high. All of which compromises forward sight lines."

— Dan Neil, The Wall Street Journal

"This cushy family transport is at its best when calmly cruising, its standard air springs and adaptive dampers helping it glide down the road with a soothing sense of isolation from the outside world. Its cabin is pleasantly quiet below triple-digit speeds, and its structure felt impressively solid, even when teetering on two wheels on an alpine off-road course (Off-Road mode helps here by raising the air springs about an inch to provide 8.7 inches of ground clearance). Yet whether arcing through curvy mountain passes or navigating tight trails that it likely will never see in the real world, the EQS SUV's handling ability is bolstered by standard rear-axle steering that can pivot the rear wheels up to 10 degrees, making it feel incredibly agile for its size. Wheel sizes range from 20 to 21 inches. Gentle body lean around corners is ever present, yet feedback from the numb, artificial-feeling steering is not."

— Mike Sutton, Car and Driver

"Befitting a world-class luxury SUV, the EQS SUV glides effortlessly down the road. The cabin is nearly silent, except for the occasional muffled road noise when the tires drive over broken pavement or rough asphalt aggregate. Conversations with other passengers are easy — you can whisper to each other. I've tested hundreds of vehicles over the past two decades, and the EQS SUV may be the quietest I've ever reviewed.

"After spending time in the 536-hp EQS 580 4MATIC SUV, I was worried that the 355-hp EQS 450+ SUV would feel underpowered — yet that was never the case. The acceleration from the rear motor is strong, even with four adults on board, and I never felt the need for more power while merging in traffic or driving up steep grades (unless you are a horsepower junkie, the 450+ should be more than adequate). ESP, the name Mercedes Benz gives to its electronic stability control, deserves a shout-out. It rained while I was reviewing the EQS SUV, and the road was very slick, yet the digital ESP kept the rear-wheel drive SUV planted and stable regardless of the available traction."

— Michael Harley, Forbes