We got a hint of what the Mercedes EQS would look like last summer with Vision EQS concept, but Thursday Mercedes officially premiered the production version. You’ll be able to get it, among other options, with a giant screen.
Mercedes said that it would be selling two variants of the EQS here, the EQS 450+, making 329 horsepower, and the EQS 580 4MATIC, making 516 HP. Both cars have a drag coefficient of 0.20, which is slightly better than that of the Tesla Model S, which has a drag coefficient of 0.208 and is the EQS’s primary competitor. Expect to hear a lot more about aero and drag coefficients on EVs, as automakers seek to up range in ways that aren’t just making better batteries.
As for the EQS, Mercedes says the range is up to 478 miles, according to WLTP testing, while a performance EQS that makes up to 630 hp is also planned. Using a 200 kW charger, Mercedes says the EQS will get 186 miles of range in 15 minutes.
The car will also get over-the-air updates, like Teslas and befitting a modern EV, there are sensors everywhere.
As an exceptionally intelligent vehicle, the EQS has up to 350 sensors, depending on the equipment. These record distances, speeds and accelerations, lighting conditions, precipitation and temperatures, seat occupancy as well as the driver’s blink of an eye or the passengers’ speech. This wealth of information is processed by control units that, controlled by algorithms, make decisions at lightning speed. Making them the brain, so to speak. The new EQS can expand its capabilities based on new experiences, because it is highly capable of learning thanks to artificial intelligence (AI).
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The latest generation of driver assistance systems includes numerous driver support functions. New, for example, is the additional microsleep warning from ATTENTION ASSIST. It analyzes the driver’s eyelid movements through a camera on the driver’s display (only available with MBUX Hyperscreen). The assistance display within the driver’s display shows the operation of the driving assistance systems in a comprehensible full-screen view.
Mercedes did not release information about pricing, though you can expect it to be at least as much as the current S-Class, which starts at $94,250. The EQS is expected to go on sale here later this year.
The EQS is, make no mistake about it, a big deal for Mercedes, and a proper challenge to the Model S, which, if nothing else you could tell by the size of Mercedes’ press release, which is all of 62 pages, or the longest press release I’ve seen for a new car ever. The EQS is what it looks like when a true heavyweight automaker swings a haymaker at Tesla; we’ll see if it lands.
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