Competence wins over pleasure with the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV

LISBON, PORTUGAL—On the entire, Individuals love SUVs. And Mercedes-Benz loves promoting automobiles to Individuals. So we weren’t in any respect shocked when it first revealed an SUV model of the EQE sedan, nor after we discovered the EQE SUV can be inbuilt Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

That is now underway, with automobiles arriving in sellers any week now. After spending a few days driving completely different fashions within the EQE SUV vary, it is clear that Mercedes’ engineers have been listening to and incorporating suggestions as their concepts meet real-world driving circumstances. The result’s a reliable electrical SUV, if not one which essentially will get the center racing or calls for you drive the good distance dwelling.

The EQE SUV is the fourth new Mercedes EV to make use of the corporate’s EVA2 platform after the EQS sedan and SUV, and the EQE sedan. That a lot needs to be apparent if you see one—all function ultra-streamlined designs that may resemble the “velocity shapes” that some automobile showrooms use to indicate off completely different paint colours. That wasn’t the design temporary, although—making it as slippery as attainable was. And the designers succeeded, with a drag coefficient of 0.25. In a contest of class, I am undecided the SUV would conquer the sedan, however then I am undecided it is imagined to.

As common, the bottom drag coefficient is contingent upon becoming the smallest wheels—on this case, 19-inch affairs with cladding that covers up many of the face of the wheel, which reduces the turbulence brought on by the rotating spokes that performs havoc with vary effectivity. Curiously, the EQE SUV additionally wants the operating boards to be current and proper to attain the bottom drag quantity.

It positively shares a household resemblance to the bigger EQS SUV, however the much less pronounced rear wheel arches conspire to make the EQE SUV look taller and narrower—and extra minivan-like—if you see one on the street from the aspect or behind.

Mercedes has three powertrain configurations for the EQE SUV in North America. The entry mannequin is the $77,900 EQE 350+, which makes use of a single-motor, rear-wheel drive format. It is a completely excited synchronous with two pull-in windings, every with three phases, that generates 288 hp (215 kW) and 417 lb-ft (565 Nm). Powered by a 90.6 kWh lithium-ion traction battery, the EQE 350+ has an EPA vary of 279 miles (450 km).

Subsequent is the EQE 350 4matic, which provides a second completely excited synchronous motor to the entrance axle, albeit with a clutch disconnect that enables the EQE SUV to coast effectively with out shedding vitality to pull from the entrance motor. This, too, has a complete output of 288 hp, just like the 350+, however with a mixed peak torque of 564 lb-ft (764 Nm).

Since all EQE SUVs use the identical capability 90.6 kWh battery pack, that endows the 350 4matic with an EPA vary of 253 miles (407 km). Surprisingly, the 350 4matic will begin on the similar $77,900 MSRP because the 350+ regardless of the additional motor. (These two variations could qualify for the IRS clear car tax credit score as they fall underneath the $80,000 worth cap, however provided that there may be sufficient home content material within the battery packs, one thing we won’t know till later in April.)

Lastly, there’s the EQE 500 4matic, which begins at $89,500. This will increase energy to 402 hp (300 kW) and torque to 633 lb-ft (858 Nm. For the reason that battery stays the identical capability, the five hundred 4matic’s EPA vary must be equal to or lower than the 350 4matic, however Mercedes tells us it is 269 miles (433 km). Sadly, I did not get an opportunity to ask Mercedes’ engineers about this, however I consider the difficulty is because of the selection of tires for the 2 variants.

Since all three powertrains use the identical capability battery pack, all three have an identical charging instances. A DC quick cost ought to take 32 minutes to cost the pack from 10-80 p.c at a most cost fee of 170 kW. A 32 A degree 2 charger will take 9.5 hours to cost the pack extra absolutely, from 10-One hundred pc.

Regardless of being what Individuals name a midsize SUV, the EQE by no means felt too massive for Portuguese roads, even when driving via centuries-old villages. Visibility was good over the curved hood, however the driver’s A-pillar created a blind spot.

Cabin ergonomics are principally the identical because the EQE sedan, with a complete however typically complicated capacitive multifunction steering wheel, a “zero-layer” consumer interface on the touchscreen, and class-leading voice recognition that’s ok to depend on.

Whereas a few of our check automobiles had been fitted with the overkill Hyperscreen—actually three shows underneath a single large piece of glass—US-market EQEs (each SUV and sedans) will solely supply the 12.8-inch OLED display screen.

There’s additionally some Dolby Atmos tech within the sound system that, to my non-audiophile ears, sounded fairly good streaming De La Soul from Apple Music. Mercedes has additionally partnered with an organization known as Zync to do in-car video streaming, and the automobile’s gaze-tracking driver monitoring system will not allow you to watch movies for those who’re imagined to be driving. And I seen a scattering of USB-C ports within the entrance and rear for passengers to attach and cost their gadgets.