A brand's flagship model must have the following characteristics: it has the most complete brand DNA, it can best represent the tonality of this brand, it can best reflect the future design concept, and it is equipped with the most advanced technology of the brand. For Mercedes-Benz, the S-Class must be the brand's well-deserved flagship model, and each generation of S-Class releases will arouse extremely high attention for automakers around the world and automotive media people like me, and then will spend a lot of time studying the new technology on the new generation of models, looking forward to getting a test drive at the first time.
But today, I test-drove a model with the letter S in the name, the least mercedes-Benz, and the least like the S-class model, which even disappointed me a little when it was released, but after a day of intimate contact, the only thing that came to my mind was this sentence: Mercedes-Benz, or the Mercedes-Benz, or the Mercedes-Benz that invented the car. Today, what I test drive is an EQS from the Mercedes-Benz brand Mercedes-Benz EQ brand, a pure electric luxury car.
Mercedes-Benz mentioned at the EQS pure electric SUV conference a few days ago that all newly released model architectures from 2025 will be pure electric platforms, and even in 2030, fully pure electric. Honestly, emotionally, I am really difficult to accept the fascination with fuel vehicles, but the fuel age is gradually coming to an end, which is an indisputable fact, without the unique rhythm of the engine, without the charming taste of gasoline, the car is still a car?
Different from the previous birth of EQC, EQB and EQA, Mercedes-Benz EQS is based on Mercedes-Benz's new pure electric platform EVA, is the first model born on the EVA platform, the second model EQE and the third model EQS SUV just released has not yet come to us, as soon as this year, these two models will land in the Chinese market.
Well, the topic returns to the Mercedes-Benz EQS, since the name has S, according to the Mercedes-Benz naming rules, this car naturally sits in the flagship position, and it is also a large pure electric luxury car. At the beginning of the release, I had doubted that the totem-like Mercedes-Benz S-Class in my heart would be replaced by this strangely long guy, but now it seems that it is only a matter of time, because the EQS, which is very alien-like, has the ability to climb the flagship throne.
A pure electric luxury car, of course, should not make the owner anxious about the mileage, in order to achieve this goal, Mercedes-Benz designers have built the EQS into a drag coefficient of only 0.20Cd, becoming the lowest wind resistance coefficient of the mass production car. The EQS, which has the general shape of a GT sports car, has won a longer cruising range in the confrontation with air resistance through such details as the non-openable front hatch, the fully enclosed front grille, the unique wheel hub and the hidden door handle.
The bow-shaped body does make the EQS lack the domineering visual experience of the S-class, the pressed front, the slip-on shape, which is completely impossible to appear in a large flagship model in the past. However, the four-wheel and four-corner characteristics of the electric vehicle make the wheelbase of the EQS reach 3210mm, and the EQS 450+ I got has a body size of 5227/1926/1513mm, while the EQS 580 4MATIC has a body size of 5224/1926/1517mm, which is similar to the current long wheelbase S-class, becoming the world's first large pure electric car (the second is the BMW i7 just released a few days ago). If you find a competitor among the pure electric models at the same price, there may only be porsche Taycan and Tesla Model S at present, but the tone of the 3 models is very different.
On the front face of the EQS, in the fully enclosed Night Star Array grille, cameras, lidar, millimeter-wave radar and other sensors are integrated for higher-level automatic driver assistance systems, but on the outside, it looks like a plastic decorative panel covered with three-pointed stars. The headlights on the left and right sides are intelligent digital headlights composed of 1.3 million micro-lenses inside, which can project a warning pattern on the ground, which looks bland, but it is actually hidden.
Compared with the front face like an alien creature, the tail shape of the EQS is relatively flat, the through-type taillights and the spoiler tail wing of the ducktail shape are the visual center of gravity of the tail, it seems that the tail is young enough, but it is not pleasing to others in an exaggerated way, just imagine, if the taillights of the EQS are replaced by the current S level, what kind of visual effect is it?
Can you believe a large sedan with a wheelbase of more than 3200mm and a body length of more than 5220mm, with a minimum steering diameter of 10.9m? The EQS series is equipped with a rear wheel steering angle of 4.5° and a minimum steering diameter of 11.9m, while vehicles produced in 2022 can be equipped with a rear wheel steering function of up to 10° with a minimum steering diameter of 10.9m. This rear wheel steering system can be used at a speed of less than 60km/h when the rear wheel is opposite to the front wheel steering direction, and above 60km/h is the same direction of front and rear wheel steering, the advantage is that low-speed driving is more flexible, and high-speed driving control is better. The EQS 450+ I got had 20-inch wheels that matched the 255/45 R20 tires, and the top EQS 580 had 265/40 R21 tires.
When you look at the interior pictures of the EQS, do you feel that on the EQS, the front row seems to be more attractive than the current S-Class? Different from the S-class screen distribution, EQS has 3 screens in the front row, the 12.3-inch full LCD screen in front of the main driver, the 12.3-inch touch screen in front of the co-pilot, and the 17.7-inch touch screen in the middle, which can almost be seen as an integrated overall screen. Seriously, the screen in the middle, although the shape is not the right angle or rounded corner design we are familiar with, but how to look at it feels more pleasing than the vertically placed screen of the current S-class.
Mercedes-Benz's attention to safety never seems to be discounted, which can be seen only by the operation logic of the central control screen. I don't know if you have now put all the functions into the central control screen of the new energy model trouble, at least I very, very dislike the multi-level distribution method, will let me in order to find a function, a long time let my eyes off the road. On the EQS, this MBUX car machine system adopts zero-level menus, and all functions are clearly displayed on the desktop, which can easily find the functions you want to adjust in the first time. As for the UI design, inheriting the feeling of the previous COMMAND system, as long as you have driven any model of the Mercedes-Benz brand, you will definitely find your own familiar feeling on the EQS.
The 12.3-inch touch screen in front of the co-pilot allows the co-pilot's small partner to adjust the multimedia system through this screen when I am driving, and know the current vehicle energy consumption, navigation and other information. One of the most interesting and most safety-oriented points is that when the co-pilot is brushing the B station or browsing other video applications, the camera behind the dashboard detects that the main driver is staring at the co-pilot's screen, which will actively block the current display of content, so that the driver's eyes can return to the road as soon as possible.
The comfort of the EQS is still adhering to the style that Mercedes-Benz has always had, and in addition to the multi-directional adjustment, heating and ventilation of the front seats, the massage function cannot be absent. But the comfort of the rear row is not so noble compared to the current S-class, although the front seat back is equipped with two pieces of content that can be displayed independently, and a Samsung-based Pad on the central armrest of the rear row, and has enough head and legroom, but the rear row is really not the most attractive position of the whole car.
The biggest advantage of the sneakback style is to obtain a larger trunk volume, after opening the electric tailgate of the EQS, you will find that the interior of the trunk is regular like the Character of the Germans, the internal volume of 610L is enough to accommodate the consignment box and check-in box of the distinguished guests, if not enough, the volume after putting down the rear seat can be expanded to 1770L.
It should be noted that on the EQS, the front cabin cover cannot be opened by the owner himself, and can only be opened when the vehicle is required for maintenance or maintenance by the authorized service provider, so we cannot see the layout of the interior of the EQS cabin from the outside. For the maintenance of the vehicle, the owner only has to add glass water by himself, so EQS only reserves a glass water filling port on the left front fender, which can be opened by pressing it.
EQS is equipped with a ternary lithium battery pack with a capacity of 111.8 kWh, the EQS 450+ model is equipped with a maximum power of 245 kW and a maximum torque of 568 Nm on the rear axle, with the ability to break 100 in 6.4 seconds; the EQS 580 has a front and rear dual motors, realizing the four-wheel drive function, the total power of the motor reaches 380 kW, the maximum torque of the rear motor is 568 Nm, the front motor torque is not announced, and the time to break 100 is 4.4 seconds.
EQS was designed with the importance of endurance in mind, perhaps to better understand how valuable the owner's time is. The EQS 450+ Pioneer Edition can achieve a maximum CLTC range of 849km, the Deluxe Edition and the Pioneer Special Edition can achieve a CLTC range of 813km, while the EQS 580 can still achieve a CLTC range of 720km due to the addition of an electric motor on the front axle.
On the chassis, the EQS is consistent with the current S-class, using a combination of front double wishbones + rear multi-link suspension, the whole series is equipped with a continuously adjustable damping ADS+ AIRMATIC air suspension, and can remember the height status of the suspension according to GPS positioning to achieve automatic adjustment. When the speed exceeds 120km/h, the body height is automatically reduced by 20mm to reduce air resistance, and when the speed is reduced below 80km/h, it is driven at a normal height.
If the S-class is more suitable for sitting and occasionally driving by yourself, then EQS may be more likely to make you feel that driving is a happy thing, and sitting occasionally will be uncomfortable. After all, the single-speed transmission does not have the shift clearance of 9AT, do not need to take the accelerator pedal too seriously, you can drive the EQS very smoothly and steadily, different driving modes, the thrill of acceleration will not be as grumpy as a pure performance car, nor will it be as abrupt as a brand model that has just been built for a few years.
Thanks to the air suspension, even in the multi-curved and multi-slope mountain road, you can also use a faster speed to throw yourself into the curve, high-precision maps, cameras in the front of the car to determine the road conditions in advance to make the suspension system ready, with a stable body posture through the curve, do not worry about whether the rear passengers will shake left and right, most of the time, only sharp acceleration or a foot heavy braking will make the rear passengers a little uncomfortable. On the highway, the rear wheel steering allows you to complete each line change with a smooth posture, and the body length of more than 5.2m is just a number, don't worry about it, because after actually driving, you will find that the EQS shows more like a compact car.
Even with 4 frameless doors, the ability to perceive outside noise in the EQS car is weakened by the noise compensation function of the double glazing and the Berlin Sound system, and occasionally you can hear the tire noise from the road surface and the current sound of the motor running, if you want, the two sound wave modes can give you the illusion that you are driving an S-class.
summary:
I used to worry that the pure electric Mercedes-Benz model would be less "Mercedes-Benz" and lose the style that the brand should have, but EQS taught me to worry about the unfounded. Like the title of my article, the EQS is not like a flagship model, just because the appearance is too avant-garde and young, but the various capabilities confirm that the EQS is the flagship status, but this flagship does not have a fascinating straight 6 or V12 engine.
If you're worried that your youth will lead to driving an S-class driver or sneaking out your family car, then choosing an EQS that is more suitable for driving may be a better option. But seriously speaking, if you have a driver and enjoy the empty space of the car, then an S-Class may be more appetizing to you. After the EQS, I started looking forward to the EQS SUV.