All-electric relation to the luxury EQS sedan, the EQS SUV is now on sale for S$597k with COE

SINGAPORE

The Mercedes-EQ EQS 450+ blew us away with its refinement and tech, then the Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 took it to the next level with supercar performance in a luxury sedan. Now we have more of the same, but taller, in the form of the EQS SUV. It’s, as you would no doubt have noted, a SUV-fied version of the EQS, and now on sale in Singapore with a sticker price starting from S$596,888 with COE.

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The EQS SUV made its debut in Singapore today at the Mercedes-Benz pop-up store at Raffles City, where it will be on display throughout the weekend until 3rd September 2023. 

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The car comes in two trim variants, the EQS SUV 450 Electric Art and EQS SUV 450 AMG Line. As with the other cars in the Mercedes-EQ range here, the specification is completely cosmetic and there is no power and mechanical difference between the trims. Well, except for the massive, dashboard-spanning hyperscreen, first seen here in the EQS sedan,  that comes as standard on the AMG line variant. 

The EQS SUV 450 features 4Matic all-wheel drive, has 360 horsepower delivered through two electric motors, and a 107.8kWh lithium-ion battery pack which gives it a claimed range of up to 610km. It has a maximum DC charging rate of 200kW, which, when plugged into a compatible charger, will fill the batteries from 10 to 80 percent in 31 minutes. 

It’s a pretty heavy car so 0 to 100km/h comes up in 6.0 seconds, and power efficiency is rated at 20.5kWh/100km, which is a pretty good figure for this size and class of vehicle.

As you would expect, it’s essentially the EQS in an urban crossover SUV body style though Mercedes-EQ states that it really has an off-road driving mode that should allow it to cross some mildly rough terrain, as long as the chassis doesn’t get dragged over battery-smashing rocks.

It’s 5,125mm long, which interestingly makes the EQS SUV 91mm shorter than its sedan counterpart. It does feature four-wheel steering to help it turn through tight streets still, along with the high-spec, flush-fit door handles that pop up when the car is unlocked. 

Other notable features that carried over from the EQS sedan include the Digital Light headlamp clusters that make use of 1.3 million micro-mirrors to direct light from three LEDs in each headlamp unit exactly where it’s needed. This makes it possible to illuminate road signs on a dark road without dazzling oncoming traffic, amongst other things. The heads-up display with augmented reality icons for navigation is also ported from the EQS, and can direct you to the correct streets without the driver having to look away from the road. 

Another cool feature is that the EQS SUV is actually a seven-seater, with two smaller seats stashed into the boot floor. If you want a more spacious, proper Mercedes-EQ electric MPV, you could always spring for the EQV 300 instead. 

Meanwhile you might be interested to know that the AMG Line variant is going for S$691,888 with COE, which is nearly S$100k more than the Electric Art variant. There are different designs in the componentry, but the big  part of the extra spend goes to the Burmester 3D surround sound system with Dolby Atmos, massage seats, and the hyperscreen, which turns the whole dashboard into a massive display and touch panel. All very Star Trek.

It operates on the brand’s own MBUX operating system, and the OLED hyperscreen does cleverly disguise the fact that it’s three separate screens under a continuous pane of Gorilla Glass. The driver’s instrument panel, the centre entertainment system, and the passenger’s own touch panel, which can operate any function independently. It blanks out when there is no one in the passenger seat, so that the driver isn’t tempted to lean over dangerously to try and operate it. 

If you want the fancy hyperscreen but not pay for the whole AMG Line thing, then you’ll find it listed as a S$49,300 option on the price list.  

Visually the silhouette of the EQS SUV looks very similar to the EQC, but the interior is on a whole new level and is befitting that of the top-specification Mercedes-EQ car with nappa leather and open pore wood trim. The state of development is moving at such a quick pace now that even the BMW iX, which just a year ago seemed right at the cutting edge of EV tech, is starting to feel slightly pedestrian.  

Not available here is the more powerful EQS SUV 580. It’s essentially the same car but with power output cranked up to 536 horsepower. That might have taken the fight to BMW’s mighty, million-dollar XM PHEV. 

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