MERCEDES-BENZ EQE

MERCEDES TREATS THE E-CLASS TO THE MOTHER OF ELECTRICAL GLOW-UPS

- ANDY ENRIGHT

TO US, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class is a luxury car. To Germans it’s a taxi cab. In which case, how do you create an E-Class-sized car without an internal combustion engine that still embodies the DNA of Mercedes without alienating a hugely diverse target market? That’s the task of the EQE range and it’s one that, on the face of it, appears an almost impossible brief.

The EQ series of electric vehicles from Mercedes-Benz is rapidly growing, but for now, let’s focus on the EQS, launched in 2021. As its suffix letter suggests, this is an electric interpretation of an S-Class and, with only a powerhouse EQS 53 AMG model initially launched in Australia, it’s only partially successful in translating what we'd typically consider S-Class traits to a new form factor.

On first acquaintance, the EQE appears to suffer the same issue. Its styling looks like shrunken EQS, with the same well-used bar of soap aesthetic, forged from hours and hours in a Sindelfingen wind tunnel.

There’s none of the lantern-jawed implacability and presence that most have come to expect from an E-Class and it’s fair to say that most observers might be surprised that the range starts at around 135K before options. Spend a little time with the EQE, however, and it’s clear that Mercedes have done anything but short-change potential customers.

The three-model EQE range opens at 134,900 for the single-motor EQE 300 sedan. The six-phase motor drives the rear wheels only, drawing upon an 89kWh useable) battery resulting in 180kW and 550Nm and the ability to sprint to 100km/h in 7.3 seconds.

Next up is the EQE 350 4MATIC which, badging aside, looks identical but costs 154,900 and features all-wheel drive courtesy of dual electric motors. The 90kWh battery nets you 215kW and 765Nm, which translates to 7.3sec for the benchmark sprint.