The Mercedes EQE electric SUV is a stylish new choice for luxury electric car buyers, and there will be an AMG version

• Mercedes-Benz has revealed its answer to the Audi e-tron and BMW iX.
• The EQE SUV lineup will initially include three models, with an AMG model coming in 2024.
• The Alabama-built EQE SUV will hit showrooms in 2023.

Presented ahead of the 2022 Paris Motor Show 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV expands the German company’s presence in the fast-growing luxury electric vehicle segment. It features a futuristic-looking exterior design and an interior packed with technological features, and it will be offered with three powertrains. Looking ahead, the EQE SUV will also spawn Mercedes-AMG’s first high-speed electric model.

How much EQE is an electric alternative E-classthe EQE SUV lands as GLEanalog with battery power. Its dimensions are 191.5 inches long, 76.4 inches wide and 66.4 inches tall, slightly shorter and lower than its petrol sibling. His weight has not yet been published.

Visually, the EQE SUV shares key styling features including short overhangs, a long wheelbase and a smooth overall design with EQS SUV, from which it borrows its platform. It is immediately recognizable as one of Mercedes-Benz’s electric cars. Many of the subtle design details are also similar to the EQS, including a black fascia where you’d find the grille on a petrol SUV and an LED bar that runs across the rear.

While buyers can configure the GLE with seven seats, the EQE SUV is only available as a five-seater. It offers 18.4 cubic feet of trunk space with both rows of seats on the left and 59.2 cubic feet with the rear seat folded. Mercedes-Benz claims that when designing the seats, it focused primarily on comfort.

The dashboard mirrors the EQE sedan’s 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and 12.8-inch OLED touchscreen for the familiar MBUX infotainment system, which includes navigation software that takes charging stops and driving style into account when calculating the fastest way to the given destination.

Wireless technology promises to allow owners to customize according to the menu The EQE SUV allows Mercedes-Benz to generate additional revenue. Motorists will be able to pay for the activation of various features after taking delivery through the Mercedes Me store. For example, a personalization package that Mercedes-Benz can pass on to the infotainment system adds a soundscape called Roaring Pulse, a set of mini-games, additional animations for returning home and leaving home, and an intriguing romance mode. In the coming years, the company will expand its digital post-delivery aisle.

At launch, buyers will have a choice of three EQE SUV variants: the 350+, 350 4Matic and 500 4Matic. The base 350+ has a single electric motor driving the rear wheels with 288 horsepower and 417 lb-ft of torque. Opting for the 350 4Matic adds a motor to the front axle and boosts torque to 564 lb-ft, though horsepower remains the same, while the top-of-the-line 500 4Matic offers a dual-motor system with 536 horsepower and 633 lb-ft of torque. Acceleration to 60 mph from a standstill takes 6.3, 6.2, and 4.6 seconds, respectively, according to Mercedes, while top speed is pegged at 130 mph regardless of variant.

Each EQE SUV is powered by a 90.6 kWh lithium-ion battery. Mercedes-Benz expects the SUV to get a range rating of around 342 miles when tested using the WLTP cycle used in Europe, which tends to lean toward the optimistic side of the scale, and the EPA hasn’t tested the model. yet. Charging from 10 to 80 percent takes around 32 minutes using the 170kW fast charger, and the drivetrain can charge itself to some extent thanks to three levels of brake energy recovery.

Mercedes-Benz designed the EQE more as a soft-road SUV than a Moab-conquering SUV, but all-wheel-drive models offer a ride profile labeled “Off-Road,” and an optional air suspension system allows the driver to add about an inch of ground clearance at the touch of a button. buttons. The options list also includes a rear-axle steering system that turns the wheels up to 10 degrees for better maneuverability.

Built in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV will arrive at dealerships nationwide in 2023. The price has not been announced, but the model will have BMW iX, Audi e-tronand polar star 3 in the sights, so it’s not unreasonable to assume that its base price will be around $80,000.

AMG’s first electric SUV

Mercedes-Benz has already announced plans to expand the EQE SUV lineup. The model will become Mercedes-AMG’s first electric SUV of the 2024 model year by adopting a sportier exterior design, a number of interior changes, and a dual-motor all-wheel drive transmission available in two configurations.

The familiar Panamericana grille ensures that you don’t need to be an expert car reviewer to tell the difference between an AMG model and a Mercedes-Benz-branded version. Designers also added body-colored wheel arch trim and custom 21- and 22-inch wheels, but there’s far less differentiation between the two EQE SUVs than between the regular GLE and its AMG counterpart.

The interior, upholstered in MB-Tex leather or leather, has a noticeably sportier feel, characterized by an AMG Performance steering wheel with paddles used to select one of three levels of brake energy recovery, bright pedals, as well as special AMG graphics on the digital panel instruments and a touchscreen infotainment system. The AMG EQE SUV gets the same base MBUX software as the standard EQE, but is additionally offered with a giant Hyperscreen setup that stretches across the entire dashboard.

While AMG’s EQE SUV variant uses the same 90.6 kWh battery as the standard models, it accelerates from zero to 60 mph in less than four seconds thanks to a pair of motors producing 617 horsepower and 701 torque pound-feet . If that’s not enough, buyers can order the optional AMG Dynamic Plus package, which boosts those numbers to 677 and 738, respectively. The powertrain remains compatible with a 170kW fast charge, although Mercedes-AMG has not released a range estimate for the US market. AMG also claims that going electric doesn’t mean the end of triple figures Autobahn works: The EQE SUV accelerates to 137 mph in standard configuration and reaches 149 mph with the AMG Dynamic Plus package.

The all-wheel drive system’s torque distribution on the road varies depending on driving style, road conditions and selected driving mode. AMG notes that the transmission in “Sport” and “Sport+” moves to the rear and adjusts for maximum efficiency when the driver selects “Comfort” mode.

Beyond the transmission, AMG has ensured the EQE SUV lives up to its logo by adding a firmer suspension system, active roll stabilization technology instead of anti-roll bars, and six-piston front brake calipers. It also made a rear-wheel steering system that turns the rear wheels up to nine degrees as standard.

Pricing information will be released closer to the 2024 Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV’s on-sale date.