Mercedes-Benz EQE
How it looks when you see on the street: The Mercedes-Benz EQ brand is on a bit of a product bonanza as it moves toward bringing a full offering of battery-powered vehicles to the market. The EQE hits is an electrified interpretation of one our favorite mid-size sedans, the E Class and we’ve driven it on far away roads and close to home. It follows the flagship EQS sedan, and shares some of the outer proportions of the EQS, albeit in a tighter, neater package. It’s a contender for the World Car of the Year along with the Mercedes EQS SUV and Mercedes EQB.
How it makes you feel when you get in: The EQE balances sleek refinement with tech-minded media design cast in a 64-color ambient lighting palette. The glare from the center screen is offset by circuitous air vents that provide a sense of balance to the consul. When it comes to the screen, it has the option for the 12.8-inch portrait-oriented touchscreen and 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster or the all-out more expensive hyperscreen that wraps the entire dash in an expansive UX experience. Voice commands, cameras, and new features add a sense of modernity that will stand in sharp contrast to past generations. The electric experience feels original. It’s quite comfortable and our vehicles was specced 20-inch AMG Five Spoke Wheels, and a sleek matte grey interior that had red seats for added pop. Niceties such air filter, and massage make it all the much more comforting.
How it drives: Getting used to EVs mean noticing how power, speed and braking capabilities have a different feeling. In the EQE the ride is smooth and soundless, performance attributes that we’re growing accustomed to in our battery-power vehicles. We’ve driven a few different EQE variants and found the base has what customers need to feel the extra luxe touch, but things get more sinuous in the higher ranges, as expected. A healthy amount of safety tech shows up in the driving experience including Active Brake Assist, Active Lane Keeping Assist, Blind-spot warning, Active High-Beam Assist, Surround-view camera, and Parktronic parking assist. An extra safety package includes traffic sign recognition, Active Blind Spot Assist, and Active Emergency Stop Assist that add a layer of machine override to the drive, which some drivers will appreciate and others will find overbearing.
How its set up: It has four different configurations: base rear-wheel drive EQE 350+, all-wheel drive EQE 350 4Matic and EQE 500 4Matic, and an AMG EQE 500 performance model. We drove the spicier 500 4Matic most recently.
Space for People and Things: The cabin is roomy — on several routes, I had a car full adults and kids, and unlike some mid-size sports sedan everyone had plenty of room to relax. Numbers show the the EQE actually had more head and legroom than the E-Class sedan and convertible.
What to compare it to: Audi E-Tron GT, BMW i4, Tesla Model S, Porsche Taycan, Lucid Air, and the Mercedes-Benz EQS.