Drove the EQS saloon recently, so was excited to hop into the EQS SUV at Inanda club for a quick drive feel. The EQS SUV, the third model series with this architecture developed for electric vehicles has finally arrived on local soil.

This SUV offers plenty of space, comfort, and connectivity for up to seven passengers in its electric art, luxurious interior. Thanks to powerful electric motors, responsive 4MATIC all-wheel drive and an intelligent OFFROAD driving mode, the EQS SUV is also capable of tackling light terrain with ease.

The EQS SUV is one of the most aero-dynamic SUVs on offer today.

Interior.

The EQS  SUV has the MBUX system, with  Intelligent software that provides users with personalised suggestions for a myriad of infotainment, comfort, and vehicle functions, adapting flawlessly to their individual preferences.

The EQS SUV has adaptive software, and makes personalised suggestions for numerous infotainment, comfort, and vehicle functions. With the zero-layer design, the user does not have to scroll through submenus or give voice commands. The key applications are always offered on the top level in the field of vision, depending on the situation and context.

Hey Mercedes.

Compared with the previous MBUX generation, the “Hey Mercedes” voice assistant is even more capable of dialogue and learning by activating online services in the Mercedes me App. “Hey Mercedes” is now also able to recognise vehicle occupants by their voices. Once the individual characteristics of the voice have been learned, this can be used to access personal data and functions by activating a profile.

The voice assistant in the EQS SUV can also be operated from the rear. In general, rear passengers experience the same comprehensive infotainment and comfort offerings as the driver and front passenger. They have up to two rear-seat screens plus a tablet and a wide range of intuitive controls. Boot space can be optimised as well, with the second row of seats being electrically adjustable, to 645 L. This means that even with five occupants, up to 24 crates of mineral water or four golf bags can be transported. With the second row of seats folded down, the luggage compartment offers a generous volume of up to 2100 litres.

Electric drivetrain.

The EQS 450 4MATIC SUV is equipped with a powerful lithium-ion battery, delivering an impressive 265 kW and 800 Nm of torque, this visionary vehicle boasts a substantial 108.4 kWh battery capacity, granting an estimated range of up to 616 kilometres according to WLTP standards. This can alleviate range anxiety to a large degree.

The EQS SUV offers several variants of energy recovery by means of regeneration. The driver can manually select the deceleration in three levels D+ (sailing), D (standard regeneration), D- (enhanced regeneration) via paddle shifters behind the steering wheel.

On top of this there is D Auto: In recuperation level D Auto, the ECO Assistant offers situation-adapted regeneration – it operates in gliding mode or decelerates in such a way that the bottom line is the most efficient and comfortable driving style possible. The driver is shown in the instrument cluster and, if applicable, on the head-up display when it is advisable to take the foot off the accelerator pedal due to an upcoming event.

If the indication is followed, the vehicle is decelerated with the greatest possible energy recovery rate until it comes to a standstill if there is another vehicle ahead, for example. The driver does not need to operate the brake pedal for this – literally one-pedal driving. As with the EQE the agility finance is available. We found the drive exhilarating and enjoyable.

Recommended Retail Pricing:

EQS 450 4MATIC SUV: R2 726 100