There is still a difference between me and the 2022 Mercedes-AMG EQS Sedan, even if it is slight. That’s because the AMG EQS isn’t the fastest Mercedes in the world (related to the 2022 SL 63 or 2021 AMG GT), nor is it the biggest, prettiest, most luxurious, or most technologically advanced EQS. For now, it’s Mercedes-Benz’s standard performance electric sedan. It should be called this.
Here’s what the AMG EQS does for its merit: Its rapid acceleration and high-tech interior are slightly less impressive than how outlandish it looks compared to other Mercedes models. Mercedes says the EQS is an early sign of where the company wants to take its electric cars, but it may not be a permanent answer. Knowing a lot, I took the EQS out on the ice for a week and found it was the supercar Mercedes needs right now, even though it was not the one I wanted.
This is the reason.
Specifications of the 2022 Mercedes-AMG EQS 4Matic +
As tested, the base price was $148,550 ($158,780).
Movement: 107.8 kWh lithium-ion battery; Permanently disturbed dual synchronous motors; Single-speed transmission, all-wheel drive
PS: 649 (751 with the AMG Dynamic Plus package, tried on)
Torque: 700 lb-ft (752 lb-ft when experiencing the AMG Dynamic Plus package)
There are five seats, and the curb weight is 5,952 pounds.
Load volume: 22 cubic feet
3.4 seconds from 0 to 60 mph
Top speed: 155 mph
EPA gas mileage: 76 cities, 78 highways, 77 total
EPA expected range: 277 miles
Quick look: the difference between two things is still different.
The basics Mercedes-AMG EQS
The Mercedes-AMG EQS is the company’s full-size, high-performance luxury car. It looks more like a tech demo than an obvious successor to the Mercedes S-Class, which doesn’t look like it will be replaced anytime soon. For people who have always loved the AMG S-class, the EQS may not be for you. It doesn’t have the excellent V12 engine that big cars always have. Instead, the EQS is at the top of the range for all-electric EQs—at least for now. Wealthy people who want to buy Mercedes’ most significant and most electric car may be waiting for the EQS SUV to be introduced soon.
The EQS features a circular, bulging shape on the outside. It has two electric motors and a 107.8 kWh battery. To be clear, it’s neither very pretty nor very fresh. The EQS looks like a cross between the first-generation CLS and CLA. Its proportions have been changed to become a sleeker electric sedan with a drag coefficient of 0.23, one of the lowest out there. Its A-pillar projects forward over the front bulkhead. This reduces the S-Class’s large bonnet size and gives the impression of a large engine under the hood.
The “superscreen” or combination of touch screens takes up at least 56 inches of space inside the EQS. The room of people and things is vast and extraordinary. Most of what you see is for research, not for living. It is comfortable and has plenty of space. It is more like a modern art gallery than a living room. Although the EQS was AMG’s top model, it didn’t have some of the most luxurious features usually found on flagship cars. For example, it didn’t have a crystal-encrusted transmission, intricate stitching, or open-pore wood on every surface.
The EQS now uses its electric motor, which is less modern and more about the brand name. The EQS will impress anyone switching from a gas-powered sedan to an EV. Buyer interest away from other electric cars? It will take more work to sell. Its 751 horsepower is staggering and on par with other electric vehicles like the Porsche Taycan Turbo, although the two get their power in entirely different ways. Violence is what attracts people to Porsche. Attractive Mercedes silence. Read more: Dodge Hornet R/T- 2023
Driving the Mercedes-AMG EQS
Bliss has a recipe, and Mercedes EQS would rather not know anything about electric cars, electric cars from other manufacturers, or what electric cars Mercedes wants to make in the future. The EQS performs like its competitors and is better than anything—a gas car on the road. At every turn, it’s scary, funny, and intoxicating. It may get old, but I don’t think it will ever stop making me smile.
Like almost every other luxury car on the road, there are many combinations of drive modes, suspension settings, engine sound settings, regenerative throttle levels, steering weight and sensitivity, power output, etc. There are many ways to change it. There are many ways to set my microwave, but when I’m hungry, I usually hit the “Let’s Go.” I think most people who buy a Mercedes-AMG would do the same.
More than 180 miles were spent in “snow mode,” slowing the engine to a slight growl and engaging the all-wheel drive system as hard as possible. The EQS’ grip was good, and an intelligent winter tire before one of Colorado’s famous snowstorms made it even better.
If you want a Mercedes with minimal noise, this is it. This is Mercedes with the latest technology. This is it if you want an EV with a three-pointed star on the front to show off to your friends and family. If you like to make your neighborhood johns turn green in your face, you might be bored.
This is because EQS is so explicit in how it works and so clinical in how it uses health and electricity that it risks fading into the background. Even painting white drywall outside my tester didn’t help much.
Lows and highs
The Mercedes-AMG EQS is exciting because of what it is and what it will do in the future. It’s almost perfect as an EV because it doesn’t promise much but gives a lot. If you want an AMG with four exhaust tips, a prominent rear spoiler, and a growl that can be heard in the next county, you should look at one of their other cars. I didn’t track the EQS when I had it. More frankly, I don’t think anyone else would either.
But it doesn’t have the excitement that makes the AMG what we’ve always wanted from Affalterbach. This is not a blow to Mercedes per se but to electric vehicles. I don’t think this will stop many people from buying an AMG EQS now, but it might not make many people want to buy one in the future. If anything, it’s touch screens, which is a good thing.
Features, options, and competitors of the Mercedes-AMG EQS
The Mercedes EQS will be compared to the BMW i7, Tesla Model S, Porsche Taycan, and Lucid Air for its price and reputation. EQS is none of those things. It doesn’t have the traditional BMW look, Porsche ruggedness, the cult following of the Model S, or the Lucid name recognition. (For some people, being seen in an expensive car is just as important as being able to drive one.) Even if it’s not the prettiest car, putting more money into it makes it look much better.
That’s a long way of saying the most expensive EQS is the best. Because of the pandemic, my testers could experience some features that weren’t available at the factory, like heated seats in the back and automatic comfort doors. The live album “Waiting for Columbus” by Little Feet, recorded in the 1970s on a 48-track deck, can only be heard in Burmester’s voice. Spending $5450 on carbon-ceramic brakes is a no-brainer for something heavy and fast. All in all, the AMG EQS costs more than $150,000 before sunrise. But you don’t care about the “value” of this car anyway.
Distance, charge, and force Mercedes-AMG EQS
Fast, energy-guzzling electric cars don’t do well in snowy Colorado. However, in snowy and icy conditions, the AMG EQS comfortably covered over 200 km on a single charge, which exceeded my expectations. I believe, and the EPA agrees, that there are electric vehicles on the market that are more efficient than the AMG EQS. However, I had plenty of fuel for short trips around town, quick runs to Boulder, Colorado, about 65 miles round trip, and other things. On its brand-new nearby Electrify America fast charger, the EQS reached speeds just over 100kW but not 200kW, which it says it can do.
If it matters to someone who wants to buy a six-figure sedan, it costs me $13.71 to charge my car for 48 minutes and add 70 kWh of electricity. The trip computer says I got 224 miles on a single charge at an average speed of 37 mph and 514 Wh/mile. That’s pretty good since it was cold. I was running winter tires, and the heater was everywhere. Is it beating in the world? No.
sustainability
The AMG EQS doesn’t have much that screams “sustainability,” and most early electric cars won’t save any whales. The EQS weighs nearly 3 tons, even when no people are on board. That’s between 700 and 1,300 pounds more than the S-Class. In the same way, the powerful engine calls for big right-footed whacks, which saps power at an incredibly gratifying and exhilarating rate.
Not all news is bad. For example, Colorado uses about the same amount of green energy as the intermediate state. I’m desperate to pay a little more each month for renewable energy at home. (The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is right down the street, so I guess it’s a way to help local businesses.) Also, Mercedes uses nylon made from renewable sources to sew its rugs. The AMG EQS is built in a carbon-neutral factory, and 80% of the steel in the car is made from recycled materials. Small victories.
Importance and Judgment Mercedes-AMG EQS
The Mercedes-AMG EQS’s value proposition can be summed up in a single sentence: it has none. It’s a Mercedes, it’s fast, and it’s luxurious. None of those terms by themselves suggest an excellent deal. Mercedes gains confidence in its ability to compete with other EV manufacturers, even if its packaging isn’t ready yet.
As a result, the EQS is worthy of a 9 out of 10. How so? The AMG EQS is a performance sedan, a Mercedes, and a fun ride for the affluent. Significant in comparison is still great. The Mercedes-AMG EQS performs admirably in its field.
